Campsite Toilet Ideas For Glamping
The toilets could be the most important part of your glampsite. Campsite toilet ideas need to work. Get the toilets wrong and you won’t hear the end of it.
The post Campsite Shower Ideas For Glamping will be an important read at this point too.
Reviews
A cursory look at ‘travellers’ pictures on Tripadvisor and similar will reveal just how important these facilities are to guests, and the Glamper is no exception to this, perhaps more so.
Traveller pictures are those submitted by the guest and when filtering the images it’s possible to see a good proportion of those pictures are of the bathroom area of their accommodation:
Keep in mind that hotels and such have plenty of areas to photograph (dining room, function rooms, lobby etc) whereas a glamping site will have just a few by comparison, so your toilets and showers will feature more heavily in your guest’s photography and reviews.
It’s possible to get away with a few mistakes on site, but…
Get the toilets wrong and you won’t hear the end of it, both in person and in on-line reviews.
Flushing toilets are the most sought after, but depending on your site the options may be limited and you may need to seek alternatives.
Money spent here will pay off in the long run, so we encourage you to provide the best you possibly can.
No Toilet Block? No Problem
If your campsite toilet ideas just ain’t flowing, there could be an obvious solution literally on your door step.
Some smaller landowners may be able to provide use of a downstairs bathroom in their own home. This is certainly an option so long as privacy can be ensured. However, for some this may not be practical and some will want to keep this facility separate from their own dwelling.
If a toilet and shower block isn’t already in place, and if the glamping area you’ve earmarked is remote, there are alternatives to consider and we’ve seen all kinds of successful solutions.
Whichever you choose to provide in terms of toilets, they will need to be fully functional and regularly cleaned and maintained.
This area can be a wonderful opportunity to get creative, at a fraction of the cost of a new building. We’ve seen horse boxes, shepherd huts and even an old train carriage re-purposed to provide this facility. If you feel this is beyond your skill set, consider enlisting the help of local tradesmen for advice and implementation.
Composting Toilets
These toilets require no water or electricity.
However, there is often a stigma attached to composting toilets. A lot of people are confused by them and associate them with bad odours. This is often because the user doesn’t know how to use them correctly, and so this very simple system fails and odours occur.
We’re all familiar with the common mnemonic used as a way to reduce water usage:
“If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down”
With composting toilets the ‘flush’ is replaced with a light sprinkling of sawdust. So it’s up to you, the site owner, to communicate this basic message to guests. Have fun writing clear, humorous instructions on the back of the door and make sure plenty of sawdust and a sawdust scoop is available at all times.
Hand sanitizer, toilet paper and decent lighting will also need to be considered.
Done correctly and this option provides the perfect off-grid system for remote areas. Basic kits (to be fitted to a shed-like structure of your choice) are readily available on-line, and there are plenty of companies offering the full caboodle, even through to installation of the full structure.
For example; Free Range Designs will supply a handmade, self-assembly, basic composting toilet (including the structure) for £2,100. They can also supply the basic kit if you’d prefer to build your own structure or source it elsewhere. Whereas Dunster House supply a mass produced composting toilet with solar-powered sink and lighting from £979.99
Composting toilets require very little maintenance and the waste, composted material can be recycled. This is a huge advantage, particularly if your site is being billed as eco-friendly.
Chemical Toilets
These toilets require no water or electricity.
Think ‘chemical toilet’ and most of us will conjure up an image of overly full UK festival toilets. If you haven’t seen them first hand, you’ve likely heard all about them.
Chemical toilets can be terrible for the environment if the chemicals used contain formaldehyde, so better to find suppliers who use non-toxic chemicals.
Chemical toilets are still a popular choice for those wishing for an easy off-grid solution, and of course the waste and maintenance can be dealt with by another company. Most are supplied on a hire basis and contractors will arrive at intervals or on request to either empty or replace the toilet in its entirety.
Some site owners will choose to supplement their existing toilets with chemical toilets during busier times of the year.
Chemical toilets are not all that attractive to look at though, and often fall outside of the rustic aesthetic glampsite owners strive for. However, they can be made to look prettier. If they’re always going to be sited in the same place, consider fixing trellis in place and grow some sweet-smelling climbers up the trellis to screen the toilets a little. It’s better to discuss your ideas with the contractor first as their needs must also be met. After all, tThe contractor will need easy access to the toilet to service and manoeuvre it.
These toilets can be hot and smelly in the summer, and so frequent cleaning will be necessary.
Hand sanitiser, toilet paper and decent lighting will also need to be considered.
