Comparing Van Conversion Toilets: Which One Suits Your Adventure?

Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a full-time vanlifer, your choice of toilet affects convenience, cleanliness, and sustainability. These days, with the increased popularity of vanlife, it is considered essential to have some kind of toilet inside your van. Whether that is a high-tech built-in toilet or an emergency bucket, which toilet is best for vanlife comes down to your personal needs and preferences.

In this blog post, we’ll compare four popular types of van conversion toilets: Built-in Composting Toilets (like Nature’s Head), Built-in Cassette Chemical Toilet, Portable Cassette Chemical Toilet, and Portable Composting Toilets (Trelino Evo).

On my channel, you can watch a hands-on breakdown of the four toilets described in this blog.

Built-in Composting Toilet (e.g. Nature’s Head)

These built-in toilets are a) good, b) expensive and c) take up quite a bit of space. This for many people will not be a problem but I prefer solutions that are more space-efficient or flexible when it comes to fitting out my van conversion. Nature’s Head are the gold standard of composting but comes with a price tag to match.

Pros

1. Eco-Friendly: The Nature’s Head composting toilet is one of the most environmentally friendly options. It separates liquid and solid waste, allowing for composting of solid waste.
2. Odor Control: With a proper venting system (needs to be fitted) it manages odors and condensation effectively.
3. Minimal Water Use: This toilet requires no water, which is a huge advantage in conserving water resources during off-grid adventures.

Cons

1. Size and Space: It’s larger compared to other options, which can be a downside if space is limited.
2. Initial Cost: The upfront cost is higher than most other types of van toilets.
3. Maintenance: While not overly complex, the composting process requires regular attention and management.

Built-in Cassette Chemical Toilet

Built-in Chemical Cassette Toilets are cheaper than composting toilets, as described above, but they take up a similar amount of space, are a bit less environmentally friendly and the chemical smell can linger (although perhaps better than the alternative odour).

Pros

1. Convenience: Built-in cassette chemical toilets are convenient as they are integrated into the van’s design. Waste is removed through a hole in the van wall separating the process from the living space.
2. Ease of Use: These toilets are straightforward to use, often resembling household toilets.
3. Odor Control: Chemical treatments help control odors effectively.

Cons

1. Chemical Use: The reliance on chemicals for waste breakdown can be less eco-friendly and requires continuous purchasing of these chemicals. The flush chemical smell might annoy you and you will need to carry the two chemicals required for waste neutralisation and the flush.
2. Emptying Frequency: The cassette needs to be emptied frequently, which can be inconvenient depending on your location.
3. Water Usage: These toilets require water for flushing, which might be a drawback in water-scarce situations.

Portable Cassette Chemical Toilet

Portable Cassette Toilets have been a mainstay of camping and caravanning for decades. They are light, they work well and are relatively inexpensive. You can store them in a shower, then move them when you want to, or they can be put inside cupboards or slide-out draws. They can however be heavy when full and carry that familiar chemical smell.

Pros

1. Portability: The main advantage is its portability, making it easy to move and use in different locations. They do not take up a lot of space, and if something goes wrong it does not impact your van conversion – they can just be swapped out.
2. Cost-Effective: Generally, these are significantly less expensive than built-in options.
3. Ease of Emptying: The detachable cassette can be emptied into a toilet or proper waste facility without having to carry the entire unit.

Cons

1. Weight & Water Use: As it has both a flush reservoir and the collection of liquids/solids/flush when it is full it can weigh quite a bit which can make it hard to move around (depending on your athleticism). They require water for the flush and to mix the chemical part of the waste compartment.
2. Chemical Dependency: Similar to built-in cassette toilets, they rely on chemicals for waste breakdown. You will need to carry two types of chemical for flush and waste tank.
3. Odor Management: The chemical smell of the flush can be hard to escape!

Portable Trelino Composting Toilet

Last but not least, the portable composting/dry toilet. I have been using a Trelino Evo toilet for the past months and find that it is a good alternative to a portable chemical toilet. I see the big advantage in this type of toilet in that you can just take the solid waste out (it is contained in a bin-bag) and dump it in any normal municipal waste (as you would a nappy). This and the fact that it is lightweight and relatively easy to use, in my opinion, makes it a good choice for vanlife. (Note, I tend to use this alongside a pee bottle, so that the toilet is primarily used for number twos).

Pros

1. Eco-Friendly: Like the Nature’s Head, the Trelino composting toilet is environmentally friendly, separating liquids and solids for composting. It does not require the carrying of chemicals.
2. Portability: This model’s portability adds flexibility, allowing you to move it as needed. As it does not carry much water it remains lightweight and easy to move around.
3. Easy waste disposal: The bin-bag that contains solid waste can be disposed of in any municipal waste as it is no different to a nappy (in essence). This is a far easier and nicer process than with chemical toilets which have a more laborious emptying/flushing-out/re-adding of chemical process.

Cons

1. Adding & Carrying Litter: You need to put a cup of litter before, and after use, meaning you need to carry around a decent stock of litter material. This is not a huge problem as you can use fine sawdust, small animal litter (pet shops), hemp, and coconut bricks. (As I have a wood fire at home, I have also used ash, as this is more of a dry toilet than a proper composting toilet, this seems to work fine—but it is not listed on the manufacturer’s website).
2. In-process Maintenance: While a chemical toilet is a very quick process, with a compost/dry toilet you need to do a little more before you say ‘goodbye’ to your faeces. Not a big deal, but still.

Conclusion

Choosing the right toilet for your van conversion depends on your priorities and lifestyle.

If you need your comforts, or are perhaps older, than built-in toilets might be worth the extra cost and space. They provide the most similar experience to using a toilet in a house. If you have budget then built-in composting toilets like Nature’s Head are excellent.

If you are trying to fit a lot into your van conversion and pure convenience is not the most important aspect of your vanlife, then portable toilets are probably the better option. They can be tucked away in various places and offer a lot of flexibility.

My current system: I am pretty able-bodied and space-flexibility is important for me, so I now keep my toilet in the shower (which itself is kept under a folding kitchen counter). I am currently using a Trelino Evo (the smaller version) and using sawdust of ash as a litter. I combine this with a pee-bottle, this means that the urine container inside the toilet does not fill up too fast (I drink significant amounts of tea, so this is important). I really like the ease of disposal that comes with the Trelino toilet and odours are basically non-existent (after the act) if you use a proper amount of litter.

I have, in the past, used a portable chemical toilet, and honestly, apart from a manufacturing defect, this system worked well. That said, it is certainly more hassle to empty, flush out the waste container and re-prep with chemicals—which makes the Trelino Evo the winner for my current circumstances.