How To Make A Camping Toilet

Look, it’s an easy mistake to make, especially if you’re new to camping.
You’ve gotten the tent, you’ve found the perfect camping spot to go to, and you’ve got the time off. Everything has been arranged.

So, you go to your campsite, and set up shop, only to realize that you don’t even have camping toiletry on hand, ready to use at any time!

It’s an embarrassing moment for anyone preparing to camp, for sure.
And not only that, but it also forces you into one of two options available to you.

Your options are:

Go to the nearest camping or hardware store (however far away that is), and buy a very expensive piece of kit that you may not have the budget for anymore.
Go full wilderness survival mode, find a spot that is nowhere near where you’ll be staying, do your business, and bury it like an animal.

Considering that we’re not even entirely sure about the legality of the last options, neither of these are situations that you want to find yourself in.

However, there is a third option open to you. One that requires a little extra planning, but one that could pay off big time if you can do it.

That’s right, you can make your camping toilet yourself!
It is a slightly more challenging option, but one that could save you both money and embarrassment in the long run.

And this guide is here to show you how to do it!

What Is A DIY Camping Toilet?

Well, it is exactly what the name suggests that it is.

A DIY camping toilet does all the things that you would need a classic camping toilet to do, i.e. be a place where you can get rid of your waste and do your business, whilst also dealing with the waste to stop it from being a health hazard for people who may come near it.

Only instead of buying it from a store, you build it yourself!
Needless to say, these are very important pieces of equipment, especially when it comes to maintaining health and hygiene standards while camping.

Why Make Your Camping Toilet?

So, many people, when hearing about making their camping toilet for themselves, may be wondering why they would do that, when they can, with a little looking at least, purchase a perfectly good camping toilet either in a camping store, or online.

And that is a far point. In terms of convenience, simply purchasing a camping toilet would be the easiest option.

However, there are a couple of factors that should be considered before writing off making your camping toilet.

Firstly, whilst a store or online-bought camping toilet can put you back anywhere from 30 to upwards of 100 dollars, whereas a DIY camping toilet can cost as little as 10 to 20 dollars!
While many campsites or other places do have communal toilet facilities if you don’t have or forgot your DIY camping toilet, you probably don’t want to be sharing a space in a nasty plastic porta-potty.
And again, as we mentioned in the intro, you don’t want to be digging holes in the dirt like a cat to be pooping or peeing!

Your Options Of DIY Camping Toilets

So, when it comes down to making a camping toilet of your own, you have two options open to you.
You can either create a separating toilet or an all-in-one toilet.

All-In-One Toilet

This is perhaps the simplest waste disposal unit that you can make for yourself. It is exactly what it sounds like, where the solid and liquid waste is kept in the same container.

It is a very simple toilet to make for yourself, but can quickly cause waste and smell to build up, so make sure that you empty it regularly.

How To Build An All-In-One Toilet

To make this type of camping toilet, you will need:

1 5-gallon bucket
Either 1 pool noodle (to make the seat), or one toilet seat.
Trash/Garbage bags
Either sawdust, fine wood pellets, or cat litter.

For this toilet, all you need to do is line the bucket with garbage bags (at least one inside the other, to make sure there is no breakage), and fill it with your waste-absorbing medium of choice (make sure not to overfill the trash bags though).

Then, simply cut the pool noodle down to a size that will fit around the bucket for cushioning.
And that’s it! You have your simple camping toilet!

Separating Toilet

As the name implies, this toilet separates the waste a person using it creates into both solid and liquid storage containers.

The liquid can then be disposed of as you would normal liquid waste like urine, down a standard toilet, whilst the solid waste can be thrown in the trash like normal garbage.

This system is very popular, as it helps prevent odor buildup (a massive issue with many self-contained camping toilets), and can make disposal of waste very easy.

Plus, depending on your toilet habits, you can leave the solid waste for longer periods, as the waste is contained, and won’t create much smell.

How To Build A Separating Toilet

For a more complicated design like this, you’ll need all the materials from the last toilet model, plus these extras:

A 1-gallon jug
A urine diverter
Tubing for diverting liquid out of jug (although this is technically optional)
A wooden box to enclose all your parts

First, make sure your box is big enough to accommodate the bucket and the gallon jug, with the latter in front of the other.

Then place your jug and bucket in the box, while putting in the diverter, either under your lid or to the bucket (you would add the tubing here if necessary).

Then simply line the bucket with your trash bags, close the lid, and you’re good to go!

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it!
It’s not a pretty job to do, but it’s a skill that you will thank yourself for having when it is needed!