The Ultimate Guide to Vanlife Toilets: Composting, Dry Flush, & More

We know everyone wonders about it, so let’s address it: How the heck do you go to the bathroom when living in a camper van? Do you need as toilet? What if you don’t want one? In this complete guide we will cover:

Do you even need a toilet in your camper van?
How to the bathroom without a toilet in your camper van?
Clever options 😉
Composting Toilets
Dry Flush Toilets
Alternative Toilets
Accessories (!?), Hygiene Tips, & More

Buckle up! Or shall I say, pop a squat!

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But first, do I need a toilet in my camper van?

There are three categories of van lifers:

Those who have a toilet onboard their camper van
Those that don’t have a toilet onboard their camper van
Those who have a toilet onboard, but only use it for emergencies.

We personally fall into the third category. We love having a toilet for #1 gos and for emergencies, but we don’t love emptying its, so we prefer to use public restrooms for #2 if we can. It is important to determine which category you might fall into, there is no need to buy a $800 toilet if you aren’t going to use it!

What if I don't have/want a toilet in my camper van?

If you fell into category 1, here are some tips! Some (more than you think!) van lifers go to the bathroom exclusively outside of their vans. It is entirely possible to rely on external toilets and nature when living van life if you are comfortable, and in control of your body. In fact, we prefer digging the ‘ole fashion hole whenever it is possible and legal to do so.

Benefits of not having a toilet in your campervan:

You don’t have to plan around the (tricky) dimensions in your layout.
Extra room! Toilets take up space.
You don’t have the chore of emptying your human waste.

Cons of not having a toilet in your campervan:

You need to plan ahead for your bathroom needs. Sometimes emergencies exist.

Where do I go if I don't have a camper van toilet?

Toilets are a lot easier to find than you think:

Rest stops
Coffee shops,
Grocery stores
Trailheads

Additionally, you can use the good ole’ nature ‘dig a hole’ method (please Leave No Trace!).

Pee Jugs & Pee Funnels

If you opt to not have a toilet in your camper van, we highly suggest having at least a pee jug onboard. And, ladies, get yourself a pee funnel, it will change your life! You could splurge on a legitimate pee jug, but I will be honest and say that Eric and I prefer to use old milk jugs (the Oatly oat milk ones are high quality!). We’ve also heard that old laundry detergent bottles are the move scent wise. Using a makeshift jug makes it a lot easier to empty AND we can replace them quite frequently.

Pee Funnel

For the ladies! This is actually incredibly useful.

Best Toilet Options for Van Lifers

A good van life toilet is compact, easy to empty, and effective at handling waste. The two most common categories are composting toilets and dry flush toilets, however we will also discuss chemical toilets.

Composting Toilets for Van Life

Composting toilets work to compost organic matter instead of just holding waste in a black water tank. They separate liquids and solids with a diverter embedded under the seat. Liquids are stored in a jug that needs emptying every few days. Solids are stored in a bin that is agitated with coco coir, or saw dust. The solids need emptied every few weeks to few months depending o the frequency of use!

Composting toilets are a common choice for camper vans because they are self contained, can have box-like dimensions that fit into modules, and because they don’t generate black water. From our experience, it is really hard to actually get full compost out of them within the short time frame; however, it is still easy to empty into a pit toilet or trash bag!

Compo Closet Cuddy

The Compo Closet Cuddy is the first composting toilet designed specifically for van life. This means that:

The Cuddy has extremely workable, and square, dimensions so that it can fit into seats and small spaces (16.3″ H, 15.1″ W, 16.8″ D)
It has an internal fan so it does not need to be vented to the outdoors through a hose.
It also does not need to me mounted to the floor of your van, it is compact and portable.

The Cuddy is $780 which is on the lower end of camper van composting toilets. It has a simple design with a urine diverter, solids bin with manual agitator, and “liquid full” indicator light. The shape is box-like which is the easiest to work around when planning a layout.

Read our full Compo Closet Cuddy review.

Compo Closet Cuddy Lite

In 2023, Compo Closet released a Cuddy Lite that sits at a slight lower price point of $650. The main difference here is that there is no agitator in the solids bin which allows you to utilize bags to catch and dispose of your waste. This is a fantastic solution for part time van lifers! The dimensions of the Cuddy Lite are the same as the Cuddy.

Get a Cuddy / Cuddy Lite

** The Cuddy Lite is not currently available on Amazon.

Nature's Head Composting Toilet

Nature’s Head is the original composting toilet uses in off grid homes that van lifers adopted. While it is by far one of the best at composting it has quite finicky dimensions, and needs vented outside. Because of this, it becoming less popular as camper van specific composting toilets arise on the market.

The Nature’s Head is tried and true in terms of composting ability.
It needs to be mounted to the ground AND vented outside through a hose.
The dimensions are a little more finicky if you are trying to fit it in a bench but the design quality, is top notch.
The agitator is on the side which is an added design constraint.

