Motorhome Off-Grid: Tips for Emptying Waste Pouches

Hi all, rather a strange question, but I am shortly buying a motorhome which I am intending to take off-grid. I was just wondering, does anyone have any tips about how to deal with emptying a pouch? I have been camping in a tent and used a black plastic bag lining an old flower pot, which worked out well on each occasion when there wasn't a toilet available, but is there a slightly more sanitary solution? Thanks in advance. I know I could just use the onboard toilet, but I'm not sure that is the answer, particularly since I tend to kneel down to empty it, and there is no flush! Thanks.

Yeah. Don't drive and empty at the same time. 😋..

.. A few hours later...🤔..

Me thinks you should not need to kneel using the vehicle's toilet.

My suggestion would be to empty into a container. Then dump into your toilet. Use m9 in the bag to eliminate any odors. Lingering odors and odor from the bag. Motor home toilets don't flush? (That's nasty) It better have a vent fan. Don't...tip...the container..

Hi Monty,

Not sure I understand what you're looking for... you're going off-grid and you're worried about being sanitary? That would make you the only animal in the forest that gave a shit... no pun intended. Are you concerned about other humans caring... or are you afraid the areas you fertilize will give your position away come spring?

And pay no attention to my brother... he's such a wussy. I drive and empty all the time. What I would tell you is if you're a homeless person... don't try drinking anything you find in a large clear cup in the garbage can that looks like coffee with chunks in it. Fair warning!

;O)

You're in England, so empty the bag near Squirrel Shit or Badger shit and blame it on them.

Regards, IGGIE

Aren't you on an island? How off-grid can you be? 😁 Personally, I think emptying in a container, hauling it around, and then disposing of it is 1) gross, and 2) worse than just going out in the weeds, emptying, and throwing dirt over it, since you're supposed to be off-grid and not by anyone. And I thought off-grid meant a person doesn't have certain comforts. 🤷‍♂️

My Ostomy Journey: April | Hollister

Bobby, that makes you.... wait for it...

"Ambi-Dex-your ass."

Well, bro.......I can switch hands and have either hold the cup while the other unfolds the bag end.....so you might be right. But it's no big trick. Remember what they told you Edison said when you went on that field trip to his lab in Orange, NJ, back in '73......"Necessity is the mother of invention"......and how right Mr. Edison was!!!

No wait......Edison didn't say that. I keep forgetting you're a bit older than me, so you went to different places on your field trips. It was Plato who said that, not Edison. Hmmmm......I never knew you were THAT old!

;O)

Baaaah!!! Firstborn has its loyalty. You're just jealous. Mom liked me better. Go read your books.

You're right, of course. But they had to like you more... as Dad said... they almost got it right the first time, but it took that second try to nail it. And everyone loves the underdog, stray, rescue, almost first place, etc. Doesn't explain why you got hair while Dad and I didn't... but that one went to the grave with Mom, so I guess we'll never know. Have a stellar day up there in NJ!

;O)

Blah blah.. I know you like drinking Coke, brother dear, how about making 7.... (wait for it) up yours?

Empty into a zip lock bag and throw it in the trash. I have used this method when a bathroom was not available. It works well.

Thanks, a really useful suggestion. I would be concerned about leaving the contents in the open for a dog or human to find!

Hi - I go around 3 times a day in the back of my van. Kneeling, I use a large dog poo bag, have tissues or wipes ready, empty the majority, clean up the bag, tie it all up, and dispose of it. (Also, I leave the door open for 5 minutes after 😷!)

Good luck going off-grid. What camper are you getting?

G

G-Day Montymate,

If you are going off-grid, that to me means the Outback of Australia. Then why are you worried about, as you say, a dog/human should find it? What reaction do you think they have when they come across badger shit or fox shit? Let me recommend you don't scribe your name in it; they will never know it's YOU.

Regards, IGGIE

Idk...iggie. Can they do DNA testing on poop? If so, he's busted. 😆

Hi Monty. Not strange. You came to the right place! I'm a 75-year-old hiker/glamper. I'm often many miles from any facility. Three years ago, I invented an emptying device. Small. It fits in my go-bag, in my car, or Osprey pack, as well. I put it in an old forum from last year. My showering device, as well.

Fits neatly between your legs. It's not round, so it won't slip out (YUCK). Lean forward, like on the toilet. Squeeze empty, wipe off, fold up, wipe hands with sanitary wipes, and go. I tie a knot on the end and dispose when convenient. Like at the dog park. Hollister bags fit perfectly. Note red circle. I drilled a Dremel hole on two sides, so the bag can expand inside the container. I stuff a few extra bags in the bottom. I could get lost for hours. Old men!! Made

Glacier NP, USA Waterton Lakes, Alberta, Canada Stony Man, Shenandoah NF, USA Mt. Tenjo/Fuji, a LOT easier.

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Have you ever considered sealed (non-emptyable) pouches? 1) My output has always been more solid than liquid, so emptying caused splash-back (YUCK!!!). 2) It's SO much more convenient to remove the pouch, laying it flat open-side up, clean up using a couple of moist wipes which go into/onto the open pouch, place pouch/waste/wipes into a disposal bag (Hollister pouches come with disposal bags, or you can use dog poop bags). Put a new bag on - total time for change about 3-4 minutes tops. 3) Most waste disposal bags are long enough that you can tie it off in a knot close to the pouch at the bottom, and then turn the tail of the disposal bag back on itself (effectively double bagging it) and tie off the end. 4) For off-grid camping, keep a sealable bucket (paint bucket, kitty litter bucket, etc.) to use as a garbage can. Line it with a garbage bag with odor-masking properties (or just a plain bag!) before placing your neatly tied-off packet into your garbage can for later disposal. Very little smell, very convenient, very little disturbance to your day.

