Tent camping - "potty" in the tent?

[Mickey Canada]

Just curious about what other people do. My DS is 6, DD is 8 and DW ....thirty something! When the kids were smaller, we had the little potty trainer and we brought that with us into the tent. I'm more concerned about the night time pees so that nobody has to leave the tent to go to the comfort stations.

What do you guys do? Remember, this is for tent camping. Do you bring nothing? Do you have one of those portables? Just curious because I'm not sure what I'm going to do.

 

[memorykeeper]

My girlfriend has kids that age and they use a camping potty in the tent with kitty litter in it to absorb the peepee's. They have a tent with a pet den so I think they stick it in there. I have a DS who's 7 and I plan to make him go before bed and hold it all night. He's not a nighttime potty user anyway so I guess it just depends on your kid.

 

[Mickey Canada]

The kitty litter idea .... never thought about that!

 

[BigDaddyRog]

yeah...now thats a tenting tip that should be more widely known.

 

[memorykeeper]

They sell some stuff in the camping stores that will absorb liquid but after buying it and comparing it to kitty litter she felt they worked about the same. Just use a plastic grocery bag as a liner and disposal is super easy. This friend of mine is vey brave she's driven across the country tent camping for three weeks with two children under 6 twice in the past two years.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

5 gallon buckets are much cheaper than camping potties....and just about the same height as the real thing. Shopping bags are too small but kitchen garbage bags are perfect, and you'll probably bring them camping anyway. Im adding a bag of litter to my list. ohhh, and the bucket is great for storing extension chords in when not being used as a potty

 

[poohbearwithme]

Here another idea you might consider: They make Outhouse/Shower Tents, that you can set up right outside of your tent that way it won't be in directly in the tent with you.

 

[memorykeeper]

little girls can't sit on a bucket but it is a cheaper option if you are a family of squatters

 

[BigDaddyRog]

I cut an acceptable size hole in the lid (kinda egg shapped too)....worked fine in the "practice run"

 

[Escape Artist]

We just walk (run!) to the Comfort Stations. Once they're out of "overnights" (pullups for nighttime), we keep a pair of flipflops by the tent door, and go for it. They all wear jammies to bed, so no issues there. And I've never had a problem with taking little boys in the ladies room. It's a little creepy the first time, but FW is very safe and you won't get lost on the way back.

The bigger problem I've had is that the kids get soooooo overtired sometimes that they don't wake up when they need to go! (Yet another reason I'm not crazy about hotel beds, eww!) That last trip to the potty before bedtime is critical, no matter how tired they are.

I think the best views of the stars I've ever seen were walking back from camping potties in the middle of the night!

Have a great trip!

Sue in Texas

 

[2goofycampers]

depends................................. nothing else just depends

 

[VACAMPER]

You have such "poise" 2goofycampers

 

[kmurawski]

When we tent camped we had a 3-room tent. One section was a potty/private area while the other two area we had opened up to one room. The only problem was that our son's air mattress was next to the wall of the potty room and it never failed that each morning he woke up on the floor next to the toilet!

 

[clkelley]

When I tent camped I had my potty in the tent with me. It was a hassock toilet, (basically a bucket inside another bucket with a comfy seat). I put some water in it, and one of those blue dissolving packets and carried it to the comfort station to empty out every couple of days. My T@B has one of the fancy two-piece portapottys with the holding tank in the bottom and fresh water in the top, but I think the hassock toilet was actually easier to clean.

 

[akamom]

We don't take anything because the comfort stations are really close.

 

[Mickey Canada]

I think it just really depends on what your family does at night and accommodating it!?

Mental notes:
- porta potty needed for us
- garbage 'liner bags'
- kitty litter .... with fresh crystals!!

 

[Gillian]

Clumping litter?

 

[Tent Camping Mom]

Our previous trips to FW, except for the last, we were close enough to the comfort station that we just walked. This last trip was the furtherest site from the comfort station so we used the golf cart. I think for our next trip we will take our port-a-potty just in case we have a site like that again.

We haven't taken our port-a-potty to FW but we have used at other places. We put it in an outhouse. Here's the outhouse we have from Walmart:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4726169

 

[mrsscooter]

doesnt he "always"....

 

[All7OfUs]

omg, you guys are too great! who'da thunk it??!! litter!? You are so right, that is one tip that should be broadcasted all over the place! We too are so very NOT into trapsing (sp?) through the dark to the CS when a bucket will do just great. ANother one for picking up the cat's stuff!