A very common question from people who want to camp or live in their SUV is how/where they are supposed to go to the bathroom. There are a number of different ways to address this problem, and ny personal toilet solution has 3 components:
- I use public toilets whenever possible. This includes toilets at Walmarts, gas stations, grocery stores, fast food restaurants, libraries, visitor centers, trailheads, etc.
- I have a pee bottle for when I need to pee inside of my vehicle and don’t want to leave. This can be due to privacy concerns (e.g., there are other people camped nearby) or weather concerns (e.g., it’s cold or rainy outside). I use a green Nalgene bottle.
- I have a small, portable camp toilet that I made. I use it in conjunction with a privacy tent when I need to poop and there are no public restrooms around.
Excuse me while I get a bit graphic here, but I’ve never pooped while inside my SUV. I’ve never really needed to, and the idea of pooping and creating unpleasant odors in such a small space has never appealed to me. That said, different people have different priorities. For some, the best solution is to rig up a toilet inside of their vehicle so they can use it discretely without having to leave the vehicle. A few months back, SUV RVing reader/viewer Rainwood sent me a couple of photos of the toilet she built into the sleeping platform of her Subaru Forester:
First, Rainwood removed the rear seats. And then here’s what she had to say about the toilet and how she made it:
“Since I want to be able to sit on my toilet, I found an old crock from a crock pot at a second-hand store. It is just the right height and fit where the back seat was. I found an RV toilet seat on line and built it in. Like I said, I’ll use plastic bags (they fit well) and kitty litter. I got the back windows tinted and am going to put curtains in for privacy.”
If being able to go to the bathroom while inside your SUV is important to you, Rainwood’s design looks like a great one to emulate.
She also had this to say about removing the seats:
“When I took out the back seats I had to add some foam to fill the space below the first wooden frame. Before placing the foam, there was a lot of noise from gasoline splashing around as I drove.”
And here are some pics of the seats removed and foam she added:
Thanks for sharing, Rainwood!
Another option for adding a toilet to your SUV is to simply put a bucket toilet on the floor behind the front seats. I show that in this picture here (this is the toilet seat I bought):
Pictured is a 5-gallon bucket, but you could certainly get a smaller one if you wanted more headroom.
If you’d like to share some pics of your SUV camping setup with the SUV RVing community, get in touch using the form here.
[Note: This article contains Amazon affiliate links for products that I use and have paid for myself.]
Great examples for a concern I had as well driving a Honda CR-V. Sometimes you just can’t “make it” to a public bathroom or maneuver with a pee bottle (for some ladies). These are great options for emergencies.
Thank You
I agree. I thought this was a really clever solution to the problem, and Rainwood’s built-in solution really doesn’t take up much space. Like you said, it’d be great for emergencies. Better a stinky car than soiled pants!
Good idea if you don’t mind stinking up your car… Poop is just like cigarette smoke, it stays in your car forever.
True, but I suspect that this is probably being used more for pee than poop.
EWWWWWWW……..GOOD TO KNOW!!!!! THANKS!
Not a problem for me as my shit don’t stink.
Regarding peeing if you’re a woman: There are a number of devices you can buy these days that will allow women to pee standing up (a HUGE improvement over having to find a bush, believe me– there’s nothing like being growled at while your pants are around your ankles.) They’re called FUDs (Female Urination Devices) and some are sold on Amazon; I’ve tried several, and the best one I’ve found so far is the PStyle, which way beats the GoGirl, TinkleBelle, Freshette or any of the others out there so far as ease of use and lack of spillage. Take a look– it is SO worth it, and a lot safer than dropping your jeans in the woods.
Yeah FUDs! I happen to have a Freshette simply because that was what was available when I first discovered this device. Nice that there are now choices.
Thumbs up for the PStyle. So much better than any of the other options.
All of my 4-door hatch back vehicles came with a shower and toilet. They all have one. You just have to learn where it is. Open the passenger side doors and use the space in between the doors. Bring along a little collapsible step stool to sit on while doing the ‘one gallon shower’ thing. Do the S^3 (sh*t-shower-shave) thing in different locations.
I’m looking for a way my 78 year old stroke-disabled husband can use a toilet when we’re out on a drive and can’t find an accessible restroom. He would need space to maneuver, including wide-opening back seat door. I’m looking at getting a used Toyota Sienna minivan because of the sliding door, sliding and removeable seats and easy in/out height. My only hesitation is that we live on the coast and have to drive in sand to get to our beach. The Sienna has AWD and slightly better ground clearance than our old Dodge Caravan which failed the sand test miserably, but I’m unsure that it would navigate the sand well enough. I’d like to find an affordable SUV that would easily accommodate a porta potty.