Portable waste tank?

[RetiredSoldier919]

I'm going to be staying at a TT park with no waste hookup. I'm considering buying a portable waste tank. Is it necessary, or a "waste" of money? Any recommendations on a model?

[Flybob]

Need a little more info to answer.


How long are you staying?
How many people ?
How/ where do you plan to empty portable waste tank?
These tanks can get very heavy very quickly. Some can be towed to a dump station, But you must drive very slowly.

[Bama Rambler]

If you don't want to unhook every time a tank gets full, a tote is necessary. If you're going to be staying for several days, I'd say it's necessary.

My personal preference is a Barker 4-wheel tote with the capacity to match or exceed the holding tank most likely to fill up first. I have 30 gallon holding tanks, so I bought a 32 gallon tote.

I like the Barker because it has pneumatic tires and uses a standard waste valve and fitting.

[RetiredSoldier919]

Originally Posted by Flybob

Need a little more info to answer.


How long are you staying?
How many people ?
How/ where do you plan to empty portable waste tank?
These tanks can get very heavy very quickly. Some can be towed to a dump station, But you must drive very slowly.

It's going to be the wife and I 90% of the time. I figure the tank could be emptied at a local RV park down the road from my house. They offer dumping for a fee.

[rebeltown]

Check to see if that park offers a pump out service, Many do...

[Flybob]

Originally Posted by RetiredSoldier919

It's going to be the wife and I 90% of the time. I figure the tank could be emptied at a local RV park down the road from my house. They offer dumping for a fee.

Are you saying you will not be emptying while camping, but bringing everything home to the place near you to dump. If you are planning to take the portable tank home to empty, remember you need to get it into a vehicle once you have it full.

[RetiredSoldier919]

Originally Posted by rebeltown

Check to see if that park offers a pump out service, Many do...

Didn't think of that. They do offer a dump station. We would stay 3 days 2 nights. Maybe dumping on the way out.

[RetiredSoldier919]

Originally Posted by Flybob

Are you saying you will not be emptying while camping, but bringing everything home to the place near you to dump. If you are planning to take the portable tank home to empty, remember you need to get it into a vehicle once you have it full.

I'm a former Cannon Crewman, 13Bravo, with a strong back. I can still toss 150 lbs up to my chest height. However, I don't want to toss a waste tank like those HE shells into the back of my Silverado. I figure a portable tank would give me options if a pump station is not immediately available.

[bikendan]

Barker is the most recommended.

[lewisra]

How big is your grey tank capacity that your shower uses? Are both of you using the shower for both days? If so, depending how efficient you are, it may be tight. I have a 30 gallon grey tank and only my wife uses the shower, we get 3 days worth of showers no problem.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by RetiredSoldier919

Didn't think of that. They do offer a dump station. We would stay 3 days 2 nights. Maybe dumping on the way out.

If you won’t need to dump while you’re there, a portable tote is of no use to you. Save your money.

[vinmaker]

I carry a waste tote with me when I travel with my popup and dump it every three days because I have a small 15 gallon Black tank. It is a nice insurance policy that allows you flexibly on where you stay.


For the price, I would absolutely recommend it.

[RetiredSoldier919]

Originally Posted by lewisra

How big is your grey tank capacity that your shower uses? Are both of you using the shower for both days? If so, depending how efficient you are, it may be tight. I have a 30 gallon grey tank and only my wife uses the shower, we get 3 days worth of showers no problem.

I'll need to look that up.

[jd50i]

If the park has public facilities, use them and just use yours for that midnight go. You shouldn't need to dump it at all.

[KenandCarol]

Originally Posted by jd50i

If the park has public facilities, use them and just use yours for that midnight go. You shouldn't need to dump it at all.

See, I am the opposite of this philosophy. We bought the MH because it has a bathroom and we don't need to use the public facilities. We will even use the MH bathroom when we stop at a rest stop rather than use the public ones.

[jd50i]

Originally Posted by KenandCarol

See, I am the opposite of this philosophy. We bought the MH because it has a bathroom and we don't need to use the public facilities. We will even use the MH bathroom when we stop at a rest stop rather than use the public ones.

I am the same, but the OP started a discussion about not having a waste hook up where they will be going. Nothing was said about them frequenting this site so for a possible one time use, no need to spend the money if they can accept the public facilities if available.

[vinmaker]

Originally Posted by KenandCarol

See, I am the opposite of this philosophy. We bought the MH because it has a bathroom and we don't need to use the public facilities. We will even use the MH bathroom when we stop at a rest stop rather than use the public ones.

I too like my bathroom for that same reason. It protects you when you visit an unfamiliar campground. If the bathrooms are not clean, then you always have your own.

[ben31]

When I had smaller RVs with smaller tanks, I had a Tote. We opted to get a tote, which was big enough to drain the entire grey tank. The reason is, you can't really see the level of the water in the tanks, and if you misjudge, you have mess on your hands. If you only use it for the grey, that isn't too bad. However, if you also use it for black, it can get gross really quickly.

How often did we use it? Maybe about 3 times a year. Every other place had full hook ups. Is it a waste of money? Well, it is much easier than tearing down the RV, towing it to the dump station, and then hooking back up. Like everything else, the trade-off is up to you.

[timfromma]

I will travel back to my camper, passing several public toilets on the way just to use my own.

[Electra glide]

I have a 42 gallon portable tank. My black is 35? gallons and my grey is 60 some gallons. The paperwork says smaller but guess how I found out lol