kenman
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Post by kenman on Jan 3, 2014 11:52:26 GMT -8
I'm so new I don't even have the trailer yet! I'm in the middle Georgia area and have been riding the backroads and making inquiries. I've got my eye on a couple or 3 though. I'd like to have a bathroom but some I am locating don't have that luxury. I have a question on that....bathroom or no bathroom...what's the opinion? I could make it without but the female traveling person may not...lol... what about the porta potty? Without being nasty just how nasty are they? it would be a late night emergency use for me. How bad are they, I have never had the pleasure of riding one.
Also, one trailer I found was either a Keen, Kiin or a Kinn...is there such? It was on insurance paper work the owner showed me
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Post by bigbill on Jan 3, 2014 14:25:30 GMT -8
Welcome to the board. In regards to a porta potty there are several brands on the market. My opinion is research all of them. Check how much they hold, how they dump, how big they are, and the shape of the seat. I have been reading about one called earth tec that claims to have a non stick bowl which makes it flush better. Most of them are decent but some are better read reviews and talk to people. We have had several over the last 45 years and they were all useable but my wife doesn't care for the short ones with the shallow bowls. We use the restrooms at the campgrounds during the day if clean and most are. We use the porta at night and on the road if no clean restrooms are available. As for how nasty are they, if you use the proper chemicals in the tank they aren't bad. Most are sealed except when flushing.
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Hamlet
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Post by Hamlet on Jan 3, 2014 18:18:32 GMT -8
So here we go again on the bathroom thing. We love having a mini bathroom in Hamlet, our 10-foot Shasta Compact. When we are somewhere that doesn't have "facilities" but is too public to dig a hole, it really comes in handy. Also, we would much rather use it than the outhouses at many campgrounds. We have a tankless water heater that we use for showers. And we don't have to traipse across a campground in the cold or rain in the middle of the night. What allows us to have this in a 10-foot box is the disproportionally large closet that comes in many 10-foot models. We reconfigured the benches to make room for another smaller closet and a 2-drawer chest, so we didn't lose any storage. Here's a link to some pictures our daughter took and posted on her blog: www.howiseelife.com/blog/2011/06/20/trailer/Although some of the 12 and 13-foot box models come with a little closet for a porta-potty, you usually can't close the door and sit. The Shasta SC and SCS are the smallest (I think) Shasta models that have a bathroom with a flush toilet (the SCS has a shower). Porta-potty vs flush toilet: If you hook up in a full-service campground, you have to carry a drainage hose that goes from the toilet to the dump area. If your trailer is large enough, that's not an issue, but with a small trailer, it'd be a pain. If you stay at less-developed sites, your black water tank has to be big enough to handle the toilet and usually the kitchen sink water as well until you can get to a dump station. Many new porta-pottys come with a flush feature that keeps the bowl pretty clean (and we are going to look into that never-stick stuff we saw in another post) and the treatment that goes in the holding tank keeps the odor to a minimum. When it's time to dump, you don't have any contact with the waste, and it's easy and quick to do. We find it easy and not at all nasty. Others here have found that a toilet/bathroom are not an issue and don't miss having one at all. Some have put up a pop-up type shelter outside the tent that will hold a porta-potty and/or a shower. Lots of different options. Good luck on your quest!
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kenman
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Post by kenman on Jan 3, 2014 19:18:11 GMT -8
That 'no stick' feature kinda sounds like what I'm getting at...I can usually get by with a solo cup most times..just use it & sit it outside under the trailer till morning. But you never know when nature needs more. i would use the campground facilities most of the time as y'all have mentioned. Thanks for the replies!
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61 Shasta
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Post by 61 Shasta on Jan 3, 2014 19:22:18 GMT -8
We have used every thing from a log at the right height to a hole in the ground. Porta potties are a step up from that. Using one to do your thing is not really an issue although I wouldn't take a book along to ponder while taking care of business. Neither my wife or I mind using one and we have purchased a new one for our Shasta compact, thats all that will work. Just be sure to use the right chemicals and purchase a decent one, not one off of the bargain table. Be sure to check how they empty. Some are much simpler than others and this is the only part of porta pots that I really dislike. Not necessarily the emptying part but the inconvenience of lugging it to the dump station, if there is one available and believe me that can be an issue! You not only have to empty them but also flush them out to make sure any foreign matter is not lurking in the corners. If it is windy, cold, rainy, snowing, etc. the task becomes worse and don't think you will never get in this situation because you will. Some folks carry a "blue boy" which is essentially a large portable holding tank on wheels for this kind of emergency or simply so they don't have to find a dump station every time they have to empty the porta pot. Good luck kenman and welcome to the forum, you have joined a great bunch of folks who will go out of their way to help you along.
