Portable Waste Tote

BobandDonna · 10-04-2016, 09:39 AM

Recently we have been camping in areas with no sewer hookups only dump stations. Who out there uses a portable waste tote? What kind do you have, how large is it, and where do you store it when you travel? Any suggestions about them?

rattleNsmoke · 10-04-2016, 10:11 AM

All great questions. We considered buying a 'Turd Hearse' as well but haven't and prolly will never. If you do, take into consideration there are trade offs. For instance, weight of a full load of crap -vs- size of tote. The smaller totes are more manageable but hold less=more trips to the dump station.
Good luck.

rockfordroo · 10-04-2016, 10:13 AM

I have a Thetford Smart tote 2LX I keep it in the pickup truck bed. It's 27 gal, as I recall. I've only used it once, but it worked OK. Only issue was that it doesn't seem like you can fully drain it, but maybe I just haven't figured it out yet.

You've probably started a big debate on which tank is best.

Jeff_and_Abby · 10-04-2016, 10:45 AM

Certain models have advantageous features ... note at 3:07 in this video, what could happen with "other" brands ... "something bad" ...
https://youtu.be/zy6JKcJd5x4
Stumbled across this when doing previous shopping/research ...
---
In seriousness, we are still considering some such purchase for future dry camping ... we are looking at putting in a small "two-barrel" septic system at our site and would have to move material from campsite to the septic site.

jeff64 · 10-04-2016, 10:50 AM

I have a 2 wheeled Barker 22 gal. I don't usually carry it unless we're out for 4 days or better. Have only used for gray water. Longer stays have merited FHU sites for the obvious reason

Restcure · 10-04-2016, 11:05 AM

We bought a 98L (26 gal) Tote-n-Stor last year and are taking it with us for the first time on a 4-nighter this coming weekend. I don't know if we'll need it, but it's nice to have.

We considered a larger model like the 121L (32 gal), but water weighs 1kg/L (8.3 lbs/gal) so even our small one, full, will weigh 98 kg (216 lbs). Not a problem on a paved surface, but where we camp the area near the waste drains is usually not paved... so we (read: I) will have to drag it to the truck to tow it to the dump station.

325BH · 10-04-2016, 11:47 AM

I have a big blue Barker. It holds 42 gallons which is slightly more than any of my black or gray tanks size. This means I can empty a full tank in one shot.

It has pneumatic rubber tires with tubes, so it rolls across a gravel road fairly easily.

Fits in the back of my pickup with everything else, like air compressor, jacks, etc.

itat · 10-04-2016, 12:11 PM

This is the one we have.

https://www.rvupgradestore.com/Tote-...-p/88-1147.htm

It has 4 pneumatic wheels that make it easier to tow. You just have to figure out a way to secure the handle onto the hitch ball.

You can buy a smaller tote and empty it daily or every other day, or buy one large enough to take the full volume of your tank. We only use it for the grey tank. The blank tank doesn't fill nearly as fast.

KMP44 · 10-04-2016, 12:39 PM

We have a 15 gallon thetford smart tote. I bought the 15 gallon 2-wheel model thinking it would be small enough to pull by hand. However, in reality, its hard to get a hold of it and pull it very far by hand. I still end up towing it to the dump station with the truck. Had I known that, I would have gone a little bigger and gotten a 4 wheel model. And the hose that came with it was useless - too short to dump without spilling. That's an easy fix with a $5 camco hose that's a little longer.

I only use it for grey water, but we use it all the time. Saves us a lot of $$ over getting a sewer site (our favorite spot has limited sewer hookups, so they get an extra $9 a night for sewer). And we spend a lot of time at state parks where full hookups are not an option. I just carry it the bed of the truck. Has worked out great as far as saving some money and keeping the peace - I'm not bugging DW about how much water she is using any more...

Iwannacamp · 10-04-2016, 01:04 PM

I wanted and priced several a while back... I never got one and really never found I never needed one. Our trips are generally short... we gotta work... plus I have a short bed truck with a slider and had limited storage in 5er.

