Suggestions for Simple Design with Toilet/Porta-Potty

[ColoKate]

Hello!

I have searched through the site looking for a simple design that will accommodate a toilet/porta-potty inside the cabin. I would like to ask if a board member could make a suggestion as to a plan. This is a first build by someone who does not have advanced carpentry skills, but willing to give it a try. I have a standard HF trailer that I understand can be expanded a foot or two if needed.

Thank you for your guidance.

colokate

[deleted]

Trailer for one. My Thetford porta potty is tucked in the first section closest to the front of the trailer (aqua blue side with small brown suitcase on top). I sewed a cozy to cover it when not in use to make it cuter. It's a pain to fold the mattress to pull it out but it works fine and am so glad I've had it late at night when I wouldn't feel safe to get out of the trailer and wander around alone to get to a public restroom.

[bonnie]

Trailer for one. My Thetford porta potty is tucked in the first section closest to the front of the trailer (aqua blue side with small brown suitcase on top). I sewed a cozy to cover it when not in use to make it cuter. It's a pain to fold the mattress to pull it out but it works fine and am so glad I've had it late at night when I wouldn't feel safe to get out of the trailer and wander around alone to get to a public restroom.

Stacie, that's what I will be doing when I don't have a grand kid along. I have a small pop up tent for the porta pot for those times.

[S. Heisley]

There’s a ton of information on this forum; but, sometimes it’s hard to find what you need when you want it. There was a really good thread on this exact topic. Oh, well....can’t seem to locate it.

My trailer is built on a 5x8' chassis. I have a Luggable Loo that I built a cabinet around, making it available at night; but, hidden by day:

Now, you see it:


Now, you don’t:

[ColoKate]

Thank you for the replies!

Stacie: Thank you for the pics. Your trailer is amazing. Just to look inside makes one smile (so colorful!)

Sharon: I like having the loo up front as you have done. Does the bed fold out of the way in order to use it? It is hard for me to tell. I hope to find your build thread as the up-front kitchen is an attractive idea. And, yes, I have been lurking for many months now and have seen threads on this subject. But I cannot seem to be able to locate them now that I need them.

Thank you!

colokate

[Rainier70]

You might find some useful information in this classic, long running, and entertaining thread in the Ladies section. viewtopic.php?f=47&t=31771

I suggest that you read it all. A lot of different options are discussed.

[Mary C]

I havent finished my trailer and have been trying to decide for weeks and I finally decided on a down sized make my own loo with a nice box around it with finger holes in the box so I can set it in an outside tent my friend is making a potty folding chair. Really so many ideas. my biggest concern was odor inside the TD. that is why I came up with a tight fitting lid and will use the cat box pine pellets to help. there are so.....many ideas you can in cooperate into your TD or tiny trailer. Just start with what your ideal thoughts are on what you want to accomplish.

Mary C.

[ColoKate]

Hello!

Again, many thanks for your replies!

Rainier70: Jackpot! Much great information in the thread. Thank you!

Mary C.: I am currently tent camping and have invested in a porta-potty and a cabana tent. It works well enough in more primitive camping settings.

After lots of good reading, here are several ideas:

1) It seems there is not enough room to have an indoor accessible toilet in a traditional small teardrop, primarily because the floor area is taken up by the mattress. So, the option is an outside toilet that can be stowed inside the tear during the day and deployed outside at night.

2) If one could expand the tear to be 6 foot wide, thus allowing folks to sleep perpendicular to the long axis of the tear, then there could be enough room to have a small closet for the toilet up front. Several of the designs in the "Design Resources" part of the forum have this feature. My newbie questions is: "How hard is it to expand the floor of the HF trailer to achieve 6 feet in width?"

3) Perhaps one could build a hatch accessible from the outside where the toilet could be deployed at night (Strong slide out??) and stowed during the day. This could also include some sort of privacy curtain.

There are lots of great ideas on this forum. I just need something easy to build (total noob---for now).

Thank you again to those who replied!

colokate

[angib]

Assorted thoughts:

- To successfully use a porta-potty, you need to have standing, or at least crouching, headroom.

- My rule of thumb for the smallest practical toilet compartment is 3 feet long by 2 feet wide.

- To sleep across a trailer you need something over 6 feet internal width. Add the thickness of the sidewalls and any sidewall framing and you're looking at a width of 6.5 feet as a minimum.

- It would be easy to get a trailer 8feet long by 6.5+ feet wide weighing more than a HF trailer can carry.

[ColoKate]

Hi angib,

Your points are well stated. To get a tear of those dimensions will probably mean I would need to build foamie, in order to keep the weight down. With this in mind, in order to build a traditional tear, I must consider building a stowage spot for a portable toilet that is accessible from the outside, and would be used on the outside.

Thank you for your comments.

colokate

[deleted]

Just a thought. What if you built a "tongue box" that stores your porta potty? That way you wouldn't have to move it in and out of the cabin itself.

And thanks for the kind words about The Glampette making you smile. I still do too every time I open the door and peek inside

[mallymal]

Without hijacking this thred, I just wanted to add my congrats to the Glampette... Just flirted across to your flirty guide blog and read all about it.