Nature's Head Composting Toilet

The Nature’s Head Composting Toilet runs about $1,000.

Additional Camper Van Composting Toilets

As van life becomes more popular, more options become available for just about… everything. Below are a few camper van composting toilets we have seen along the road:

OGO Composting Toilet: This toilet has efficient dimensions (16″L x 15″W x 18.5″H), an electric agitator, external venting, and a 2.4 gallon clear/white urine jug.
Trelino Composting Toilet: This is a more primitive toilet without an agitator, it simply uses compostable bags and a a urine diverter. The dimensions are 13″ W, 15.4″ L, 16.9″ H.

DIY Option: Build your own camper van composting toilet

Bonus! You can build your own composting toilet as the basics are pretty simple:

Liquids and solids MUST be separated
You need a sturdy seat and box that will hold your weight without being too large.
You need a dry organic matter base of saw dust, dirt, coco coir, etc.

JohnnyCompost on Etsy is a great place to start for the urine diverter kits. Then, you just need to build your toilet box around a bucket and have a separate vessel for the liquids.

Laveo Dry Flush Toilet for Van Life

A Laveo Dry Flush Toilet is a waterless toilet in that you don’t need to agitate compost, rather you push a button to “flush”. This “dry flush” means that when you go to the bathroom, everything lands in one smell-free “bag-like” reservoir. You then push a button and that bag twists and turns and ties around itself and goes into a larger bag in the toilet unit, while a new one opens itself up. Watching this video makes it easier to picture.

Laveo Dry FlushToilet is by far the easiest camper van toilet to empty as it is just a bag to throw out.
The main toilet costs $945; however, every flush of the Laveo Dry Flush Toilet is about $1.50 as you have to replace the bag cartridges every 15 “trips”
The dimensions (16″W x 18″ H, 20″ D) of this toilet make it difficult to store in a bench; therefore, it needs a designated cubby, or space under your bed.

Read our full Laveo Dry Flush Toilet review.

Chemical Cassette Toilets in Camper Vans

Cassette toilets have a smaller footprint than composting toilets and are functionally different. Instead of composting organic matter, they simply collect matter in holding tanks, and often treat with chemicals. Some have a fresh water tank that is essentially a reservoir for “flushing”.

We generally do not recommend chemical cassette toilets for camper vans for a few reasons:

They produce black water which needs dumped at “RV Dump Stations”. This is a lot easier in RVs when you can plumb the black water to an outlet.
They can be messy as they are full of liquid and chemicals.
If you are going to have it just for emergencies, you are better off with a simpler “bag” option.

However, if you are set on a cassette toilet, Thetford is a reliable brand.

Thetford Cassette Toilet

Emergency Toilets for Van Life

Emergency toilets are for those van lifer who do not want a toilet onboard taking up a lot of space, but want the peace of mind knowing they have an extreme backup option if they cannot find a public restroom. It is actually quite cool how many creative toilet solutions exist out there for emergency, or camping uses. These toilets are not meant for “holding” waste, rather it’s a one time use, get it done, and get rid of it solution.

It is actually quite cool how many creative toilet solutions exist out there for emergency, or camping uses. We will share a few below.

Emergency Toilets

These are both folding options for use with composting bags. The first is smaller, while the second is simply a folding seat with handles for a bag to hang from.

Camper Van Toilet Accessories

I never thought I would find myself typing “camper van toilet” accessories, but here we are! These are items you will need to maintain your toilet, or bathroom experience:

Compostable Toilet Bags
Coco Coir (for composting toilets)
Dry Flush Replacement Cartridges
Clear Plastic Spray Bottle (fill this with 2:1 water:vinegar and spray it in the “urine diverter” after each use.

Tips for Good Hygiene with Living in a Camper Van

The biggest limiter when living in a camper van is the lack of endless water. Because we have to limit our water usage as van lifers, showers and good scrubbing are less frequent. For this reason, extra attention must be placed on maintaining good hygiene! Here are some tips we have used over the years:

Have washcloth, or baby wipe showers, in between full showers!
Keep ventilation going at all times to prevent mold growth and stale air.
Install an easy to use faucet for easy hand, and face, washing.
Clean your floors frequently as they get high traffic in such a small area.

What is the best toilet for your van life?

The above is meant to provide you with a good sense of what is out there in terms of toilets for van life. What is most important to realize though, is that the correct toilet is going to very unique to YOU. Choosing a toilet for van life is not a one size fits all decision. Here are some things to think about to guide your decision:

Is having a bathroom at ease a necessity? If yes, you should consider a dry flush or composting toilet.
What is your budget like? If you have the budget, the Natures Head, or the Laveo Dry Flush are going to be the most robust solution.
Do you prefer to not go to the bathroom in your van? An emergency, or cassette toilet will be just fine!
Are you a full time van lifer, or part time? If you are just spending the weekend in your rig, choose a cheaper option that you can empty when you get back like the Cuddy without the agitator (just a bag)!