How to 💩 in a VAN | Trelino Composting Toilet Review

[@CookingAroundTheWorld]

Maybe you could call your new toilet "Winnie". Excellent review. Of all the van lifers out there, you really are the only ones who have got your shit together.

[@nigelandsueadventures]

haha, thanks so much! Winnie it is!

[@sallyjones1213]

@@CookingAroundTheWorld 🤣😂🤣😂💛😂🤣😂💩

[@jaydegier3892]

Hey Nigel and Sue a very informative video about getting your shit sorted 🤣. No seriously, get advice from you both as always. Safe travels Coen and Jay 😀

[@nigelandsueadventures]

Thanks friends!!

[@h-j.k.8971]

I´ve had one of these for a couple of years now and its the best loo I´ve ever had. I think the best thing about it is, you can dispose of your solids directly after production.

[@nigelandsueadventures]

Thanks! It's great to know other people like them too!

[@briangill4000]

Good shit.. thx for info

[@nigelandsueadventures]

Cheers Brian!!

[@geoffotaylor2276]

legendary. Thanks guys, things you don't think about when you're looking at vans. certainly makes me realise what I have to check before purchasing. Enjoy the number two's Niggel.

[@nigelandsueadventures]

There's a lot to consider that you probably don't think of Geoffo!

[@geoffotaylor2276]

@nigelandsueadventures tell me about it, I'm certainly going to check all water and waste pipes with a full tank before purchase. I always thought that the composting toilet was disgusting, but all the chemicals and poo soup is definitely a massive turn off, I think that I will probably, chose or choose, can't spell anymore in English, the same toilet as you guys.

[@robertarmbruster5650]

Good advice, thanks.

[@nigelandsueadventures]

Thanks for watching! Glad you found it helpful

[@robertacasey5204]

We just bought one of those for our build out! Have not gotten to use it yet but glad that you are having good luck.

[@nigelandsueadventures]

Oh awesome! Hope you'll enjoy it too!

[@glynnjarrett4220]

You looked a bit "flushed" presenting that video Sue ;-) hahaha. Thanks again, very informative.

[@nigelandsueadventures]

haha, thanks Glynn.

[@neilthorman3646]

Hi guys, well it was a good episode to get out of the way looking forward to travelling again next week.

[@nigelandsueadventures]

You'll love next week's video! Its a beauty!

[@allovesscrapping]

I am loving the adventures you share - look not sure if your toilet is an "adventure" as such but these are the things that most people would not be aware of. My main concern, but you addressed this Sue, was how the boys would get the No. 1 in the right spot - defs a sitting thing. Can't wait for your next adventure. Take care on the roads, and travel safely :)

[@nigelandsueadventures]

It's always easier for the boys though! haha

[@sallyjones1213]

Nice looking van

[@nigelandsueadventures]

Thanks, we're really happy with it so far.

[@allegrosotto2126]

I’ve watched other reviews of this toilet and all are positive- except for the price. Glad Sue you addressed the gender differences in using it, something I’d wondered about 👍 If I upgraded my two bucket system it’s definitely the one I’d choose.

[@nigelandsueadventures]

The Trelino is a LOT more reasonably priced than our old composting toilet!

[@letsgotravelaustralia]

We have a Trelino, dearer in Australia of course. We like the simplicity of it over other composting/waterless toilet. Much better than a port a loo.

[@nigelandsueadventures]

Good to know! How long have you been using yours for?

[@letsgotravelaustralia]

@@nigelandsueadventures not long as we don’t get away as much as we would like. We did have another make of composting loo in a caravan when full time and for the ladies it was difficult. The Trelino is much better from that point of view as well. Simpler and easy design. Easier to empty. Ours is in a small camper, not fixed so can be moved about as needed. Nice and light weight. We use mini hemp, works really well. No dust as all.

[@claudiasbodhi]

I don’t know if I missed the information but do you have any advice of disposing of the solid waste? Thank you

[@spirithealingtools]

Okay. No way. I can't. Damn it. So ya no off grid camping for me. Now I'm glad I watched your video. Never will do. Thank you. I probably owe you my life.

