Terlingua Dreams

Terlingua Dreams
Governors Landing Campground - Lake Amistad - Del Rio, Texas

Saturday, October 28, 2017

So you are new to camping - How to make a cheap port-a-potty...UPDATED

In my endeavor to make life a little easier to Chili Cook-off heads and Terlingua Chili Cook-off "Virgins", I will tackle the long-taboo subject of port-a-potties in the desert.

First of all, you must know that the TICC (Terlingua International Chili Cook-off) does not open up its port-o-potties until Wednesday prior to the Thursday grand opening ceremonies.  So how do regular attendee's deal with that problem?


Actually, there are several ways...one you can cut the ties that lock the port-a-potties or you can make your own.  Since I like to follow rules, I won't do that. In my 20 plus years of attending I have tried practically everything, from Double Doodie bags as per the picture indicates and in case you are wondering...NO... they do not work, they stink and are pricey.  Have also experimented with kitty litter and peat moss with more success as well as a small portable toilet but that has to be dumped.

First and foremost try to buy a shower tent.  It is here that you can use such tent as a port-a-potty and as a shower.  If you do not want to go this route, you can use a five-gallon bucket as a bathroom inside your tent. At night it might be a good idea to move it there as it gets pretty dark and there are snakes lurking around.


I wish I could remember what website I got this from but as you know I suffer from CRS!  All I remember is that it was a lady who was once a girl scout.


From Walter (the neighbor's horse)  and his grazing on mother's property, I know that horses pee a lot!  For those that have horses, you know that having horse pine pellets in their stables will soak up all the urine while not causing any additional odors and make cleaning up a snap.

So how does this help you at the Chili Cook-off?  Well, if you bring a 5-gallon bucket lined with two heavy duty trash bags, horse pine pellets, and sawdust shavings....it equals an odorless and earth-friendly bathroom...and as a plus you do not have to put up with smelly port-a-potties with long lines.

If you have space in your vehicle it would be great to bring a port-a-potty for #1 and one for #2 but if space is an issue...it is not a problem...you can accommodate both if you add pine shavings to the mix.


So to make this perfectly clear... you pee in your 5 gallon bucket lined with two heavy duty trash bags with horse pine pellets... if you do #2 you cover your deposit with pine shavings and you will never encounter any bad odors.  After a while, the pee will weigh down on your pellets so I recommend changing it daily in particular if more than one person are using it. I also recommend that you use  heavy duty trash bags, cheap flimsy bags will not work.

Now we address the toilet seat.  You can buy a plastic snap on lid at Walmart or Amazon but I found they are cheaper at Academy.  I bought mine at Academy for $4.99 which was a bargain at the time.


You can also use plastic noodles, the kind kids use when they swim.  You can pick them up for a dollar at The Dollar Store. The benefit of going this route is that it holds your trash bags in place and cushions your tush.  It is all a matter of preference.



Hope this works out for you.  Please leave any comments that might be helpful to other readers.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

11 comments:

  1. I saw this post and realized it's almost November again, that's chili-cook-off time... That's another chili-cook-off in Terlingua I'm going to miss!!

    I 'd like to go some year, I need to come up with a better way of planning for it. That part of Texas is just about in the middle of nowhere, maybe closer to the end of the road than in the middle :-)
    I need to do more planning, that's for sure! Maybe next year...

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    1. From my experiences out there, it is way out past the end of nowhere. The cook off itself is almost "down town". I have never been to the cook off. MsB takes care of that chore quite well.

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    2. Rob make plans for next year. I have never met anyone that has regretted going. In fact they have liked it so much they return ever year :)

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  2. Those were great ideas, especially using HEAVY duty bags.

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  3. I'm getting ready to buy a shower tent, I have the bucket and a Loggable Loo seat for it. I just need the pellets. At a camp out I was just at the pellets were used and seemed to work well. It does get heavy, as you said.

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    1. You just reminded me that I failed to address the toilet seat, will need to update this post.

      The pellets work well glad you had a chance to test them.

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  4. I have the tent and the luggable loo I do use 2 bags to line and have always used kitty litter. But we just had a Tractor Supply open down the road so I'll look for the horse pellets and cedar shavings thank you for the tip.

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    1. You are welcome JO. I have found that Tractor & Supply has the best prices for horse pine pellets as well as pine shavings.

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  5. I stop by my nearest cabinet shop and they give all the free bags of sawdust I can carry. Look up The Humanure Handbook. 60,000 sold in USA. Translated in 15 languages. This is Bible for bucket pooping.

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    1. "The Humanure Handbook" is one of my favorite reference books. You are lucky to have a cabinet shop close by that gives away free bags of sawdust.

      I do not have that luxury in Del Rio, we practically have nothing here. Sawdust is another alternative that is worth looking into.

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