Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Well finally after lurking we're almost close to a decade I've pulled the trigger and bought my first cargo trailer. Just picked it up today it's an 8 by 16 foot. The plan moving forward is to have it as a toy hauler to haul my motorcycles around as well as to camp in. I'm still on the fence what type of bathroom put in. Either spend the money on a composting toilet or do the cheaper route with a black water tank and I'm also not too sure if I want the shower. This trailer is supposed to be the simple simple simple trailer that I can take off road and camp for a couple days comfortably but most importantly it will have a king size bed.

A lined five gallon bucket with a toilet seat works well. Use paper liners and sawdust. Or plastic bag and saw dust. Pretty much the same thing as a composting toilet.


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officersdr wrote:Just picked it up today it's an 8 by 16 foot. The plan moving forward is to have it as a toy hauler to haul my motorcycles around as well as to camp in. I'm still on the fence what type of bathroom put in. Either spend the money on a composting toilet or do the cheaper route with a black water tank and I'm also not too sure if I want the shower. This trailer is supposed to be the simple simple simple trailer that I can take off road and camp for a couple days comfortably but most importantly it will have a king size bed.

I'm looking forward to your build!

officersdr wrote:Well finally after lurking we're almost close to a decade I've pulled the trigger and bought my first cargo trailer.

Congrats on the new purchase! I hope someday to post those same words and begin a CT conversion.

Another option for the toilet is a cassette toilet or a Porta Potti. With the right chemicals they have no smell.

I use a combination of Calcium Nitrate and "Happy Camper". Works great and can be emptied safely into any septic system or outhouse. I like the smaller Thetford Porta Potti as the cassette on it is smaller and is easier for me to handle, although that means more frequent emptying.

If you really want "simple simple simple," forget water tanks. Use trash compactor bags or "wag bags" for toilet. Or, like Rainier said, some of the other porta potties. Lots of easy, sanitary, and "comfortable" options. I'm back to the bucket with a seat option. Its cleaned up and put away in minutes, and also stored ready to use at a moments notice. Public showers are available all over most places, or you can go the "portable" shower route with a barrel/container of water, 12 volt pump, and a catch tub. Or, just a portable shelter outside next to the trailer. Not sure where you live, but I don't find outside tanks for gray water, clean water, or any liquid to be simple. Gotta winterize, dump, fill, secure, etc. I even used a portable shower in mine for a while, but abandoned that idea for wet wipes and public showers. Way simpler, just as effective, and doesn't add much cost on a month-long trip.

I think simple is a relative term and is usually a trade off with comfort and convenience.

I'd agree holding tanks, water tanks, and etc. are not simple when it comes to the build. It does add some complexity to the camper, but once it is in and working properly, it is so worth it. It is simple as using the sink, toilet, and shower at home because it is the same. So I'd say it is simple simple from a use perspective and A++ for creature comforts.

I know, nothing will last forever.. so you will have to fix something sometime. So design it so any repairs are going to be easy and so that you do not have to deconstruct your trailer to fix or replace a fixture or appliance years down the road. For 90% of the repairs, it should just be unscrew and replace maybe once in the life of the trailer or maybe never.

The bottom line, you will be filling up something with water before you leave whether it is a few 5 gallon cans or a 60 gal fill on the camper and you will be dumping those gift bags or cassettes or the little catch basin or bucket under the sink regularly or replacing the compost or pee catch in the toilet or setting up or taking down a shower tent/catch basin. All that adds up. On the other hand, I really do not find dumping the black water and gray water hard or even disgusting once a trip. Done right, you never see it, touch it (disposable gloves just in case of a drip), or smell it.. at least not any more than you will tying off the bag or dumping a cassette or portable tank from the porta potty or etc. etc.. . Gray water flushes the hose after the black drains and you slide it back into the sleeve it came out of. It takes about 15 minutes or less at the dump station, typically on the way out and once a trip. The process takes no longer
and more likely less time than the cumulative waits daily to use a dirty shower or toilet at a gym or campground (that has been my experience camping over many years). And lets be real... a warm shower beats wipes hands down any day. Wipes are an alternative like Tofu burger is to a good T-Bone steak. Gets the job done.. but doesn't leave you as satisfied. Something to think about also if you are planning to be very remote and dumping becomes a concern due to time out in the bush, you can always just put a bag in the toilet and use it like a bucket and gray water is okay to put on the ground wherever you are tossing the buckets daily. You can do that starting out until you think you will be okay until you can dump. Most times if super remote.. you will have weeks on the BW tank and can dump gray water where you are at if needed. So I'd expect that to be rare if ever under normal circumstances.