[@nigelandsueadventures]

haha, it sure beats going into the woods with a shovel!!

[@yumisage]

Only thing that puts me off these adventures. I've thought of everything to make it easier for me ~ even husband fears my fear. We've already disagreed on who has to empty it, to who uses it 😂 Good for all those who gets to enjoy the great outdoors and do that 💛

[@nigelandsueadventures]

I think it's like changing a baby's nappy. You get used to it pretty quickly!

[@yumisage]

@@nigelandsueadventures - Oh we've changed many of our kiddies nappies 😂... that's an easier way to think of it 😉 👍

[@enigmatist666]

Another great video! :) We lived on a canal boat in England for a year and considered a compost loo. At that time, it was acceptable to bag the contents and put it in a general rubbish bin. But that was banned, and it now has to be fully composted before disposal, which can take a year or two. So it's interesting to see that you can bag & bin in other places. Having said that, I wonder if it's just Biffa - the bin company that has the contract with the Canal & River Trust for boaters' waste - that bans it.

[@nigelandsueadventures]

Yeah I hadn’t heard of that ban. Is it just human waste or dog/cat waste too?

[@enigmatist666]

@@nigelandsueadventures It's just human waste - and it may just be Biffa that bans it. I was a member of a Facebook group that has a lot of valuable info: Compost Toilets for Boats and Off-Grid Living (so it's for anyone using compost loos). Many boaters were put off because of the need to fully compost and thus have storage bins (that needed occasional stirring) on their boats. It'd be great if councils could provide facilities for composting; it might encourage others to use them (not just those living off-grid).

[@nigelandsueadventures]

@@enigmatist666 I'm house-sitting in the UK now, and a number of the homes I've stayed in have a small bin for food waste that gets put out with the general garbage and recycling bins. I'm not sure if it could be included in that bin though? Maybe that goes to feed pigs or chickens rather than being composted?? not sure!

[@peterhewitson71]

A very interesting video , I was not sure how they worked , I know chemicals are bad but that does seem a lot of work, keep the toilet paper in the bin separate? no smell? Keep the shiny side up over there , regards Pete

[@nigelandsueadventures]

I think you get used to it, and to be honest, dropping the paper into a bin and putting that plastic bag in the rubbish every few days is a lot easier than dealing with "poo-soup"

[@carladalton6220]

Will be very interested to see how it goes! We first bought the Cuddy for our caravan. Tested it in the en suite at home first, but it didn't seem sturdy enough for my tall, heavy hubbie, plus they were trying to do everything all in one - like the trelino but also with a handle/turning thingy, so solids/peat got flicked around the interior and didn't necessarily stay in the bucket, so you had to do a full wipe down of the interior each time. I also found that the wee that was accidentally going down the poo section but had a funnel to direct it into the pee bucket didn't necessarily work properly either, and overflowed, creating more mess to clean up. Not a great success, so we ended up getting an air head (after chatting with you a few times 😉). We really like it, but are also having an issue with the tiny bugs. We're trying to keep it drier. We are still very much part-time so it's a work in progress. Really want it to work out since it was so darn expensive, but it's a couple of years until we'll be full-time, so I'm sure we'll get the hang of it.

[@nigelandsueadventures]

I have heard that the bugs come from the coconut coir, like their eggs are already in there. I don't know if that is true, but at times we would have swarms of them. We also had mushrooms growing in there once!! I think it's key to keep it a lot dryer - don't add so much water when making the compost.

[@carladalton6220]

@@nigelandsueadventures yes, I just read that recently too. Advice ranged from heating it in the microwave to freezing it!!!!! I suspect freezing it might work as that's what our allergist always said to do for stuffed toys and dust mites...

[@sallyjones1213]

Oh I’m a bit behind, I didn’t realise you were O/S 👍🏼😁

[@nigelandsueadventures]

Yep, we will be in Europe for the next few years.

