This is one way (above) to transport the trusty Porta-Potti toilet for emptying at the Pump-out Stations provided by British Waterways at locks through out Britain (below) .
It is really not that bad. In fact it can be a spiritual experience being at one with your waste products. This is something the 'flush and forget' society misses out on, lucky things. A lot of boats have a pump out system, involving a large tank, pumps and sewage pipes going all over the place; a disaster waiting to happen. They take up a lot of space and always stink in the end what ever anyone says. Pumping out a tank can cost £7 or more and can be a traumatic experience if disaster does strike. This can happen in a number of ways; like when the pump gets blocked up. This is almost certain to happen and is very hard to turn into spiritual experience, unless perhaps you are already an enlightened soul.
It is all very simple at the pump-out station with a Porta-Potti.
• An electric composting toilet might be the ultimate way to go, but for about £1000 you get a lot more to go wrong. The simplest system is the 'First World War Trench Toilet' which is two buckets with lids; one bucket sits inside the other. Far easier to empty and clean than the Porta Potti, and easy to make. However the Porta-Potti is a fairly good design with a nice 'flush' system, providing a reasonably 'un-gory' user experience. It is made of plastic so even when full it is not too heavy. A couple of non-essential bits (like a dial that tells you when it is full) have broken, but for about £70 it seems to be the best deal.