Sealed pouches are more expensive, granted, but for me, the benefits far outweigh the costs. You may want to save the sealed pouches for your off-grid adventures if you're happy with the re-sealable ones the rest of the time.

My ultimate off-grid pouch change came along the Natchez Trace when we stopped where there were official restrooms, only to find them closed and locked. While my husband kept a lookout for anybody else wanting to stop there, I stepped behind the waist-high brick wall, removed the pouch, cleaned up, snapped the new pouch in place, and rearranged all my clothing to be decent again; bagged the old pouch, tied off twice, and tossed it in the picnic area garbage can. No poop on the ground, nobody passing on the road could see anything, nobody knew anything happened, and I swear my tied-off disposal bag smelled better than the day-old food garbage in the can! Total time less than 3 minutes (I checked my watch), and we were on our way to our next stop. No muss, no fuss.

Hi, I love my wee van - I'm a wheelchair user and kayaker, so I like my own space to 'get sorted.' I have a couple of plastic tubs (OXO, Ovaltine, gel sachets) with screw lids. I pre-prep some of the 'disposal' bags with a scoop of cat litter in each. I drop a bag in the pot with the top of the bag folded out over the edge and pop the lid on. One bag usually does me a couple of emptyings. Loo roll/kitchen roll lives beside the sink. Tie off tightly and dispose of it the next time you see a dog-poo bin.

Alternatively, you can empty over the side of the boat, but only in an absolute emergency! To be honest, I keep a pot kit in the car too and one in my kayak on long trips.

I had a great conversation with a paddler (also a woman in a van) camping last week when she mentioned her 'piss pot' - I just laughed and said the only advantage to having an ileostomy and using a catheter is I can deal with it all when it suits me!

Great idea with the cat litter. I bet that helps a lot with the scent.

I'm sorry you got so many flippant and demeaning comments. I agree with Bumba. If you put the poop in a strong, sealable bag and add it to the trash, it should be OK. After all, why would it be worse than doggie poop bags, soiled cat litter, used baby or adult diapers, and bags with last week's rotting chicken in them, which all get bunged into the trash? If you have more watery stools, you can empty your pouch into a small bucket lined with a plastic bag that contains a good layer of sawdust, pine cat litter pellets, or wood shavings (the kind they sell for small pets like rabbits and hamsters). The sawdust/pellets will soak up most of the liquid. Then you don't have to worry about leaking bags. Good luck on your off-grid adventures!

That's a very common sense, kind suggestion. Spot on. 👍

Must be an older motor home type. The toilet doesn't flush, he mentioned.. 🤔. I'd be more concerned about that, than dumping into a bag and tossing it. Just my opinion.....like yours saying our comments were demeaning and flippant.

You are a newbie. We tend to lighten the subject a bit, not in ill manner, but in friendly, humorous ways.

Just because you sport a bag and have some questions or issues doesn't equate to a lost sense of humor. 🤷‍♂️.

Surely, a woman of your caliber has heard "laughter is the best medicine." 👍. Granted, we may have an overkill to it. But no ill feelings. Flippant and demeaning are on the bus, leaving town. 😊

Hi, does a bear shit in the woods????😂 I've been traveling around in my motorhome since 2021, and that was one of the main reasons for buying it: to have the luxury of changing your bag or bags when and where you like??? If I'm honest, I rarely use the toilet to empty my bags; I just use the wet room to change them and use my stoma “RikSac,” which is strapped over my shoulder with a little round rubber bucket attached to both ends of the strap. I put my doggy bag inside it, then empty the contents from the colostomy bag into it and irrigate it, backwashing it out with warm water until it runs clear. As for the urine, I drive with a meter-long hose into a 3-liter night bag, and if it's a long journey, I will empty it into a 5-liter empty water bottle until I get to a public toilet or just empty it into the countryside laybys!!! So, no problems, and I sleep with the same 3-liter bag for the night as I rarely fill it up with no more than 2 liters. The only bonus is I don't need to get up 2 to 4 times a night to take a leak!!!! When changing a bag, I like to use the hairdryer to warm up my skin and bag before fitting, as the adhesive gets more tacky and adheres better. I have an inverter to convert 12 volts up to 240 volts for a short period, enough to get enough heat on my skin and bags!! I really don't like carrying doggy bags full of crap too long in the Moho, so when I see a doggy turd box, I pull over and chuck my colostomy bags in with the dog's waste 😊 Job done!!! I'm just about to trade in my Mercedes Moho for a bigger one with a fixed French bed at the rear!! Roll on spring and summer!!

 😊😂🙏

I have dumped outside before. If you're worried about the smell, you can pour water on it afterward.

I give you so much credit for venturing out the way you do. Don't worry about emptying into the brush away from the beaten paths along the way. Nature will take care of it. Maybe always have a water bottle handy to rinse the end of the bag and any spills. Plenty of toilet paper on hand too. Use any cheap surgical gloves if it's messy to do. Buy by the box; it's cheaper. Just stay on top of the locations of medical facilities should you need one along the way. And best to you!

Rock on Panko. You are living the life. Thanks for sharing your experience; I enjoyed reading it.