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A lot of folks upgrade their RV bathroom after purchasing a new rig. When picking out a portable RV toilet, the first thing you’re going to notice is the wide variety of options available to you. Because there are so many models, the process can become overwhelming quickly. No one wants a “bad experience” when they go camping or RVing, so don’t take these decisions lightly.
Consider the following criteria (we’ll dive more into these after our recommendations):
- Space: How much space do you have available? If you’re facing space limitations, select an [rv toilet] that’s compact and high-quality. Small spaces benefit from the incorporation of gravity-flushing toilets.
- Guests: Will you have elderly guests traveling with you in your RV? If so, avoid choosing low-profile portable toilets. Otherwise, they’ll be too uncomfortable for your guests to use. So, make sure you’re looking for descriptions that read, “high profile,” and pay attention to the product’s dimensions.
- Travel plans: Where are you traveling, and for how long? The longer your trip is, the more difficult it might be to find dumping stations. Therefore, it might be necessary to purchase a spare tank.
Okay, now that you’ve got the basics down, let’s get into our recommendations. Here are our top picks for the best toilets for your RV.
Getting Down to Business: Our Top Picks for RV Toilets
| Best RV Toilets | Category |
| Dometic 320 RV Toilet | Best Gravity Flush Toilet |
| Thetford Aqua Magic V RV Toilet | Most Affordable |
| Porta Potti White Thetford Corp RV Toilet | Best Portable RV Toilet |
| Nature’s Head Self-Contained Composting Toilet | Best Composting Toilet |
| SereneLife Portable Outdoor RV Toilet | Largest Waste Tank |
A Deeper Look at the Best Toilet Options
The following is a run-down of our reviews and recommendations for the most affordable, best portable, best composting, and most substantial waste tanks. The information in the following section contains features, benefits, what we love, what we don’t like, pros and cons, and where to get each of our top picks.
Best Gravity Flush Toilet
Dometic 320 RV Toilet
The Domestic 320 looks and feels just like a traditional toilet you would find in your home. With a ceramic and wood construction, it also features a pressurized full-rim flush. You’ll also find a foot pedal to activate its flushing, which helps ensure cleanliness and ease of use.
We love that it uses a fraction of the water compared to a domestic flush. You can also fit it with an optional hand sprayer, which further improves its efficiency.
While we’d love to focus primarily on all the positives of this product, there is one flaw we’d like to point out. Even though this portable toilet is our favorite, it’s heavy. So, take into consideration its 37-pound weight when making this selection.
Pros:
- Easy to install
- Optional hand sprayer
- Ergonomic foot pedal
- Comfortable and durable construction
Cons:
- 37 pounds
- No replacement pedal if it breaks
- Requires an 11″ setback
Most Affordable
Thetford Aqua Magic V RV Toilet
When you’re searching for the ultimate in lightweight design and cost-effectiveness, this is an excellent option. Its plastic design weighs in at only 9.5 pounds, making it easy to maneuver and install. The classic domestic design makes it look and function like a traditional toilet. You’ll also find that it has a high-profile design for maximum comfort.
We love the easy-to-use handle that allows you to pull halfway to add water or completely for full activation. We also love that an optional sprayer attachment is available to help reduce water consumption.
Because this portable toilet features a lightweight design, that also means we have concerns about the quality of the plastic. We’d love to see the plastic being a little more durable on this toilet.
Pros:
- Light-weight design
- 100% coverage flushing
- Comfortable high-profile design
- Optional hand sprayer
Cons:
- Some consumers think the plastic is too flimsy
Best Portable RV Toilet
Porta Potti White Thetford Corp RV Toilet
No matter if you’re using this for your RV, boat, truck, van, or going camping, the Porta Potti from Thetford is an excellent choice. It features a sleek and stylish modern and home-like design with comfortable seat height and increased bowl size. The flush is battery-powered for added convenience.
We love that there’s an optional “hold down” kit to help secure this toilet to your floor, which will help hold it in place while you’re traveling. We also love that if you’re not keeping this portable toilet in your RV, there’s a hideaway toilet paper holder on its side. Because it can accommodate up to 56 flushes, we love that you can travel with this without having to worry about emptying.
One thing we don’t love about this model is customer support. While we’re singing praises about how well this portable toilet performs, if something goes wrong, it’s expensive to fix. If your warranty has run out, you’ll find that the repair costs are comparable to replacements.
Pros:
- 0-gallon water capacity
- 5-gallon waste capacity
- 56 average flushes
- Battery-powered
- Hideaway toilet paper holder
Cons:
- Costs a lot to fix
Best Composting Toilet
Nature’s Head Self-Contained Composting Toilet
If you’re looking for an eco-friendly solution for your toilet options, then Nature’s Head is an excellent choice. It’s a composting toilet that features a full-size, as well as an elongated seat for extra comfort. Because two long-time sailors designed this toilet, it has features developed to withstand the harsh marine environment.
That means that this toilet is also optimal for areas where finding plumbing and electricity is tricky, and we love that! We also love that there’s a low air-circulation fan built-in to recycle the air in your bathroom. We also love its rugged, all stainless-steel hardware. The fact that this portable toilet disassembles in seconds for easy cleaning also makes this a great choice in our book.
Here’s another portable toilet that, even though we sing high praises for it, we don’t love its weight. So, when choosing this one, you must be sure you’re taking into consideration its 28-pound weight. That means it’s tough to carry and on your fuel economy.
