bobhenry wrote:S. Heisley wrote:BobHenry, I've perched on one of those home-made buckets. They break, too. Don't ask me how I know....
![Embarassed :oops:](./images/smilies/econ_embarassed.gif)
Keep an eye open for wear cracks.
(Maybe that's why Droid wants to build a wooden one.)
I bet the one that broke did not have the lid in place at the time. I have load tested to 320 pounds standing on them as a foot stool and never had one buckle or fail with the lid on it. Without the lid yes I have been pitched off.
Last time I used a bucket toilet, I came in at just over 400lbs and yes thank you very much I have lost a good amount of weight since then, but back to the issue at hand...
#1. 5 gallon buckets come in various grades. Walmart sells a very light duty model for a couple of bucks I wouldn't trust to hold 5 gallons of water, let alone my weight. The store branded ones at Home Depot and Lowes are nice thick walled units that have held up over the years nicely. MOST that are used for paint, food to restaurants etc.. are of the thicker variety, just be careful of the junk ones. And yes, do watch for stress cracks.
#2. IF you are going to rig a seat mount then be sure that it supports the rim of the bucket. A couple layers of 3/4 ply glued together and a properly sized hole routed into it so the fit is reasonably snug and allows good seat support is VERY hard to beat...
#3. To the original poster. The PETT toilet is great for saving space, but if you boondock, hauling your poop bags out and disposing is space consuming, and a bit more prone to break / leakage compared to a proper port o potty. Plus then tend to be a bit shorter than a regular toilet, so if you have back issues this can be a problem. Others that posted here showed some nice solutions. And if I recall right the weight rating of the PETT is good and high so no worries there unless you have a worse weight problem than I do / did..
#4. I went the other way from a bag system toilet, to a flushing port o potty. Mostly due to my wife. Yes dumping is icky, but so is handling poo bags, and lots of folks want their poo to go away with a flush... Make sure your toilet meets your needs.
#5. No matter the system you use, even WELL OFF the beaten track and into the forest as it were, privacy should be a concern, but even more so, keeping the toilet bug free... Use a proper privy tent if for no other reason than to keep your naughty bits from getting dined upon by flying little campsite demons...