[@ruthkirby9277]

Great video although we have a toilet cassette and would not change it for this method. We use the Elsan green toilet fluid which can go into a cess pit and doesn’t cause harm. I’m a retired nurse and emptying the cassette doesn’t bother me at all after emptying bed pans😂😂😂. Bit concerned about putting solid waste into general waste which ends up in landfill….as it isn’t truly composted after a few days. Not criticising, just an observation but that fan thing is a good idea! Just started following your journey in Europe - have a great time🙂

[@nigelandsueadventures]

Hi Ruth, yeah I can imagine some of the bedpans OMG.. We had a couple of different chemicals that came with the van when we bought it, and we tried them all and they all smelled horrible! To be honest, I don't see a difference between putting our solid waste into general waste and a babies nappy (diaper), and I sure chucked out plenty of them over the 5 odd years I had two babies in nappies. We only use the toilet for #2 in emergency, if there's no public toilet around. In the 6 weeks since we installed this one, that has been 3 x. Thanks so much for following along! Where are you based?

[@ruthkirby9277]

@@nigelandsueadventures hi, agree the toilet fluids aren’t the nicest smelling! I’m in Lincolnshire 🙂

[@hfamilytravels]

So funny! Great video. We were just talking about this yesterday, a better option for being off grid for longer. I too wonder how you are supposed to poop down the small hole of the thetford cassette outfit. We have a rule - though shalt not poop in the camper and whoever dumps . . . . well, dumps it. My husband has an outright ban, he'd kill us all!!

[@petercroft9895]

We drape a bit of loo paper front to back in the bowl - it helps things slide on down if you miss the Thetford hole 😂. And fwiw, in ten years of use, we have never used the special (read expensive) chemical toilet paper, just plain old two ply bog roll which all goes down the hole too - and never had any problems. I think where people get into trouble with the cassette toilets and loo paper, is when they try and run the thing dry. You're supposed to put a litre or two of water into the cassette after emptying it - that pretty much guarantees that everything you deposit gets liquified. We also have a no #2 rule, but sometimes rules have to be broken!

[@nigelandsueadventures]

Good idea with the paper, and good rules. So long as all the paper goes down the dump point. We've had times we've had to get a stick to push down people's paper which is wrapped around the grate. It's disgusting!

[@hfamilytravels]

@@petercroft9895 that's a good idea re the paper! Yes we too have about a litre of water in the cassette. We've never used the special paper either - just the cheap stuff and not had a problem but agree with the ick factor of other people's paper hanging over the grate! I will confess though on one trip where we were offgrid for a few nights - I lined the bowl with a plastic bag - no way I was carting that around for days on end!!! We are looking buying an offroad caravan in a few years and will definitely be looking at a composting toilet.

[@petercroft9895]

The dump points in NZ have a section with a grate for grey water, and 100mm-ish pipe with a loose cap for the black water to go down, so no icky blocked grate. Except for the one time my brain was in neutral, and the result was 🤮. Fortunately all our dump points have a tap, and often a metre of hose, to rinse the whole plot down with. Note that these are NOT for drinking water - there's always another tap several metres away for that.

[@davewain363]

Happy for you guys but honestly, I have a Thetford cassette toilet in our full time caravan. With two adults it lasts 2 days which I empty into the septic. (I have a second cassette but don't use it). I did install a SOG ventilation fan very early which is switched on and off by the chute and have not an issue with smell what-so-ever. And the flushing water is from it's own tank which lasts 4-5 days.

[@nigelandsueadventures]

Do you go off-grid? Sometimes we will be away from a campsite and/or dump point for 5+ days.

[@allegrosotto2126]

@@nigelandsueadventures exactly!

[@siobhankirk9320]

Great video, so does the poo in sawdust go in a dump point? Or do you bury it in the bush, or put in general waste bins? Obviously I've never camped off grid and my thetford only used for urine. It's an interesting subject, thanks for your video It's great 💕

[@nigelandsueadventures]

Thanks Siobhan, the poo goes in general waste, or can be buried or put into compost (if you've used a compostable bag). We only use the toilet for number twos when we are off-grid in the wild, or emergencies.

