Have you ever felt that anxious strong call of Mother Nature while you’re out camping, hunting, or doing any other outdoor activities?
Perhaps you’ve felt the urge to pee or take a dump outside, but sadly, as you frolic to and fro while keeping that relaxed breathing because, you know, it might explode then and there if you succumb to the feeling, you realize that there are no toilet rooms everywhere in the area. GREAT! Just great!
Have you ever experienced that kind of problem? I did. I did countless times, and I learned from it the hard way.
It took me a couple of overnight camping trips before I said to myself that I am not going to let it happen anymore. Yes ladies and gents, I made my own portable camping toilet.
A portable toilet is a must-have if you’re going to be outdoors frequently or for a long time because you’ll rarely find any bathroom stalls in the mountains. But if you don’t have one, we got you covered.
A portable camping toilet is especially useful for us women because we can’t just wee while facing the tree, right? Moreover, some of my friends won’t go out with me to camp even if they wanted to because of the lack of toilet facilities.
That just ruins everything right? I say don’t miss out on the pleasures of camping just because there are no toilets outdoors.
What If You Don’t Have A Portable Toilet At The Moment?
Urinating Outdoors
This part is pretty self-explanatory. If you’re a man, you can pee while standing up, facing against a tree or a bush.
If you’re a woman, it’ll be a hassle since you can’t pee standing up – just find a covered bush, or a spot distant to your camping area then go do your thing.
The FUD
A modern tool used by women today for urinating outdoors is a FUD or a female urination device. These are funnel-shaped devices made of plastic that allows women to pee like a man – standing up.
Now you may think that’s weird, but let me tell you: it’s very advantageous. First of all, you won’t have to take layers upon layers of bottoms just to take a quick pee.
It’s very convenient! Secondly, it’s less messy since your pee won’t scatter into unplanned directions which often happens when you squat. Lastly, you’ll want just to use a FUD instead of peeing in filthy and disgusting toilets without decent hand sanitizers.
Oh! FUDs are also a great alternative if you don’t have any rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizers because you know you won’t be touching any filthy surface while peeing.
An exceptional FUD that I and many female campers use is the Shewee Extreme FUD. Aside from its lightweight and reusable features, it has a thoughtful addition– an extension pipe.
I love that feature because most FUDs have the standard pipe length that I think is too short because I still get splatters of pee on my shoes and pants whenever I use them.
Moreover, the Shewee FUD comes with a storage case. In case there’s no running water available outdoors, you can just let it dry a little then store it in a case. Again, most FUDs doesn’t have storage cases. Need I say more?
After using it, just wash it with soap and water, and it’s good for another round.
Taking A Dump In The Woods
However, taking a dump is an entirely different thing. You’ll need some plastic bags (an airtight one is better), tissue paper, and a digging tool such as a small shovel.
Again, find a concealed spot, then take the bag out and use it to catch the dump. Afterward, seal it then dig a hole deep enough to bury the bag.
Additionally, you can put some leaves or a clump of dirt on top of the burial site of your droppings to conceal it further.
Making A Portable Camping Toilet
If you have an outdoor activity tomorrow and you don’t have time to purchase a portable toilet, you can just customize your typical house buckets or milk crates.
Things You’ll Need
- Buckets (5-gallon or smaller)
- Garbage bags
- A snap-on toilet seat (or an old one)
- Pool noodles (optional)
- An old garden chair (optional)
- Soldering iron/ hole saw (if you plan to use a chair)
- Markers
1. Turn Your House Bucket Into A Portable Toilet
Big or small buckets will do just fine. If you plan to use buckets as an alternative, make sure they have lids to keep the smell from diffusing outside.
As for me, I opted for smaller buckets when I don’t have a portable one yet because they’re much lighter, easier to bring, and I figured that I wouldn’t release that much to fill up a big bucket.
Most campers I know also utilize 5-gallon buckets as their portable camping toilet.
It’s advantageous to bring two buckets, one for pee and one for poop. Mark them with a marker or a printed sign to distinguish them from one another.
2. Add A Toilet Seat On Top Of The Bucket
It’s better if you have an old toilet seat or buy a snap-on one on top of the bucket to allow you to sit on the bucket conveniently. Snap-on ones have hinges that will quickly latch onto any standard 5-gallon buckets.
3. You Can Use A Pool Noodle Instead Of A Toilet Seat
There are other materials you can use if you don’t have an old toilet seat. I’ve seen some campers use pool Noodles (cylindrical foam) to line the circumference of the bucket. It’s very cozy to use that kind of toilet seat alternative because it’s soft like real foam which is very comforting for um, long hours of sitting.
