Porta Potty

G'day Ivan,

Mate, you're spot on......we've got a Jimmy's Thunder Box and have been able to happily crap all over this vast land in comfort and with minimum clean-up dramas. Just gotta have a shovel (mine is on the Patrol's roof rack 24/7) and be able to actually DIG a small hole.

I could probably change my handle to "The Happy Crapper"

ditto what Roachie said,

when you have kids and it is the middle of the night, and it is bucketing down and you don't want to have to get up to help them....rest easy coz they know where JT is and they love him and trust him. We have a French tent with no floor, with secondary installed double room. At night, JT sits outside the room, in the tent but on the ground itself. JT holds a large bucket for the goods. Sweeeet. Each morning I go for the long walk and bury well. Paper has been chucked in a bag so can easily be tipped out and burnt. Working well so far but will probably get one of those separate enclosures for Wife's privacy. Got my JT for $45, laughing!

PS. Double check for snakes or spiders first thing in the morning. I've never had any trouble with them but really...! I think the embarrassment would be worse than the bite! :)

pps.fill the crate with STUFF on your way camping takes up less room

PPPS. Yep - It doubles as my "dirties" box (although it doesn't really get "dirty"). Chain saw oil and petrol, mozzie zappers etc. The _really_ big bin liners will cover it nicely.

Humbolt... weren't you a mate of captain peacock's? One of young mr Graces sycophants? seriously I prefer the porta poti.. no trouble to clean and no smell and no redbacks....and for an obviously distinguished gentleman such as your self it shows a little upperclass breeding.. Now I ask you would Hyacinth Bucket use a thunder box on one of her little raparian ventures?

Until the old bones and muscles don't move like they should do and the balance gets to be a worry.

:)

Yeah no probs getting down but getting up is a bugger. Need twin shovels, methinks. Like that idea of the milk crate tho. lol

I agree with that sentiment. Often wondered how the oldies cope in countries like India and France (although i think Euprope has modernised since the 60s).

Also thanks for you tip re visiting Lipson Cove - i don't know if you saw my thank you message when i reported in after our little holiday on the Eyre. Don't tell anyone else - one of our best camping spots, and the only place in SA we got to have a swim. Peace and solitude, birds and a beach - what more could we want. Noticed also remnants of an old stone building. Do you know the history?

There was some sort of a jetty or wharf at Lipsom Cove some time ago and maybe the ruins were part of that scene. I think that they may have loaded wool from the cove...just a guess at this moment...should find something on Google.

No did not see the message you mention. Have been out of Aus for the past two weeks and out bush afore that for three weeks.

Willem,

You are correct, it was used for shipping wool and wheat.

It is also one of our favourite locations.

Geoff.

>Chain saw oil????

Yes I was surprised too but apparently it's commonly used in Australia to smear over the dunny seat - I'm informed it keeps Redbacks away and I would commend it to you - it has certainly worked for me - one good application before use each morning and I've never had any trouble with spiders.

Mike Harding

PS. Sit down _slowly_ :)

Willie,

Do you have a link or pic pf the "DLX Crapper" that you got from " Boots Camping in Sydney" as they dont seem to have a website and I live in Melb

Cheers
Kon

I agree with Jim!!!!! We have a Porta Potti.... and provided you use the correct chemicals in the correct quantity it isn't too much of a drama to clean.... bugger digging holes every time one of us wants to "go-potty".... and hands up those who say they dig the holes deep enough every time but in actual fact don't........ so the dunny paper and your "discard" rises to the surface eventually???

Mind you..... I had to be convinced we should get one... but my SWMBO decided we had to have one and that was that!!! And now I wouldn't be without it!

Hear Hear Jimbo...Humbolt... weren't you a mate of captain peacock's? One of young mr Graces sycophants? seriously I prefer the porta poti.. no trouble to clean and no smell and no redbacks....and for an obviously distinguished gentleman such as your self it shows a little upperclass breeding.. Now I ask you would Hyacinth Bucket use a thunder box on one of her little raparian ventures?

Wife and I agree also, it is good at night when you can't just dig a hole in the camper floor, so she sits comfortably on the porta potti.

Geoff.

With my upturned crate loo I dig one big hole when I arrive and just use a bit of the soil to cover things each time the loo is used. Then, usually, every second or third day I need to dig another hole - therefore the loo is always ready for use even in the middle of the night.

All my camping is deep bush I never use organised or semi-organised campsites and, frankly, I would not wish to be pouring the chemicals a Porti Poti uses into the ground. I guess it's OK if you can put them into a sewerage treatment system - then again I'm no chemist and will happily stand corrected on this count?

Mike Harding

Mike,

My understanding of the chemicals is the old ones were destructive (formaldehyde or however it is spelled) but the current "green" stuff is enviro friendly.

I'm no chemist either.

As for your hole in the ground theory. I had a mate who had a block of land we used to camp on years ago. It had on old wooden thunderbox located above a six foot pit that we dug from time to time as it needed to be moved. All we did was, after dropping a log we would spoon some lime in over the top. Never smelled a bit, and as far as I know lime is good for the ground. However, don't leave any lime on the seat because it plays havoc with your "Jatz Crackers" should they come in contact with it.

Cheers,

Jim

Cheers,

Jim.

Couldn't agree more with Jimbo's comments. When hubby said he wanted to buy a porta-potti a few years ago I though he was going soft and said so...But first trip away with the PP and I'm a die-hard convert, expecially with the two kidlets.

There's no nice way of explaining the way these things work so...Use the green (not blue) chemical which when used in the right amount is non-harmful to the environment as the active ingrediants are used up in the chemical process of breaking down bodily wastes and loo paper. When you empty it you have a virtually odourless slurry in which the toilet paper is already well and truly broken down.

Those who advocate the old dig a hole method obviously haven't camped in some of the places we have up north WA and Top End of NT where in some places you are flat out scraping 2mm of dirt off the bedrock let alone digging an decent size hole. It was a few camps like this, plus filthy, fly blown public amenities in some campgrounds and roadsite rest areas that convinced us that a PP was the only way to go.

:o) Melissa