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Post by vikx on Jan 3, 2014 21:59:52 GMT -8
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Jan 4, 2014 7:43:08 GMT -8
Hi Kenman... It's possible that the trailer you are speaking of is a Kenskill. Can you get photos for us?
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kenman
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Post by kenman on Jan 4, 2014 9:41:21 GMT -8
I know how to do it in the woods...my GrandDaddy even taught me how at a very young age....How to poop behind the Barn...using 3 corncobs...2 red & 1 white...you use the white one to see if you re clean....lol
I've just never used these portable ones before. Even with a full bathroom on board I usually use the campground facilities but sometimes I get a late warning and can't make the trip...lol
As for the kenskill, I will try. It is a true project. You can stand inside & see the sky, the ground & feel the breeze from the missing windows.hardly any interior either. A padlock on the door and mismatched gray paint on the outside ONLY $400.... I really believe I could get it for 1/2 that but I am looking at others that may cost a little more but may be in better shape. The paper he showed me had Kiin, Kenn or Kinn...it was insurance papers he said. I should have looked closer.
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Jan 4, 2014 13:11:53 GMT -8
PLEASE!!!! Make sure you either have a clear title or that it can BE titled. You mentioned insurance. The insurance company may have scrapped it. If that's the case, depending on where you live, you could be in for a nightmare registering the trailer.
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kenman
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Post by kenman on Jan 4, 2014 13:30:49 GMT -8
Just found out someone 'beat' me to it...thank goodness!
I learned another lesson today also. For over 2 weeks I have ran an ad in several online sites. My heading was...
I S O blahblahblah......
Today I changed it to read...
WANTED blahblahblah....
In the last hour I've gotten 4 hits. Whoops...make that 5... Just got another ..
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Post by vikx on Jan 4, 2014 21:15:43 GMT -8
Be Careful and do your homework Kenman... Have fun!
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zippidydoda
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Post by zippidydoda on Jan 5, 2014 9:36:05 GMT -8
Welcome Kenman, I'm new to the whole vintage trailer camping too. We have a Shasta SC so we have built in toilet. We still have lots of things to figure out! I like that someone earlier in this thread mentioned a tankless hot water heater… Now that is something unique to think about!
But I heard of a trick that I thought was interesting so I thought I would pass it on… I'm picturing this using a "porto-o-potty" and only for the nighttime emergency need to Pee… but line the "pot" with a trash liner (like you do for the kitchen trashcan at your house). Then dump in some "kitty litter". Remember to put the seat down! When nature calls in the middle of the night the kitty litter should "clump" just like it does for kitty, and in the morning just bag it up, tie a knot and take it to the trash.
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Hamlet
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Post by Hamlet on Jan 5, 2014 11:11:26 GMT -8
But I heard of a trick that I thought was interesting so I thought I would pass it on… I'm picturing this using a "porto-o-potty" and only for the nighttime emergency need to Pee… but line the "pot" with a trash liner (like you do for the kitchen trashcan at your house). Then dump in some "kitty litter". Remember to put the seat down! When nature calls in the middle of the night the kitty litter should "clump" just like it does for kitty, and in the morning just bag it up, tie a knot and take it to the trash. That will certainly work, but HONESTLY a good flushing-style porta potty is not icky or difficult to empty. You don't have to look at or smell anything when you empty it. When we camp, we like to be as environmentally friendly as possible, and using clumping kitty litter and a pull-tie trash bag for a little human waste is neither good for the environment, nor, in the long run, is it inexpensive. The cool thing about this forum is that you can get multiple ideas and opinions on just about anything trailer or camping related. We are (except for our passion/illness) a very diverse group, and that provides wonderful insights that you wouldn't get if you were just listening to ancient hippies like Hamlet's people.
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Jan 5, 2014 11:44:39 GMT -8
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Post by bigbill on Jan 5, 2014 12:23:49 GMT -8
Check out E-bay and amazon for ads then read reviews by users oth good and bad. Then do an internet search on the exact models you are most interested in.
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