4. Level Up Your Portable Toilet With An Old Plastic Chair
If you are looking for sheer comfortability, then all you’ll need is an old garden chair high enough to fit the bucket underneath, a toilet seat, and of course, a bucket.
First, cut a hole using a soldering iron or a hole saw that fits the circumference of your toilet seat into the chair. I suggest you lay the toilet seat on top and cut the area inside the seat.
Easy peasy! All you need to do afterward is to set it up outdoors, put the bucket underneath the chair and you’re good to take a dump. Always bear in mind to close the bucket with a lid after every session to prevent the unpleasant smell from spreading.
Also, do not forget to bring garbage bags or plastic bags large enough to fit inside the bucket. You need to put it inside first before anything else so you can just seal and discard it afterward and keep the bucket for later.
Do you still remember how to discard a plastic bag stuffed with droppings? Dig a hole and bury it there. It’s the proper way.
How To Remove The Stench Of Your Droppings
Human dropping, just like cat litter and dog poop, can be intolerable.
Most stench removers can be found in your kitchen. All you need to do is pour them on your personalized portable camping toilet.
If somehow, you find yourself lacking a portable camping toilet or even a plastic container, so you must went straight to the ground to do your thing, here are some tips that will help you cover the stench.
1. Use A Backing Soda
If you packed a baking soda along with you, this would be very handy in covering the smell. It has potent compounds that mask unpleasant odors that also kill the bacteria present in the waste.
Sprinkle the baking soda on top of the waste or mix it with water first before pouring, so it’s more effective.
2. Pour Bleach Or Chlorine On The Area
If you have a bleaching soap or chlorine with you for some reason, they will also prove useful for removing the odor. They’re also anti-bacterial. All you have to do is pour the concentrated liquids on the waste, and you’re done.
3. A Body Soap Or Detergent Can Also Do The Job
I’m sure you brought a body soap or liquid/powder detergent with you for camping purposes. If you don’t have baking soda or bleach, you can just use the regular soap instead.
Just mix it with water and make it as concentrated as possible for efficiency. Pour it in the area, and the stench will be gone in an hour or so.
4. Use Sawdust
If you know you’re going on an outdoor trip and you haven’t made or purchased your portable camping toilet yet, you can bring a bag of sawdust or wood shavings with you.
Sawdust is an excellent odor remover for compost pits (many use sawdust primarily for this reason), animal litter, and quite surprisingly, human waste. Sawdust is a moisture absorber and odor eliminator.
After shitting on the toilet, plastic bag or bare ground, just layer it with sawdust on top. The foul smell will be gone in a few minutes!
5. Spray a homemade air freshener
If you’re an OC person like me who wants all things to be neat, organized and smelling fresh, you might be delighted to use a DIY air freshener.
Together with the stench removers, we have enumerated, air fresheners further help in removing the awful smell and leaving behind a fresh scent.
If you’re planning to use only the scent spray for removing the stench, you shouldn’t dare. Since air is very volatile and spray scents tend to have minute molecules that diffuse with the air, the scent won’t last that long.
So what makes up a home-made air spray? Well, it’s up to your fragrance preference, but I usually use a commercial lemon oil, tea tree oil, and distilled water.
Just mix those three in an old perfume or cologne spray bottle, and you’re done. You can spray it after every toilet session.
Read More: A Different Take on the Dutch Oven Apple Cobbler: Using a Regular Pot and Adding A Secret Ingredient
Conclusion
You see, you don’t have to purchase a portable camping toilet just to enjoy your camping trip because ladies and gents, you can actually make your own.
It’s pretty easy and the materials needed won’t cost much. Of course, it doesn’t end in just making the toilet because the stench of the droppings is another thing to worry about.
As I have shown you, you can easily make your own stench removers.
I just want to share with you guys how glad I was after making my own portable camping toilet.
I realized that we always buy camping gears and equipment so when I heard that there is such a thing as a portable camping toilet, I didn’t think twice about buying.
But when I saw that there are resources I can use to make my own, I immediately started building, and after I finished, it just gave me a feeling of sheer pleasure.
You don’t have to buy everything, look at the resources you have and turn it into a useful thing. Resourcefulness is, after all, the key.
Have you shared that intense mother nature calling while camping? What did you do? Do you have some tips on how to make your own portable toilet? Share them below! We’d love to hear from you.
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I’m Cindy, a free-spirited outdoor enthusiast. Since childhood, Our family frequently goes on weekend camps and my father, who was a skilled hunter, used to teach my siblings and me valuable things about wildlife survival. I made this blog to share my knowledge, experiences, and tips.