Additionally, I find public toilets usually disgusting where you cannot just take your time and relax, and a lot of the showers are almost as bad unless you are paying good money to use it. So everything is a trade off. But simple is a relative term I suppose.

I do agree that if I lived up in areas that freeze regularly I may have a different opinion... but I probably would have just built a subfloor with all plumbing essentially inside the cabin and have one or two air fittings and a low point drain to blow out the water at the end of the season after I pour in some antifreeze in the traps. The FW tanks have drains that just open in seconds. I did that in a hunting camp in NY a few times and it literally took 15 minutes. I thought it was simple.

In any case.. food for thought. Enjoy your build and post pics! The good thing about building your own is that you can start out very basic and simple in terms of the build and then upgrade as time, money and skills allow or never if that is what you really want. It will be custom to your needs and desires and typically if you built it, you can fix it! An 8'*16ft is a good size so you have tons of options for anything you want to put in it. You can be fully self contained like a glamper or nothing but an aluminum tent with a cot.. the possibilities are endless.

Another vote for Porta-Potties.
More civilized than a bucket, and a whole lot simpler than black water plumbing.
Had one on our last boat, and for just two people it was great to not have to deal with pump outs.
Just uncap the sealed up bottom tank and pour it in a toilet. Fresh chemicals, and your good to go.
That's what's going in my trailer.
I can always add plumbing later, but probably won't bother.

Have fun with your build.

My CTC is too small for something plumbed so I went back and forth on porta-pot or a bucket and wag bags. In the end....or out the end as it were, I elected to go with a bucket system. Easy to move around, inside or out. Easy to dispose of. I did try and upgrade the system a bit.
I built a box with a hinged lid that I covered with padding and marine grade vinyl. Open the lid and there's a toilet seat and lid that's attached to the inside of the box. I used a bucket with a gamma ring and lid and the toilet seat sits directly on top, tight and secure. Air tight when not in use.
Nice thing is it's light enough to move around. Looks like a small seat. I've had it sitting outside my trailer and no one knew what it actually was. Set it in my shower tent and used it outside under the stars.

flboy wrote:.....And lets be real... a warm shower beats wipes hands down any day. Wipes are an alternative like Tofu burger is to a good T-Bone steak. Gets the job done.. but doesn't leave you as satisfied.

Word...

I am about to order my CT and both camps have great points... I plan to buy a Thetford as an interim to building a full bath into the unit later. It's $80 or so and I can take my time and do it right for my needs.

Hey officer...,
A decade lurking?.... Well, uh.. You don't want to do anything rash, so I'm sure you've done your homework and weighed your options and honed your plan of attack already, but ...Here's my .02
Life is short, you only get 1 ride on this crazy merry- go-round so you gotta decide how your gonna live. Are you gonna do it, or do the hell out of it? One of the things that sets Man apart from animals on the evolutionary scale is plumbing. Take a look around at this world and see who has mastered this skill, and who is still poopin' in the street. Then ask yourself what kind of person are you gonna be?

My wife can tolerate just about anything, but one step above miserable isn't as good as what she deserves. And it's not the best I can give her. A hot shower and a civilized restroom facility goes a long way towards her comfort and happiness, and mine. So it is worth the effort. If you are starting with blank palette the sky is the limit, so aim high.

In the words of Casey Casum, "Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars."
Or you can poop in a bucket, either way. Your choice.

McDave