Toilet Stool for Backpacking?

[Jason D]

Does anyone make a backpacking toilet stool (no pun intended) similar to this patent?  The closest product that I’ve been able to find, made by Oxo, is for small children.  Primary function would be for having a seat over a cat hole (rather than having to squat), strong enough for adults but low enough for kids.  It could double as a camp seat.  Not interested in the soft material stools or any that require a bag, nor the hammock-seat style.  Other travel commodes are too high off the ground.

[BlackHatGuy]

how much weight for this specific device are you willing to carry?

[Jason D]

About 2 pounds preferred, give or take.

[Lori P]

A polypro strap, 2-3″ wide, with loops sewn in each end. Two climbing cert’d carabiners or Dutch clips (lighter). Suspend between two trees and sit.

[Jason D]

Thanks Lori, but looking more for a stool option.

[BlackHatGuy]

You’d have to figure out how much it would weigh, but you could just find the lightest toilet seat you can find (or even use one of those blowup kiddie pool things I guess), and then build a base from pvc pipe from Home Depot. By using pipe sections you could vary the height as needed.

[BlackHatGuy]

Like this.

[Michael Sirofchuck]

https://www.grainger.com/category/portable-toilets/toilets-urinals/plumbing/ecatalog/N-k0i?okey=toilet%2C+portable&mkey=Portable+Toilets+&refineSearchString=toilet%2C+portable&NLSCM=5&EndecaKeyword=toilet%2C+portable&searchBar=true&searchRedirect=toilet%2C+portable&sst=subset&nls_boost_words=noContent

Also:
Stansport 271 Portable Folding Camp or Travel Toilet

[Jason D]

Thanks Doug.  I was just looking at that same link.

Michael, thanks for the suggestions–I actually purchased the Stansport model, but it is too high off the ground.  I may try to fit it with my own legs as Doug suggests.

This one is a bit closer to what I’m looking for, though I could still go lower than 15 inches–around 6 would be ideal, which probably would only require 3 short single-post legs.

[Ryan “Rudy” Oury]

Not sure if you have any interest in building one… but here’s something I whipped up for my wife who hates doing her business in the woods :)

its just a piece of 3/4” plywood cut in a circle and holes drilled to receive some thick old aluminum tent poles. It’s ~15” tall but could obviously be made to any height you like. Weighs 1 lb as is

[DAN-Y]

Coleman makes these also. Remove 2 center pieces to form hole. Drill holes to lighten entire stool. Folds flat.

Specifications:

• Dimensions closed: 2″ x 12″ x 17.5″

• Dimensions open: 10″ x 12″ x 15″

• Weight Capacity: 250 Lbs

https://www.camping-gear-outlet.com/camping-gear-39673.html

 

[Todd T]

You’ll feel less need for a stool if you learn to use heel chocks.  Just sayin.

[Duane Hall]

It seems to me that there are various fabric bottomed camp stools in the 1 to 2 lb range, and many look to be available on Amazon.  With minimal cutting and sewing skills, a suitably sized hole might be cut in the centre of the seat, and the structural integrity of the stool could still be maintained.  These stools are quite inexpensive, and easily packable.

 

[Dale Wambaugh]

Get one of the 5 gallon bucket style toilet seats, toss the lid, cut the bottom off the bucket to the desired height and possibly add lightening holes. Carry in a trash compactor bag.

[Five Star]

My dad used one of those on an elk hunt.  7 days at a fixed camp site.  The stool collapsed during use on day 6, with the predictable consequences for my old man.  I remember learning a lot of new words.

[Jason D]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.  I think I’m getting a bit closer; I just had the wrong search criteria.

So… many toilets in Asia are essentially catholes, requiring squatting for use.  But what about those who would struggle to squat, like those who are pregnant or elderly?  Well, apparently, there is a HUGE variety of toilet stools available to meet this need, with 25cm (~10in) seeming to be the lowest.  They’re all a bit on the heavy side so far, so I’m going to keep searching for the right one.  I’ll post it when I find it.

https://www.englishtaobao.net/product/533737925893/

[Kevin Babione]

A couple of years ago I saw a strap that you wrapped around a tree and then around yourself to allow you to lean back while you did your business.  I went to Amazon looking for it and found the Toilet-Tree Hammock instead:

Amazon shows the weight to be just 5.6 ounces and it certainly looks pretty packable.  Hmmm…I just ordered one and will weigh it as soon as it arrives.

[Franco Darioli]

“Primary function would be for having a seat over a cat hole (rather than having to squat), strong enough for adults but low enough for kids”

Have you thought of digging a small hole under each leg ( or two narrow trenches)   ?

That will reduce the height without compromising the stability (cutting the legs would)

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[Franco Darioli]

here is an illustration of what I was talking about :

(works with some tents too if you need the fly closer to the ground)

For the technical details :

if you dig 4x 4″ holes for the legs,  the sitting part will be approximately 4″ closer to the ground.

[Doug Coe]

I aspire to reacquiring the simple ability to sit on the ground cross-legged like I did as a kid.

Squatting to do your business is how we are evolved to poop. Maybe you’d like to practice it (at home!) till you reacquired this valuable backcountry skill.

And you wouldn’t have to bring another item in your pack.

(Or you might have special medical issues that wouldn’t make that possible.)

[Jason D]

It looks like this is the closest thing available, but the cost to ship is too high.  I’m thinking of just using the seat from my Stansport folding toilet and finding shorter legs for it, or just buying some 6″ aluminum poles from Lowes or Home Depot and gluing some PVC couplers to the bottom of the seat.  (And to Doug’s point above, this is for medical issues, though I think others may benefit from this thread as well.  Thanks!)

[Michael Sirofchuck]

What about this?

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Cute-Cartoon-Duck-Child-Seat-Toilet-Portable-Safe-Backpack-Baby-Urinals-Baby-Training-Toilet-Baby-Potty/32855985505.html?ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_1_10152_10065_10151_10344_10068_10130_10324_10342_10547_10325_10343_10546_10340_5722611_10341_10548_10698_10545_10697_10696_5722911_5722811_10084_5722711_10083_10618_10307_10059_10534_308_100031_10103_441_10624_10623_10622_10621_10620_5723011_5722511,searchweb201603_2,ppcSwitch_5&algo_expid=756ef1be-207d-4f70-8b98-c3a10e4f5fe4-0&algo_pvid=756ef1be-207d-4f70-8b98-c3a10e4f5fe4&transAbTest=ae803_2&priceBeautifyAB=0

[Kevin Babione]

Okay – my Toilet-Tree Hammock arrived very quickly (just a couple days after I ordered it with regular shipping).  See my post above for a photo.  I haven’t used it yet, but here are a few observations:

• It seems to be really well made – there are hard plastic spacers on either end of the hole to ensure that the hole stays a hole and doesn’t shrink or collapse under weight (just when you need it most).
• Instead of the buckles you see on the website, it has a flat metal slide on each strap.  This means you have to thread it after you get it around the tree each time.  As delivered this is not something that you’ll use while your buddies are waiting up ahead on the trail – it would just take too much time to set up and take down.  Around camp, on the other hand, it may be a different story.  The strap slide looks like this:
•   
• The weight with the case is 328 g (11.6 ounces) and without the case it’s 270 g (9.5 ounces)
• The case is nicely made with a zipper and loops so that you can thread a strap through the loops to keep the case near the seat.  No more TP too far away…

I think I’ll bring it with me on my 3-night trip this weekend (without the case) and will give it a try.  If I like it, I’ll probably look at some ways to cut the weight of the 1.5″ straps and replace them with something lighter and quicker to set up.

Stay tuned!

 

 

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