Need a waste tote, what do you recommend?

[Mondaktex]

We are going to Henderson Beach for two weeks next year and will need a waste tote. There are multiple angles and problems to be solved, like where to store it on our particular camper, size, tire type, and actual brand of tote.

Not sure if I can or want to store it on the rear bumper and was thinking of a way to mount it under our camper. Also, another thread got me thinking that I don’t want a small one, as we are a family of 6 (four females), and have a 66 gallon gray tank.

Pneumatic vs. hard plastic tires... I see arguements for both.

Anyway, thanks for your imput on your favorite turd burglar!

[flhtci2006]

Do you have a macerator? If not, would you be willing to get one? I'm looking for one also. I have a macerator. In my studies, I find the Thetfords to not be high on the list. With the macerator, you can leave your "tote" in the truck bed, dump your black water through the macerator up into the tote in the truck bed,then reverse the procedure at the dump. Wheels never do anything.

[Mondaktex]

No, I don’t have one. We tow with an Expedition and want something towable from the bumper and portable on the trailer.

[bikendan]

Barker!

[Jakelc15]

Yep, Barker! I'm in the same market and the Barker seems to be best. Lots of complaints about the thetfords.
I was looking at the pneumatic wheels because some of the campgrounds we go to are gravel.

I have seen them strapped to the ladder. I installed a hitch and haul on the trailer to carry some extra stuff like this. Works good for the stuff I don't want in the trailer.

[hshaynes]

Barker was the first thing I purchased after the TT. Has pneumatic tires. Comes with 3 ft I think flex hose. I haul mine inside truck bed. Light weight but durable and you can stack lightweight supplies on top. I recommend the 42 gal., that will usually handle what most need. I did find that I have to have a 2 inch ball on hitch to tow.

[Chuck_S]

We have the Barker 4-wheel, 32 gallon, about the largest I can fit in the back of our Expedition since I won't carry anything like this inside the camper. 42 gallons would be better but I had to compromise. Has hard plastic wheels that are so noisy on hard pavement everyone looks at me when I drive by. I'd love to change for pneumatic but haven't yet even after 14 seasons of use.

I picked up a small towbar with a 2" ball I use for this rather than the greasy Equalizer hitch.

-- Chuck

[Boomerweps]

I've researched this a bit too, prior to making any purchase.
While you may like to get a portable tank large enough to handle your full fixed tank, it comes at a lot of costs. Money to start with, being able to haul it (both to the camp and dump station), and weight when full. For me, I'm figuring a tote 2/3 or so the size of tank is sufficient if you dump it every other day and have good water management.
You likely have an outside shower. For beach camping, make people mostly use that. You can even get a pop up shower tent for privacy.

[formerFR]

you don't need one that near the same 'size' as all your tanks, as that would not be possible anyway - a simple 15 gallon variety with handle and rear wheels is sufficient - just dump it every day or so. You don't have to completely EMPTY all your holding tanks every time - just as needed as they get full....plus, you can also dump more than once, if required..

a small portable tank will also be MUCH easier to not only transport with you and your RV, but much easier to handle while AT the dumping station - a very large and heavily FULL tote is not going to be a joy to deal with. Water and mass weighs a LOT!

another thought: invest in either a simple light cargo carrier for the rear of the RV, to hold and transport the tote, OR, even better, get a 'dual accessory hitch', and a light cargo carrier BETWEEN your vehicle and your RV. This will let you not only transport the tote to the campground, but also to the dump station : ) no wheels needed!

[Scrapper]

I have one of the older 4 wheel 35 gallon Barkers and it is stout enough to haul firewood from the front of our site to the back where we stack it. I have used it to move firewood several times but now I have a 900# capacity garden wagon.

[fella10]

While some folks will say you don't need a large waste tote, and that a small one will will be better, ... with a small tote, you must monitor every second of the dumping-into-it process to avoid overflowing the tote, especially when dumping your black tank, ... overflowing the tote with the gray tank water would be unpleasant, but overflowing it with the black tank waste would be terrible, .. the first time you misjudged when to stop the flow into your tote, you will wish you had bought a larger portable tote, ... with both my gray and black tank being 30gal each, I wanted one large enough that I can hookup, open the valve and let the tank drain without worrying about a "Robin Williams/RV" moment, ... Barker makes a 32gal. and on volume alone, that should be large enough to hold a completely full 30gal dump, but if for any reason the tote is not sitting completely level, that 2gal cushion could be lost and result in a big mess, ... I went with the 42gal Barker and am glad I did, ... can hookup, open valve, and let it flow, ... it can't overflow, and I can enjoy and laugh at the "RV" movie without the fear of experiencing that myself, ...

[jimmoore13]

Originally Posted by flhtci2006

Do you have a macerator? If not, would you be willing to get one? I'm looking for one also. I have a macerator. In my studies, I find the Thetfords to not be high on the list. With the macerator, you can leave your "tote" in the truck bed, dump your black water through the macerator up into the tote in the truck bed,then reverse the procedure at the dump. Wheels never do anything.

X-2 on this recommendation.
While you might transport your tote on or in the RV, the flexibility of being able to load the tote into your TV - whether SUV or pickup - will someday be a valuable option when the dump station is a bit farther away than you want to tow such a "trailer."

A macerator has the added value of being able to dump at home into a sewer cleanout connected to your sanitary drain. A close friend has discovered that dump stations around Denver are few and far between. He had to go quite far out of his way to dump after a boondocking adventure in the mountains.

Worth considering even it you won't need it for this trip.

[moshe1436]

Originally Posted by formerFR

—————. even better, get a 'dual accessory hitch', and a light cargo carrier BETWEEN your vehicle and your RV. This will let you not only transport the tote to the campground, but also to the dump station : ) no wheels needed!

Can you explain more what a “dual accessory hitch” is and how it fits BETWEEN your TV and TT? Never heard of this!

[Big Shoe]

Bigger isn't always better: 12 gal = 100 lbs, 20 gal = 167 lbs, 30 = 258 lbs, 40 = 335 lbs.

A hernia or pulled back could end your camping trip quickly.

[Scrapper]

Originally Posted by Big Shoe

Bigger isn't always better: 12 gal = 100 lbs, 20 gal = 167 lbs, 30 = 258 lbs, 40 = 335 lbs.

A hernia or pulled back could end your camping trip quickly.

They have a loop style handle so it can be towed by your TV.

[Dmax07]

Henderson Beach campground bath houses are some of the best you will find. Tile, air conditioned and clean use them for every bath house need and save the RV facilities for emergencies and night have toos. A 27 gallon tote is just fine the bigger you go the harder it is to tote and empty. Also if there is a problem larger tote larger problem!!!

Your lucky to get in Henderson Beach enjoy your visit, been going there sense it opened and never had a bad experience.

[capt104]

I have the Tote N Store 38 gal and have been using it for a year or so. It has performed well and is easy to use. Four wheels and has a rotating valve on the discharge end. My only advice would be don't go too small. You will want to keep your trips to a minimum. Happy motoring!

[Big Shoe]

Yes you normally tow it to the dump station, but you have to get it out from the side of your rig to get it to the tow vehicle.

[Papaduck]

Check out the Camco 21gal Rhino Tote. I purchased one and used it a couple of times at the Goshen Rally last month. It has extra large wheels, and is easy to fill/transport/drain. Had a lot of positive comments and even coordinated with my dealer to sell a couple to other Rally goers.

[dryhorn2]

27 is the right size..