5 Of The Best Portable Camping Toilets On Earth, All You Need To Know

Are you tired of rushing to a shaded area and sitting your ass out in the cold while doing your thing? Or worse, walking miles from the campsite to use the outdoor bathroom?

An outdoor toilet in an icy mountain like that?! I wouldn’t want to go in there

Good news! Your misery ends right now. A portable camping toilet is all you need for a good night’s sleep. It’ll also be very handy for children and elderly individuals. Not only can it be used for camping, but for other outdoor and home use too. As for me, I used it to potty train my kid.

It is a wonderful tool, people. It has unlimited uses, and honestly, it’s a lifesaver. When mother nature calls you out in the wilderness, you don’t have to be anxious about deciding where to dump it if you have a portable camping toilet.

In this article, I will share with you the essential features you have to look for in a portable camping toilet as well as a run-down of the top-rated portable camping toilets in the market.

**Below, you’ll find our more detailed reviews, but you can also click the links above to see current prices or read customer reviews on Amazon.

Essential Features To Look For

A portable camping toilet will provide you with an easy way to heed the call of nature like no other thing. It may look small and rugged, but it’s one of the most useful camping equipment.

For starters, you might want to know the basic and most important things you should look for first before purchasing your own.

1. Holding Capacity

If you plan to be outdoors for a period of two to three days or longer, you might want to buy a portable camping toilet with a large capacity.

Most portable toilets on the market are designed to hold 5.5 gallons of waste, so looking for this criterion won’t be a problem. However, if you purchase a separate bucket, buy one with 4-5 gallon capacity.

2. Seat Height

The seat height factor is a crucial thing to bear in mind. Don’t just purchase a portable camping toilet that has advanced features and a sleek design without minding its height.

Most campers buy top-rated portable toilets due to their functional design, but upon using them, they are disappointed by the low seat height, which will only be convenient for kids.

When you look for one, make sure to read the dimensions of the item. It’s better to examine it in person so you can try sitting on it. If it’s too low, find another one! It’s hard to shit or pee if you squat too low, especially for elderly individuals.​

3. Odorless And Leak-Free Features

You may not see the importance of having a portable camping toilet that is odorless and leakage-free right now, but when you use it outdoors, you’ll understand why those two features are essential.

Advanced portable camping toilets usually have those features. They have specialized structures such as air-tight valves and latches that won’t permit odor and fluids to leak out.

However, if you’ll only use the regular toilet seat + bucket combo, lining the interior with a garbage bag and using stench removers such as baking soda, sawdust, etc., will get the job done.

The 5 Best Portable Toilets in the Market

Below, you’ll find our more detailed reviews, but you can also click the links above to see current prices or read customer reviews on Amazon.

Are you now ready to purchase your first camping toilet? Hurray! Now you’re a legitimate camper. You can survive in the woods with a portable toilet and a reliable tent for a long time. And, of course, some food and a few cans of beer.

There are a ton of portable camping toilets advertised on the market, but I’ve saved you a load of research, and I now present to you: The 5 Best Portable Toilets in the Market.

It feels like you’re in the comforts of your house bathroom when you use the CAMCO Portable Toilet. It is good-looking, sturdy, and very functional. It measures around 16” in height, so it wouldn’t be a big deal to bring it along with you because it also has top and bottom handles for convenient carrying.

First of all, it features a 5.3-gallon holding tank that is detachable. The holding tank is where the droppings go. They also have a bellow-type flush wherein you flush the toilet with a lever that dispenses clean water to tidy up the toilet bowl.

A cap on the back of the portable toilet allows you to pour fresh water manually. Another notable feature of this toilet is its slide valve which seals in unpleasant odors and prevents the contents from leaking.

When you’re done camping, all you have to do is empty its contents through a capped hole on the back of the toilet into a plastic bag and bury it.

PROS:

• Easy to use
• Easy to clean
• Convenient to carry – have handles on top and below
• Large holding capacity
• It has a unique flash
• Odorless and leakage-free
• If unemptied immediately, it can hold the smell for a couple of days

CONS:

• A little bulky
• The toilet seat might be too small for adults
• The tank may have a large holding capacity, but the upper half is not very deep
• The freshwater reservoir frequently leaks so you may need to flush it now and then

If you are the type who is fond of assembling things, then you’ll like the ER Emergency Snap-On Portable Toilet. This portable toilet has two components: a 5-gallon pail and a detachable toilet seat.

This is synonymous with the customizable house bucket you can do on your own, except it has a secure toilet seat and a better appearance.

This snap-on portable toilet is your simplest sanitation solution. Just like the inside of the pail with a plastic bag, attach the toilet seat to the bucket, do your thing, and discard the contents.

However, the pail is purchased separately from the seat. If you don’t want to buy the pail, you can just use any standard 5-gallon bucket. The toilet seat conveniently fits any 5-gallon bucket.

PROS:

• Easy to use
• Easy to clean (just be sure to use a plastic bag to line the interior)
• Convenient to carry and packable (just keep the snap-on seat and drop by depots on the way to your camping site to purchase a 5-gallon bucket)
• Large holding capacity
• A secured seat that will fit adult bums

CONS:

• No flush
• A bit bulky
• Odors may still leak out (covering the toilet seat might be insufficient)
• You’ll need to use it with care as the plastic seat is a bit flimsy

Via Amazon.com

The Black Pine Sports Turbo Toilet is a portable pop-up toilet that is concealed in a thin zippered bag. It’s ideal for hiking, camping, RV-ing, road trips, and other outdoor activities.

Upon removing it from its zippered storage bag, it springs up into a very sturdy cylinder-shaped toilet that has a toilet seat on top and a supporting stand below. It supports up to a 330-pound person and has a 2L holding capacity. To close it, just push the hinges on its sides, and it springs back to its initial size.

