Have you ever searched for a portable toilet online? Not the portable toilet for hire kind that they use for events and building sites though, but those for individual use. You really get to see all kinds of products. From simple disposables made of plastic – such as bags and pouches of all sorts – to female urinals and DIY instructions for turning an old bucket into a camping toilet.
But if you’re not only green-minded but also partial to a certain level of comfort and convenience, an alternative exists. It’s practical, portable and also sustainable in its entirety. Please meet your new waterless, non-chemical, lightweight portable composting toilet!
The Kildwick HappyLoo is super easy to use, it’s robust, comfy, hygienic, and doesn’t need a lot of space, whether during use or folded up afterwards. Let’s take a closer look at it now: how does this portable toilet work, which scenarios it’s best suited for, what are the pros (we counted 20) and cons. Let’s roll.
What exactly is a portable composting toilet?
If you’re travelling a lot with a camper or a boat, you sure are familiar with the intelligently sustainable, modern urine-diverting dry composting toilets such as our EasyLoo model. These are designed for independent, off the grid and waterless use – a sustainable alternative to portable chemical toilets that need water and, as the name suggests, specific chemical additives to function.
Other than the urine-diverting dry composting toilets, a portable composting toilet like the HappyLoo is designed with short-term outdoor use in mind, such as hiking and fishing trips, festivals or tent camping trips. This portable dry composting toilet has no separating function for liquids and solids, no ventilation and is foolproof to set up and use.
The HappyLoo portable dry composting toilet is:
- particularly lightweight with minimal space requirements
- completely sustainable
- waterless
- entirely made from sustainable and biodegradable materials
- stable and reusable, with proper care
- comfortable and hygienic
- effortless to assemble, to use and to fold up after use
- sold as a kit, complete with supplies you need for a 3-day trip.
But above all, the HappyLoo makes sure that the bodily waste is handled in a carefully hygienic and nature-friendly way.
To offer you even more comfort and convenience, the HappyLoo comes with a handy toilet paper holder on its side.
Sounds nice, right? But how does this portable dry compost toilet actually work?
No fuss, just function: This is how a portable dry compost toilet works
Just like any dry composting toilets, the portable dry composting toilet is based on the principle of composting bodily waste without the use of water („dry“ in the name stands for no flushing) or chemical additives. But while many dry composting toilets process fluid and solid waste separately, this is not necessarily convenient outdoors during a short trip.
So in order to still be able to offer you all the advantages of a comfortable, safe, hygienic and environmentally friendly dry composting toilet, we have another solution – using one collection unit with two types of soak and cover material.
Vital for no-flush portable toilets: the cover material
All dry composting toilets either need or can use some soak or cover material. It’s placed in the bottom of the collection bag and then used again after each session.
The collection unit of the HappyLoo collects both fluid and solid waste in the same collection bag and thus comes with two different types of cover material. There are super-absorbent pressed straw pellets for the liquids, and there’s the organic Miscanthus litter – odour-absorbent and dehumidifying – for the solids. Used in lieu of flushing, both help to cover up the excrements and ensure that your nifty portable potty stays hygienic, clean, and odourless.
The second element: the biodegradable collection bags
The collection bag is the second element that’s essential for your portable dry composting toilet to function in a safe and hygienic way.
Your HappyLoo is shipped to you complete with bio-degradable bags each with a 30 litre capacity. Before use, you simply attach one new collection bag to the collection unit in the middle of the HappyLoo. It’s designed to never slip off on its own, and is also held down and covered by the toilet seat. How often you dispose of the bag depends largely on the duration of the trip and of course on the number of HappyLoo users.
GOOD TO KNOW! Are you wondering about the most sustainable toilet paper choice? Check out our toilet paper guide for help.
HappyLoo scenarios: best uses for portable dry composting toilets
Kildwick developed the HappyLoo to offer festival goers, campers, anglers and generally people on tent camping trips and day trips more independence and freedom. Given the great ease of use and its space-saving size this portable toilet is obviously helpful for any type of short-period outdoor use.
We asked around to hear what our customers and friends think of the HappyLoo and how they use it in their lives. Here are some of their answers.
“It’s actually perfect for boat trips or for canoe trips, amazing for weekends tent camping! I have known composting toilets from my grandma's garden house, albeit as a permanently installed version. This portable toilet was new to me."
Heike, 53, likes to travel
“My husband and all of our friends love hiking, fishing and trips, both boat and van. I like being out in nature a lot, but I like the blessings of civilization just as much. Thanks to the portable toilet, I’m joining our friends on weekend trips again.“
Irina, 41, fan of the five-star outdoors ;)
"For me it is clearly a superb portable wc for the car!"
Jan, 39, outdoor enthusiast and amateur athlete
“I always have my portable toilet in the back of the family van when I'm out and about. Whenever we’re on a trip with the kids, whether just going to the nearby lake or tent camping over the weekend, I feel so much better and safer than at any roadhouse toilet.“
Jessi, 36, mother of 2 daughters
“My Mini Cooper Countryman is sure large enough for my equipment, but you can't put a toilet in there. That's why I've been long looking for a suitable and above all practical portable wc for my travels.“
Robert, 51, wildlife photographer
HappyLoo: Your easy-to-handle portable toilet
Designed for simple use outdoors, a portable dry composting wc has to meet several requirements: it needs to be lightweight and compact, easy to set up and to deploy. Bonus points if all of its components are biodegradable. And that’s exactly what the HappyLoo is.