[@wendybacheart]

It looks good. We use the Natures Head composting toilet and we have to empty the pee bucket every day. Two girls though and we drink a lot. We discovered that having the compost as dry as possible seems to make it last longer. I think the Natures head is heavy to get out of the van and would have looked for a lighter weight option like yours next time. Anyway definitely nicer to send your fax (code for Poop) via a composting toilet than a chemical toilet 😂

[@nigelandsueadventures]

LOL at Send your Fax! and definitely keep it dry. We didn't like the natures head because you have to lift the whole thing up (and see the poo) to take out the pee jug.

[@realist451]

Hi, I liked the video but I would have liked to hear more information about the bin beside the toilet and how all that works. Ie: what kind of bin do you use, and what kind of plastic liner is used or not. Does it smell not being in the fan forced box or is having a sealed lid not important if it’s just toilet paper with urine and poo on it? Thank you

[@nigelandsueadventures]

Currently we just have a plastic bin with a swing lid. We line it with a plastic bag, and then every couple of days put it into the general rubbish. In hot weather it can tend to smell if left for more than a couple of days, but its the urine that smells, not the poo!

[@moniquedoherty8831]

Did not want to be ripped off on my compost toilet so made one for $250. Made from a cube esky and a compost toilet insert. I love it!

[@nigelandsueadventures]

Genius!!

[@jennyrego7321]

Lol, you two are funny. Keepin' it real! 😂

[@nigelandsueadventures]

Always Jen!!

[@ianrobinson4501]

That would have to be one of the simplest travel toilets I have seen

[@nigelandsueadventures]

Definitely part of the beauty of it!

[@bradkark]

I’ve looked at replacing our cassette toilet with a composting toilet a couple of times. However, the prices for what is effectively a toilet seat, 2 plastic buckets and a plastic bottle just seems crazy. Maybe I am missing something? I do think that every van or caravan should have some sort of toilet. A shallow grave at the back of a roadside rest area with paper blowing everywhere just needs to be stopped!

[@nigelandsueadventures]

You're right... we call them "Shit tickets" and it's disgusting. I think the beauty of a composting (separating) toilet is the actual separator. It's only when Number one and Number two mix that it smells. And with the bonus of the silicone one way valve for the Pee Jug, well that's why this is the winner in our books.

[@bradkark]

@@nigelandsueadventures I’m just in the process of replacing the flush pump in my cassette toilet. It’s a “crap” job :-) I’ve got bruises up my arm from working through the tiny access hole and I spent half an hour fishing a screwdriver out of the bottom of the tank with a magnet after dropping it in. Maybe there is a composting toilet in my future? Hope your new toilet works out well and I’m looking forward to a long term review.

[@darrenj3267]

I’ve seen lots of Trelino reviews, all really positive but unfortunately all sponsored, so one never knows how totally unbiased they all are. So I hope you don't mind me asking but now you have lived with the Trelino for over four months (and presumably out of any commercial incentives) , how have you found it? My friend has a diy built composting toilet on the small holding and quite frankly its bloody awful primarily because the rear hole is not particularly large and on a normal loo you can wipe your ass whilst remaining seated but on the diy loo you have to stand up to wipe your ass as there is no room to get your hand down whilst seated. I have a chemical toilet but I use it for emergency deposits, so I pop a bag in and then afterwards I bin it, pee goes in the portable 'urinal' (pee bottle). I can definitely see the advantage of a separating toilet but the Tolino does seem exceptionally expensive for what it is. The other question, is does in need to be water and vinegar to keep it clean or could it be water and lemon juice to keep it clean as I figure that would smell nicer.

[@nigelandsueadventures]

So long as we have the fan on, after a 💩 there is no smell. But turn the fan off and it’s a bit nasty! We can definitely wipe while seated!! We do need to empty the 💩 more often than we did with the Airhead, but for the price, the Trelino gets our vote.