ChateauV10 · 10-04-2016, 01:35 PM

We camped twice this summer at no hookup sites for a week each time.
The first trip I used a 2 wheel 18 gal tote that I made a tow hitch for out of a piece of 2x4, a bungee cord and a piece of rope (to loop around the hitch). It worked fine on the paved road at the campground, but was a hassle to have to use the van to pull it every other day.
For the second trip, I picked up a 1st generation Thetford 4 wheel 35 gallon tote off of Craigslist in very good shape. We were at the beach and so there was more shower water every day and so I pulled it like a wagon to the dump site. It did OK in the soft soil at the site and perfect on the paved roads in the campsite. I took grey water every day and one day I took a full load of the good stuff to see how it would go. I had no problems either way.
Lessons learned:
Not only is ~35 gallons of waste water heavy (~280 pounds) the tote itself is BIG. I had room to store it in the back of the van (after being rinsed well) but it is something to think about.
Being able to hand tow the tank like a wagon is terrific. It's quick, easy, convenient and you get a little exercise in at the same time.
It was not a problem to dump the tank at either location. Thetford's system is simple to use if you read the directions and the Barker system with the side mounted valve is a total no brainer. Any tote you have to tilt when more or less full to empty is a bit beyond what I want to lift while camping.
The Thetford auto-stop-fill feature works. But you should still be watching what you are doing!
Get a used one...they are simple devices, you can see if there is anything wrong by eye and you'll pay 50% or less of the new price.
Big tires are a good thing, but not everything. They are heavier and make the entire tote heavier but can be good for very soft ground and less friction when pulling.
If you are OK with grey and black water in general, the totes are fine. If not, then not....

Cheers!

fella10 · 10-04-2016, 02:13 PM

both of our tt tanks are 30 gal.,..... I liked the Barker models better than the others and bought their 42gal model,..... that size because I wanted one large enough that I wouldn't have to monitor for over flow while dumping either tank(especially the black tk more so than the gray), ... it is a very large tank and they do make a 32gal model, but with 32gal there is only a 2gal cushion and if that tank was off level any amount when filling, that 2gal cushion could easily be lost,...... anyway, I wanted one large enough that I could open the valve and let it flow until the tt tank was empty and not have to worry that the portable tank would over flow, very satisfied with the Barker 42gal model,........

LandJ · 10-05-2016, 05:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KMP44

We have a 15 gallon thetford smart tote. I bought the 15 gallon 2-wheel model thinking it would be small enough to pull by hand. However, in reality, its hard to get a hold of it and pull it very far by hand. I still end up towing it to the dump station with the truck. Had I known that, I would have gone a little bigger and gotten a 4 wheel model. And the hose that came with it was useless - too short to dump without spilling. That's an easy fix with a $5 camco hose that's a little longer.

I only use it for grey water, but we use it all the time. Saves us a lot of $$ over getting a sewer site (our favorite spot has limited sewer hookups, so they get an extra $9 a night for sewer). And we spend a lot of time at state parks where full hookups are not an option. I just carry it the bed of the truck. Has worked out great as far as saving some money and keeping the peace - I'm not bugging DW about how much water she is using any more...

X2

Only use it for gray water, need to fill it twice to completely drain tank. I won't use it for black tank, but that's just me.

**bikendan** · 10-05-2016, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LandJ

X2

Only use it for gray water, need to fill it twice to completely drain tank. I won't use it for black tank, but that's just me.

x3!
Never needed to use our Barker blue tote for black water.
It would take us two weeks or more straight to fill the black tank and we never would never stay in one place that long.
We dry camp mostly and often go two weeks before we dump the black tank.

doc73 · 10-05-2016, 12:42 PM

Have thearge Thetford. Only used for grey, no black.

Martsing · 10-05-2016, 01:06 PM

We have a 42 gal Blue tote. Have not used it yet. Our tanks on the TT are 37gal so I wanted to have something I could empty into and not worry.

I would carry in the back of the pick-up.

Marty

BobandDonna · 10-06-2016, 10:15 AM

Thanks everyone for your input. My toad is a Honda CR-V and I'm not sure I want to carry it in there. I was thinking about attaching it to the ladder on the back of our motorhome. I use to carry a step ladder there using swim noodles to pad it so I wouldn't do damage to the ladder. Has anyone used this method to transport your tote? If so, any issues should I know about?

BobandDonna · 10-06-2016, 10:21 AM

Turd Hearse, LOL!!!!! I literally laughed out loud, hadn't heard that term before, but it is so appropriate! Thanks rattleNsmoke for the laugh!

MacDaddy · 10-06-2016, 11:34 AM

I bit the bullet a bought the Barker 42 gal unit/turd hearse (lmao omg!!). This thing is a beast! Having troubles finding a good place for it. My 6' bed truck with the truck box and fifth wheel will not accommodate it unless I turn it on the side. Thinking about hanging it from the ladder on a couple of hangers that I found at Harbor Freight. It will go in on the port side basement but takes up needed tote space.

Haven't used it out on a trip as of yet but have used it at home to empty gray water tanks after cleaning the inside of trailer etc. Seems to work flawlessly.

I found it on Adventure RV for 250 and some change including shipping.

fella10 · 10-06-2016, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobandDonna

Thanks everyone for your input. My toad is a Honda CR-V and I'm not sure I want to carry it in there. I was thinking about attaching it to the ladder on the back of our motorhome. I use to carry a step ladder there using swim noodles to pad it so I wouldn't do damage to the ladder. Has anyone used this method to transport your tote? If so, any issues should I know about?

the hanger below is designed for hanging stuff off the ladder, it might be just what you're looking for,...........

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-51490-B...+ladder+hanger

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