Best Toilets for Van Life
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If you have read or watched anything about van life, the infamous camper van toilet debate always comes up. There are a few different ways to go about doing your business on the road. Some people choose to forgo a toilet and pee in jars or jugs while others choose to have a composting toilet to do their business. It all comes down to preference.
There are few things you need to consider when choosing a toilet for your van. First, figure out the budget. This is will give you a good starting point. Next, figure out how you plan to use the toilet. Are you full time and plan on using it every time you have to go to the bathroom? Do you plan to only use it occasionally? Or is it just in case of an emergency? All these play a role for which option will work for you.
We will compare the 6 most common toilet options for van life.
1. Composting Toilet - Best Overall
Nature’s Head Composting Toilet
Pros
- No odors
- Don't have to change coco coir or peat moss frequently
- Urine and poop are not mixed together
- Environmentally friendly
Cons
- Expensive
- Harder to install
- Urine bucket needs changed more frequently
The best overall toilet is the composting toilet. Composting toilets are essentially toilets that have 2 separate holes for urine and poop. Urine is kept separately from poop since it affects the composting process and causes odor. The Nature’s Head Composting Toilet has a large composting section at the back and a 2.2 gallon urine tank at the front. You use coconut fiber (coco coir) or peat moss in the composting section. After you do your business, you throw your toilet paper into the composting section and turn the handle a few times to mix it up. Then you spray the are where you pee with a vinegar spray to prevent odors.
The Nature’s Head toilet does need to be vented and electrical is required to run the vent fan. It is also larger than the other toilets and is the most expensive option on the list. However, this toilet doesn’t produce any odors.
These toilets are great for full time van life because they can last 2-3 weeks before you need to empty the compost. The urine tank does fill up much quicker and needs to be emptied every 2-3 days. To dump the compost, you remove the urine tank, take the toilet out of your van, and dump the compost into a trash bag then throw it away.
2. Cassette Toilet - Best Value
Thetford Porta POTTI, SereneLife Portable Toilet, and Dometic Portable Toilet
Pros
- Good middle of the ground option
- No install
- Easy to take cassette out of van
- Cheaper then other options on list
Cons
- Dumping is not pleasant
- Typically have to dump more often then composting
- Strong chemical tabs are used in these toilets and cause odors
The next option is cassette toilets. These have become super popular in the RV and van life community. Cassette toilets are a little smaller than composting toilets, so they can fit under a bench pretty easily. One nice feature of a cassette toilet is you do get a flush. For some people these makes it feel like a cleaner experience. Some popular cassette toilets are the Thetford Porta POTTI, SereneLife Portable Toilet, and the Dometic Portable Toilet.
Cassette toilets are usually in the 4-6 gallon range and can fill up pretty quickly, which means they need to be dumped more. When you empty a cassette toilet you take the full tank out of the vehicle to dump it and some people report that these toilets can be pretty nasty to dump. Additionally, some people report that cassette toilets are smellier than composting toilets since they use harsh chemicals to break down bowel movements and urine.
Cassette toilets are a good option if you are using other facilities in combination with these on your trips. They can run from $100-$200 so they are less expensive than a lot of other toilets on this list.
3. Dry Toilet - Coolest Toilet
Laveo Dry Flush Toilet
Pros
- Battery option makes it portable (also have DC and AC options)
- No harsh chemical odor
- Seals odors in
- Easy to change out when full
Cons
- Expensive Toilet Option
- Refill cartridges add additional expense
Dry flush toilets are a pretty neat invention. These toilets work by having everything fall into a bag. The Laveo Dry Flush for instance comes with a cartridge that gives you 15 solid flushes or 28 flushes when using the included Pee Powder. You do your business which drops to the bottom of the cartridge bag. When you go to “flush”, the bag is twisted tightly to prevent smell using a fan and vacuum system. This toilet does require electricity to work properly and comes with a battery and a charger.
If you are using this as a full time toilet you can go through these cartridges pretty quickly and refills aren’t cheap. The cartridges are also pretty large so spare cartridges will take up additional space in your van. The cartridges are pretty hard to get since Laveo is still setting up their dealer network.
We do believe this is a pretty cool option if you are not using this every time you go to the bathroom. It’s one of the the pricier options, but definitely worth taking a look at.
4. Bucket Toilet - Best Portable Toilet
Camco Portable Toilet Bucket and the Cleanwaste GO Anywhere Portable Toilet
Pros
- Very portable
- Space saving
- Solid emergency toilet option
Cons
- Can become smelly quickly
- Best if only used for #2
- Have poop bags in van
Next up are truly portable toilets such as the Camco Portable Toilet Bucket or the Cleanwaste GO Anywhere Portable Toilet. These bucket toilets take up a small amount of space in your van, are very portable, and are the second cheapest option on this list.
The Camco toilet comes with specific bags to use and makes it super easy to replace the bag and bag up the waste. This is important because these kind of toilets can get smelly quickly. You could put peat moss or coco coir in the bags to help with the smell, but the bags still need to be changed frequently.
Bucket toilets are still a great option for portability, price, emergency situations, and ease of use.
5. Traditional Flush - Best for Traditional Toilet Experience
Dometic 320 Series RV Toilet
Pros
- Feel the cleanest when done
- Urine and feces stored in separate tank
Cons
- Hardest Install
- Black Water Tank needed
- Drains Water Supply
- Need Black water dump sites
Traditional flush toilets are more common in RVs and most DIY camper vans do not have these types of toilets in their bathroom. These toilets take up more space and are harder to install. Traditional flush toilets also use your water supply each time you flush. This is something to consider if you camp off grid a lot. These toilets require a black water tank for waste under your van, and will need to be emptied at black water dump sites every time you need to empty your tank. You will also have to do maintenance on the black water tank since they can become clogged.
Traditional toilets such as the Dometic 320 Series Toilet are in the middle for price at around $350 with additional costs for plumbing and a black water tank. These are a good option if you like the luxury of a traditional toilet out on the road.
6. No Toilet - Cheapest Option
Pros
- Cheapest option
- Takes up no space or very little space to store containers
- Easy clean up
Cons
- Dirtiest option
- Plan on finding public restrooms frequently
- Odors in the van
The final option is to have no toilet at all. There are many van lifers that have elected to bypass having a toilet in the van and choose to go in public places or dig a hole in the woods (always follow leave no trace etiquette).
Some people don’t want to deal with the hassle of emptying a cassette or changing compost. There are some people out there using jars and poop bags in their van. This option does require additional planning to make sure you have regular access to public toilets; however, this is by far going to be the cheapest option, and you don’t have to use up any space in your small van.
As you can see, there are many different options for how you do your business on the road. If you plan on being on the road full time and have the space and budget, a composting or dry toilet are great options. If you plan to use public restrooms and only need a toilet for emergencies, a bucket toilet is the best option. There is no right or wrong choice as long as it meets your needs.
Want more van life content? Check out our post on van life essentials.