Going to the toilet on a camping trip can be a stressful experience. You don’t want to be constantly looking over your shoulder, checking for bears while you’re doing your business.
Having a toilet in your RV helps with those situations, but you might not have enough money to buy an RV with an inbuilt bathroom.
However, there is a solution – buying an RV toilet! They can be bought and installed separately, and they don’t cost a lot. In this article, I’ll tell you all you need to know about the best RV toilets you can get right now!
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Types of RV Toilets
RV toilets have been around for a long time, and there have been many innovations and improvements to the basic design over the years. Today, you have a ridiculous amount of choice available to you.
To help you choose, I’ll tell you a bit about all the major types of RV toilets out there.
The Benefits of Owning an RV Toilet
I know plenty of RV owners have serious doubts about installing a toilet in their vehicle – mostly due to the smell. The benefits of an RV toilet are undeniable, however – here’s just a few of them.
How to Choose an RV Toilet
With so much choice available on the market, I know that choosing the right RV toilet for you might be difficult. So, I’ll give you a few pointers on what you need to watch out for when going shopping.
Flushing System
The first thing you need to think about when picking out an RV toilet is the way it flushes the waste – or, in some cases, doesn’t flush at all.
Some flushing systems might require you to place the waste tank in a specific spot or simply take up more space than others. On the other hand, some toilets don’t flush and don’t use water so they might be the best choice if you don’t want to waste any.
The way you activate the flushing mechanism is also important. If you don’t have a lot of space, you might want a hands-free, pedal system or one that might be activated with one hand.
Make sure to choose a system that you find comfortable and that fits your RV the best.
Installation Method
You need to make sure the RV toilet you buy can be easily installed in your particular model of RV. Not only that, but you also need to get one that is easy to uninstall and repair if it ever starts malfunctioning.
If you don’t, you’re going to have a difficult few days, especially if you’re on the road when it happens.
Hygiene
Something that you’ll find to be extremely important if you’re using your RV on a regular basis is proper hygiene. Having an RV toilet that will keep everything clean and germ-free is important.
You should choose an RV toilet that won’t have any leaks, that has 100% bowl coverage when flushing and that can have an external waste tank that’s easy to remove and clean.
This will ensure that your RV will stay as clean as possible.
If you’re buying a chemical or composting toilet that doesn’t use water at all, you should be extra-careful. The waste can attract a lot of germs and bugs with those types of toilets.
Size
The size of your RV toilet is another important factor to consider before you buy it. If you have limited space in your RV, this is even more important. You want to be able to fit it in the allotted space and still have enough room to maneuver around it.
This is also important if you want you and your guests to be comfortable while doing your business. The height and the width of a toilet bowl can make the whole experience uncomfortable for some, especially if it’s too small.
Don’t focus on getting a tiny toilet so that you can squeeze it in somewhere in the RV – it won’t be functional if no one can comfortably sit on it.
Additional Features
These days, RV toilets can do a lot more than just flush waste – they can have a lot of different functions. They won’t go as far as to cook your dinner for you, but they could come awfully close to that – emphasis on ‘awfully.’ Furthermore, these can sometimes be an obstacle in RV toilet maintenance.
Additional features can include automatic flushing, air fresheners, odor-reducing seals, indicators that tell you how full the waste tank is, and much more. It’s up to you to figure out which features you need and pick the right ones.
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The 5 Best RV Toilets
Via Amazon.com
This is a classic-looking RV toilet with a plastic bowl that’s 17.5 inches high when open and 18.5 inches high with the lid on.
It weighs only 9.8 pounds in total, and it is 17-13/16 inches long by 15-1/8 inches wide. It’s easy to install and can fit almost anywhere.
Overall, it’s quite average in most regards, though it is lighter than most other toilets, especially ceramic ones. Sadly, it’s also less durable than such products.
It uses a gravity flush system, so the waste tank needs to be below the toilet and it uses a single-pedal activation system. It can be fiddly at times – you need to press halfway to add water and fully to flush.
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Via Amazon.com
With this toilet, you get some great gravity-flush action and an 18-inch seating height. It’s quite easy to install, requiring you to only tighten two bolts and attach the water line.
Due to being only 15 inches wide and 20 inches long, it doesn’t take up a lot of space.
It is not a lightweight toilet, though, weighing in at 23.5 pounds. However, it is highly durable and has a ceramic bowl that’s mostly easy to clean, except near the lid.
The powerful flush mechanism is easy to use with one press and has complete bowl coverage.
The only major issues are that liquid seeps into the plastic base, and the flushing paddle is flimsy.
Things I Liked
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Via Amazon.com
Featuring a high-quality wooden seat and a ceramic bowl, this RV toilet feels like a home toilet. It is also water efficient and spends only a pint for each flush.
The flushing paddle is a bit difficult to use, press fully to flush and halfway to add water. The gravity flush itself is quite straightforward with good bowl coverage.
It is quite a heavy toilet though, coming in at 37 pounds, making it a bit difficult to install. It’s highly durable with a 2-year warranty though.
The seat is quite high at 22 inches, though, so it might be uncomfortable for some and not good for children.
Things I Liked
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Via Amazon.com
Here’s an affordable and highly- compact toilet design from Camco.
It measures in at only 15.5 inches high, 14 inches wide and 16 inches long, so it can fit anywhere. The seat width is a bit low because of it, only 13 inches.
It comes with a 5.3-gallon waste tank and 2.5-gallon flush tanks attached. They are both easy to remove and secure, but the waste tank is difficult to empty. When empty, the entire toilet weighs 10.5 pounds.
The best part about it is that it seals in odors, so there’s no smell. However, it’s difficult to clean, and there aren’t enough water nozzles for a good flush.
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Via Amazon.com
This is the premium version of the previous RV toilet from Camco, and it has a lot of notable differences to the standard version.
It’s a bit smaller with a height of 12.5 inches with a 16-inch width and 17-inch length. It weighs 11 pounds when empty, so it’s a bit heavier and sturdier.
It fixes some of the problems with the standard model. The waste tank is easier to empty due to a nozzle that helps avoid splashback.
The flushing is better with 3 nozzles instead of one and a larger 3.75-gallon flush tank.
However, the waste tank is smaller – only 2.6 gallons. There is a larger version available though. The seat is still narrow.
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Things I Didn’t Like
Conclusion
If you’ve been having trouble picking the right RV toilet for you, I hope all your doubts are cleared up now. I presented as much info as possible – the only thing left to do now is to tell you what I think is the best RV toilet available.
As far as I’m concerned, it would be the Dometic 320 Series Toilet, hands down. It’s a durable product that performs well and comes at a decent price, making it one of the best choices available for you and the best RV toilet in my opinion.
So, there you have it! If you have any further questions to ask, feel free to leave them in the comments below and share the article around if you liked it. I hope I’ll see you here again!