The idea of an RV composting toilet can be a difficult one for some RV owners to swallow. Despite the initial hesitation, those who do install a composting toilet quickly discover that this alternate form of disposing waste while on the go is very effective and easy to use. Not only is it surprisingly clean environmentally friendly in ways that traditional holding tank set-ups simply are not — a properly functioning RV composting toilet does not smell!
For real-world experience we turn to veteran RVers and experienced composting toilet owners, Gone with the Wynns, who explain how this alternate toilet works in easy-to-understand terms.
A dry composting toilet uses no water, so there is no plumbing involved, no chemicals needed, no flushing, it’s completely natural and organic. The toilet is like a mini ecosystem that separates the liquids (the pee) and the solids (the poo) so the solids can convert into humus (not hummus, the dip made from chickpeas). Returning humus to the soil is an ecological benefit no different than adding animal manure purchased from a landscaping store.
Versatile & Easy to Use
One of the most significant benefits of a compost toilet RV model is its versatility. It needn’t be used only in your RV, where you have a septic tank that will ultimately have to be drained (an unpleasant, sometimes expensive process), but it can be taken into the wild and used at a campsite, or in backcountry camping. Such a recirculating toilet is an effective but environmentally friendly luxury of home for the outdoors.
Composting Toilet Brands
The trick of the whole thing is you’ll need to buy a solid RV incinerator toilet (another, fancier term for a composting toilet) that will remain properly functioning for as long as possible. There are a few major brands of composting toilets on the market including Nature’s Head and Sun-Mar.
Nature’s Head:
Nature’s Head is the more prevalent of the two brands, and for good reason. They offer two similar models, both currently priced at $925 on their website and $960 on Amazon, with the only major difference being a different handle design. Their toilets come in several pieces but are quite easy to assemble.
By all accounts and user reviews, Nature Head toilets are long-lasting and effective, providing an odorless waste management system in a compact, portable system that creates no sewage.
The choice of only two models makes this purchase an easy decision, as the toilets are effective and require little distinction between models for unnecessary added features. Their website also offers a variety of replacement parts and add-on accessories, including an extra odor-expelling hose and extra urine tank, for reasonable prices, making it easier to repair or supplement the system should anything go wrong.
Sun-Mar:
If you’re looking for a different composting toilet for RV use, Sun-Mar is the only other major option. By most accounts, this brand pales in comparison to the more popular and significantly cheaper Nature’s Head models. Their basic model, the Excel design, costs $1,645 on their website. Their other models are moderately more expensive, going up to $1,845 in price for their higher capacity Excel, and feature other extensions such as added portability or electric power.
User reviews for Sun-Mar’s products generally paint their compost toilet RV model as easy to break and nearly impossible to use. For affordability and for accessibility of use, buyers should likely opt for a Nature’s Head composting toilet.
Should you find another RV composting toilet, or one you can convert into a composting toilet (or even decide to make your own from scratch), there are numerous resources online to help you decide if the product is right for you. Look for user reviews and compare specs to help ensure you’re making the right purchase. Good luck!
Want to learn more about RV composting toilets? Be sure to check out this informative article and video by Gone With the Wynns.