[@darrenj3267]

@nigelandsueadventures thanks for the update, really useful

[@karenledesma7964]

😂😂😂

[@nigelandsueadventures]

hehe, thanks for watching!

[@abettermankind9761]

You definitely don't want to use this toilet without bags. Skip that tiny rubbish bin and use bags for No. 1’s. We've had our Sun-Mar composting toilet for about three years now and can't complain. When we take out our general rubbish, we include the bag from the toilet-everything goes out together. Living in a confined space can generate smells, so why keep waste around longer than necessary? We empty it daily with the rubbish, keeping things out of sight and out of mind.

[@nigelandsueadventures]

Oh yes, always use the bags!

[@bishopkinlyside8477]

Hi Nigel and Sue, good information on a shitty subject but like all of us we all gotta know these things even though it will give us the shits hearing about it. Good thing about it. Least you’ve got your shit come on now LOL Cliff from Australia

[@nigelandsueadventures]

Life just got less shitty! Thanks Cliff!

[@JimmyCall]

I could see some splatter and sprays at times with these types of toilets. The top does go all the way down to the plastic bag, so if there is splatter guts, you could wipe it off the light-grey area. For men the force of peeing may jet too much for the front. It's easy for men to pee in big plastic bottle. It would be embarrassing for guests to use and leave their wipes in the little bin.

[@nigelandsueadventures]

Honestly the *ahem* Poo-chute in this toilet is a LOT bigger than any other toilet we've seen or used. Guests are welcome to go into the bush with a shovel! haha

[@JimmyCall]

@@nigelandsueadventures lol

[@graemeashton1917]

I am wondering if the stinky piss is due to alcohol being ingested 😂

[@nigelandsueadventures]

hahaha, only asparagus I believe

[@beaming_life_travels215]

I currently have a standard cassette toilet in my van & seriously it’s not too bad for 1 person. And I discovered the other day there is another button on the end of it that is a quick release valve so the emptying takes no time. I have a problem with these separating toilets ( not really composting at all) with all the 💩 going into landfill. We justify it by saying it’s the same as dog poo, or baby nappies. If I was to change mine over I would want one that really composts that you empty every 6 months or so.THAT would be a game changer!

[@trevorhicks7852]

Yeah, personally, I'd have separation issues...from our Thetford cassette loo. I like to flush after I dump, then dump after I flush. Then wash and disinfect - so clean, quick, easy, and hygienic. People do seem to love their multi compartment compost boxes tho - & sawdust, & kitty litter, & sticks and leaves, & charcoal, & plastic baggies, & the separate commode bottle, & the smell fan sucker, & a separate used toilet paper bin on the side. All sounds stressy enough to give me constipation!! Good thing we all have personal choice how we deal with our own...biz! Loved this video tho - very entertaining - keep it regular!!!

[@nigelandsueadventures]

@beaming_life_travels215 & @trevorhicks7852 thanks for your viewpoints. You're right Trevor, it is good that we have that choice. I guess for us the use of chemicals is a big part of it. We consider disposing in landfill (or burying in a compostable bag) the lesser of two evils. And beaming, you're right, but I think you'd have to let it sit for the 6 months with no further deposits!!

[@Island2802]

What a shite toilet , seriously that takes more work than the house outback we used 60 years ago, you didn’t mention what happens to the toilet paper, I think you were ripped off. Sorry but that was a backward move 😂😊

[@nigelandsueadventures]

actually, we did mention that we put the toilet paper in a small bin next to the toilet. Even worse than "poo soup" is dealing with a dump point drain clogged up with people's used toilet paper!!

[@catherinesoubre1804]

Crikey that’s an expensive toilet!

[@nigelandsueadventures]

Not nearly as expensive as the one we had in our last van!!

[@weejimmyhannah]

Yes you’ve got it covered, it’s not a great toilet and does not match the natures head. Bad form promoting because you got it free