Let's see how to use it, step by step.
Parcel-sized comfort
When the HappyLoo is shipped to you, it’s just 10 cm tall. At 40 cm width and 43 cm length, it’s literally the size of an average parcel. It fits easily into any car and is pretty no-fuss to take around.
After use, fold it up again until the next trip: done.
Easy set-up
In just a few simple steps, your HappyLoo is all set up and good to go! At 43 cm, the height of the seat is nice and comfortable. The inside of the HappyLoo is made to firmly hold the collection bag in place. The toilet paper holder on the side caters for even more convenience.
The HappyLoo seat comes with a lid that can be safely held closed with an attached velcro.
How to HappyLoo: use it right so you can use it more
ALL INCL.
As always with Kildwick – the HappyLoo kit includes all you need to deploy it during your weekend trip. You get the seat, the collection bags, and both cover materials.
SOAK MATERIAL
As you’ve just learned, the collection bag is safely attached in the middle of the collection unit. Whenever the new bag is put in place, fill it with just a handful of straw pellets (the fluid absorbent) as a soak base. Now the HappyLoo is ready to use!
CORRECT COVER
Another dose of cover material comes in right after each “session”. Remember, this is the flush replacement (kind of), so you can never leave the HappyLoo without. Use either the pellets or the Miscanthus litter, 2-3 handfuls should do the trick. As soon as it’s due, take out the collection bag, tie it and dispose of it in the compost or in the garbage.
IDEAL FOR 3 DAYS OF ADVENTURE
The HappyLoo comes with enough supplies for an average 3 day trip: 3 collecting bags (30 liters capacity each) and with two bags of pellets. That’s considered enough for a somewhat average trip of up to 3 days. We recommend dividing the straw pellets required to bind the fluid waste into 3 parts right at the beginning of your trip. This offers you a good overview of the usage and prevents from over-using. When it comes to the Miscanthus litter used for solid waste, we recommend 2-3 handfuls after each going to the toilet. If you follow these tips, you can dispose of each of the 3 collection bags at the end of each day.
AT THE END OF THE TRIP
At the end of your trip, once the collection bags have been removed and disposed of, the HappyLoo is simply folded up, dusted off and comes home with you.
If your HappyLoo is taken good care of, you can repurchase the straw pellets, the litter and the collection bags for your next trip.
THE HAPPYLOO LIFE
One more thing that’s important for you to know: your HappyLoo is made of sturdy cardboard material. It’s not coated nor waterproofed in order to keep it completely environmentally friendly and biodegradable. The cardboard is sturdy enough to accompany your outdoor adventures for several weeks – in theory. Practically speaking, it is prone to water damage. Make sure to keep your HappyLoo dry at all times.
The sustainable end: how to properly dispose of the HappyLoo
Your HappyLoo is not a throwaway item, but it will be finished at some point in time nevertheless. Now, we’ve got some good news and then some better news for you. The good news is: whether the outer material, whether the litter or the collection bags – everything about your HappyLoo can be composted.
And the even better news is: if you like, use the HappyLoo box for your campfire. Even easier, dispose of it in the paper bin at home. Laid flat, of course.
HappyLoo pros and cons
Although we designed it to meet as many requirements as possible, nothing in this worl is for everyone. Not all scenarios will benefit from a portable toilet. Let’s have a look at the pros and cons.
The disadvantages of a portable dry composting toilet:
- It’s not meant as a long-term solution for places like garden sheds, camping vans or boats
- The portable dry compost toilet is only suitable for outdoor use
- Although cardboard is an excellent material for being sustainable and biodegradable, it doesn’t have the longevity of plywood and other materials
- The portable composting toilet is not waterproof
- For some, any type of a waterless aka dry toilet can mean quite some getting used to
Portable dry composting toilet pros – 20 good reasons that speak for themselves:
- Highly environmentally friendly
- Safe and considerate handling of bodily waste
- Unlike with portable chemical toilets, the contents are very easy and safe to dispose of
- A high level of independence and freedom for your short trips
- Versatile for various outdoor activities
- Perfect for trips with children
- Comes in terms of comfort very close to that of a standard toilet
- Made from sustainable and biodegradable/compostable materials, including all supplies
- Plastic-free
- Waterless
- The entire design as well as the life cycle of the HappyLoo and its components are sustainable
- Clean and odourless
- Easy to assemble and to wrap up, no installation needed
- Very easy and hygienic to use
- A sustainable individual toilet alternative to disposable items made of plastic
- Unlike a chemical toilet, this compost toilet works without chemical additives
- Inexpensive: this portable toilet’s price, including two types of pellets and 3 collection bags, is at just 39€ in the Kildwick online shop
- Robust - usable for up to several weeks with careful treatment
- No follow-up or maintenance costs, except for the eventual re-purchase of the pellets or collection bags
- Compact, foldable after use and very easy to transport
Sustainable, affordable, effortless: Kildwick HappyLoo
Good for you and the environment, easy on the wallet, comfortable, modern, hygienic and portable – what’s not to love about the Kildwick HappyLoo. It’s an individual and super lightweight version of any portable toilet for sale.
Whether on your next camping trip, for outdoor athletes or for hiking, your trusted portable toilet is easy to carry and to set up.