You might ask, “Doesn’t it have a toilet seat? If it doesn’t, the odor will spread out right?”. Yes, it doesn’t have a toilet seat, but it utilises an odor control powder that absorbs about 2L of waste, transforming all of it into an odorless gel-like substance.

To use this portable toilet seat, pop it open, line the interior with biodegradable plastic bags (included in the package), and scatter the powder on the contents after you use it. The powder will rapidly seep into the waste and solidify it.

For moms out there, you can also use this portable toilet in potty training your babies as I did. This portable toilet greatly impacted my outdoor activities, especially while camping. Plastic bags are environment-friendly too. Overall, this portable toilet is very functional.​

PROS:

• Environment-friendly
• Easy to use
• Thick and functional framework
• Heavy duty – can support up to a 330-pound weight
• Requires a small space for storage
• Convenient to carry
• Odorless and leakage-free

CONS:

• Smallholding capacity
• You may still need a deodorizer
• It doesn’t have a lid for closing
• The height might be too low for aged individuals, making it hard to get up and down.
• If you run out of odor control powder, purchasing one would be expensive.

Via Amazon.com

Most campers consider the Thetford Porta Potti Portable Toilet as the holy grail of all portable camping toilets. You won’t miss your house toilet when you start using this one!

It looks ultra-sleek, has high-tech features, and you’ll feel at home while using it.

Amazingly, the portable toilet features a large bowl design – a perfect fit for kids’ and adults’ bums and also a massive 5.5-gallon waste capacity. Moreover, it has a convenient seat height and a battery-operated flush – told you’ it’s high-tech.

As for the whole structure, the Porta Potti has two tanks with handles. The upper tank is for seating, flushing and holding the fresh water while the lower tank’s purpose is to keep and store wastes. You can conveniently pull the middle latch if you want to separate the tanks.

A notable feature of this product is it has a level indicator for both the freshwater and waste tanks, so you’ll know if they need to be filled (for the freshwater tank) or emptied (for holding tank). It’s tremendously functional!

What’s more to love in this Porta Potti is it has a compartment for holding your paper towels. I think that feature is very necessary, but most portable camping toilet manufacturers fail to see it, so I’m very glad that this one comes with it.

Because I am an oblivious person, with that feature, I’ll always have something to wipe the dirt off, and I won’t have to worry about shouting to my husband to get the towel.

While I purchased this product mainly for camping and RV-ing, I also bought an extra for disaster preparations – you know, earthquakes and such things that can destroy a house but not my Porta Potti!

Also, an important note: If you plan to drive at higher altitudes with this one, don’t forget to crack the flush so the pressure is equal to avoid damaging the toilet.

PROS:

• Easy to use and clean
• Very durable, functional and has an excellent design
• Heavy duty
• Large holding capacity
• Odorless and leakage-free
• High-tech – battery-operated flush and level indicators
• Perfect height – won’t be too low for adults nor too short for kids

CONS:

• The pump may not work if you overuse it or forgot to remove the batteries for a long time
• A bit bulky for transportation
• Cannot be left outside – if it rains, the electric parts may become damaged

Via Amazon.com

A chair as a portable camping toilet you say? Yes, a chair with a cut-out center for receiving your waste into a container. It feels very laid-back!

The Folding Commode Steel Chair Portable Camping Toilet primarily features a foldable steel seat with a toilet seat center which can support up to a 250-pound weight. It measures 16” in height, which is very convenient for a middle-aged adult who can’t squat too low because I can barely bend a knee.

It’s also very lightweight – it just weighs 3.6 pounds, so you can easily carry it around. Also, it will require a small storage space and transport space because you can just fold and stuff it in the backseat.

However, it doesn’t come with a bucket for waste storage. Just use an old one from your house (not necessarily a 5-gallon one) or purchase a cheap one from a depot. Again, line the interior of the bucket with a plastic bag for easy disposal.​

PROS:

• Easy to use
• Appropriate seat height for adults
• Durable and sturdy
• Easy to carry (lightweight)
• Requires a small space for storage

CONS:

• You need to purchase a separate bucket
• Doesn’t have a lid for closing
• The unpleasant odors may spread
• The toilet seat circumference might be too small for adult use

Author’s Choice

There are a lot of portable camping toilets in the market claiming to be the best. So far, my fellow outdoor enthusiasts and I have found the five products we have reviewed as the ones that surely get the job done.

I can’t say what stands out among the five because, in the end, it will depend on your activity. If you plan to spend a couple of days or weeks out, I suggest taking a CAMCO or a Thetford with you because you’ll need something that will bring utmost convenience for a long time. They’re especially liked by kids too.

Your camping trip will be as just like them if you have a portable camping toilet with you. No need to rush finding a pit on chilly nights!

If you’ll just do an overnight RV or road trip, the best one to use is the Black Pine because it takes up very minimal space and is guaranteed to be odor-free, so your car won’t have that awful stink.

Lastly, if you plan to transport your portable camping toilet on a plane or train, I highly suggest purchasing the ER Emergency Snap-On and the Folding Commode because all you need to pack is the snap-on toilet seat (for ER) and the foldable chair (for Folding Commode) and just purchase a bucket along the way to your destination.

Portable camping toilets are a must-have! They have unlimited uses. They’re not only designed for camping but for other recreational activities too, like hiking, hunting, road trips, and even for potty-training your child. They are one of the essential tools you must have for your outdoor activities.

An important thing to remember: Leave no traces. Always wrap your waste and bury it. My fellow outdoor enthusiasts, it’s our responsibility to keep Mother Nature clean.

Have you tried out a portable camping toilet? What did you use? Did it serve you well? Share your experience below!

Did you enjoy reading this post? Is it useful? If so, share this to show your love!