Pros:
- Waterless composting toilet ideal for off-the-grid
- Easy to empty
- Odor-free design
- Large capacity
Cons:
- 28 pounds
- It’s expensive
Largest Waste Tank
SereneLife Portable Outdoor RV Toilet
With features including a 5.3-gallon waste tank and lightweight materials, the SereneLife Portable Outdoor RV toilet is a compact and versatile choice. Don’t let that compact design fool you, though, because it also features a 5.3-gallon capacity waste tank. The three-gallon freshwater tank features a new “T” type flush. That means you can get full bowl coverage with up to 50 flushes possible.
We love that there’s a side latch available to secure the tank to your toilet. We also love that the entire unit features a durable polyethylene construction. The sealed gate valve that locks in odor and protects against leakage are also benefits we think are worth mentioning. There’s also a level indicator that shows the waste tank’s capacity, which is a great feature.
We would have loved this portable toilet more if it mirrored a traditional toilet design more. Unfortunately, its small design is a little “too small,” and we don’t love that. The main reason is that, when you’re sitting, it should be comfortable and not messy.
Pros:
- Lightweight plastic construction
- Large-capacity waste tank
- Integrated carrying handles
- Leak-proof container
- Easy to empty
Cons:
- A little small
Recap: The Best Toilets for Your RV
- Dometic 320 RV Toilet – Best Gravity Flush Toilet
- Thetford Aqua Magic V RV Toilet – Most Affordable
- Porta Potti White Thetford Corp RV Toilet – Best Portable RV Toilet
- Nature’s Head Self-Contained Composting Toilet – Best Composting Toilet
- SereneLife Portable Outdoor RV Toilet – Largest Waste Tank
Buying an RV Toilet: What to Look For
When it comes time to choose your RV toilet, there are a variety of factors you must take into consideration. Because you’ll be traveling with these toilets for lengths of time, that means you must weigh a wide variety of decisions before choosing the best one. That goes beyond that of pricing and style. You’ll also be thinking about how you’re going to “live” with this portable toilet.
What are these factors that you should be taking into consideration? Here are the top five that will help you make the right decision.
Type
There are a bunch of different RV toilet options. Here are the most popular and some pros and cons of each.
Cassette or Cartridge RV Toilet
Cassette toilets are typically your simplest option but have to be dumped frequently. They are very popular in Europe and are slowly making their way into more RVs and vans in the USA.
Composting RV Toilet
Composting toilets is a great environmentally friendly way to deal with waste on the road. It doesn’t use water and separates the liquids and solids. The solids are then converted to humus that can be safely dumped into the soil.
Gravity Flush RV Toilet
Gravity toilets are what you are going to find in most RV setups. The design is very similar to the toilets that you would find in a typical home.
Macerating Flush RV Toilet
Macerating toilets use motorized blades to break down human waste before it goes into the black water tank. Useful for cleanup later on!
Portable RV Toilet
Portable toilets are great for emergency situations. They have a detachable waste area that you can dump when you get to an appropriate dump station.
Vacuum Flush RV Toilet
Vacuum toilets are super similar to macerating toilets, but instead of motor-driven blades, a vacuum is used to break down waste before it goes into your black water tank.
Capacity
It’s essential to consider the size of RV toilets when selecting them. Under some circumstances, an RV toilet will have a larger waste tank compared to others. Think about how many travelers or guests will be using it, as well as the length of your trip. That will help you decide how large of a waste tank to choose.
Look at the number of flushes that the portable toilet will also accommodate. Also, remember that larger containers don’t need to emptying as often, but they might be more cumbersome.
Installation
Even though most RVs have a design that will accommodate a portable toilet, that doesn’t mean they’re easy to install. Therefore, you’ll save yourself a lot of time and headaches if you look for a system that’s easy to install. You can tell if it’s easy to integrate if it has a two-bolt mounting system, interchangeable components, and easy-to-access water connections.
Don’t forget to look for models that will mount to your floor or the side of your RV. That way, they won’t shift when you’re traveling.
Portability
Portability is a priority if you’re not planning to plumb your toilet into your RV’s system. Look for critical factors, including the weight and dimensions of the unit, as well as integrated handles and compact designs. Remember, the lighter the toilet is, the better it is for your fuel economy. Look for designs featuring built-in handles, that are easy to empty, and feature lightweight materials. That way, they’re easy to move, use, and clean.
Wide Bowl Size
You’ll notice when pursuing portable toilet bowl options that many of them are small. While this is optimal for the compact nature you want for your RV, it’s not comfortable. No one wants to feel like they’re going to topple over when they sit down. Consider looking for a design that mirrors the toilet you have at home.
As long as you’re thinking about your plumbing setup, check out these guides too:
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Can you put a regular toilet in an RV?
You can not put a regular toilet in an RV. Regular home toilets are made of porcelain which is very brittle. When RVs move down the road, they rattle which could easily break a regular porcelain toilet. Regular toilets also don’t have the same backstop features and low water usage features that RV-specific toilets do, so even if you did put a regular toilet in your RV, it would be a waste.
How should I clean my RV toilet?
Cleaning your RV toilet is almost exactly the same as cleaning your toilet at home. Getting a hard bristle brush and toilet cleaning solution should do the trick for cleaning your toilet in your RV. If you decide to use a sponge, make sure that it is not abrasive as this can lead to scratches in your toilet bowl.
How much weight can an RV toilet support?
As each toilet is different there is no specific maximum weight your toilet can support. The best idea is to look at your manufacturer’s guide which will tell you the safe weight limit of your toilet. However, most toilets are usually rated in the 300lb range.
