Best Toddler Travel Potties for Camping

Have you ever tried holding your toddler over a gross outhouse seat, hoping that they don’t fall in, while you wait for what seems like hours for them to poo?  I have, and learned my lesson.  Now, I always bring a portable toddler potty camping and it makes life easier for everyone.

Tips for Using Portable Potties Camping

• At Campgrounds, use liner bags: Most portable potties have basins for catching waste. You can line these with a bag. It’s much easier than trying to clean out the basin!
• Check rules about throwing away waste: You usually can throw poop bags into the trash but not in outhouses/pit latrines.  However, this isn’t always the case. Check with the campground.
• If primative camping, dig a hole ahead of time. Pre-dig a “cathole” for poo. Then set the potty directly over the hole without the basin. When your child finishes, you just fill the hole with dirt. No need to deal with waste bags.

Best Toddler Potties for Camping

When camping, the toilets (if any) can be far away.  It’s also unlikely that you’ll have any toilets nearby when doing outdoor activities like hiking.  You want a folding potty that turns into a seat. Avoid toilet seat adapters. These are very impractical for camping and useless on hikes. The ones below are good options.

1. Potette Plus with Reusable Collapsible Liner

Best For: Overall best for camping

The Potette potty has two legs which quickly fold out to become a seat.  You can also spread them out further to make a toilet adapter (a feature not on the original Potette).

If you buy the value pack, the Potette Plus comes with a reusable, collapsible liner bowl (you can buy it separately here) The bowl is awesome but has some usability flaws. First, it may stick to your kid’s butt, potentially causing a spill when they get up.  The bowl is also floppy, so you have to be careful when emptying it.  You can also use liner bags with the Potette but your kid will have to sit directly on the bag.

Despite the flaws, this is my favorite toddler potty for camping.  In the backcountry, I’ll just dig a hole underneath the potty and my daughter will go straight into the hole.  Once she poos, I cover the hole and dig a new one.

Specs:

• Type: Seat-adapter combo
• Weight limit: 50lbs
• Open size: Approx. 6x9x4.7inches
• Seat opening: 5.5×7 inches
• Weight: 1.5lbs
• Buy Here

2. Folding Travel Potty with Reusable Liner Bowl

Best for: Smaller toddlers

This is one of the most versatile travel potties you can get.  It is great for camping because it works as a seat and has a reusable, collapsible silicone bowl. Liner bags are completely optional.   My major gripe is that the silicone bowl is somewhat annoying to empty.  You’ve got to remove the seat and pull it out, which can be difficult if the bowl is full.

It doesn’t work as well as a seat adapter because it wiggles around a bit on top of the toilet.  However, it’s still nice to have this feature.   The potty folds down very compact.  It isn’t the strongest though so is better for very little kids.

Specs: 

• Type: Seat-adapter combo
• Weight limit: 50lbs
• Open size: 9x10x4 inches
• Folded size: 9x10x2.5 inches
• Weight: 1.17lbs
• Buy Here

3. Blue Snail Potty

Best For: Colorful potty that sets up insanely fast

The Blue Snail travel potty is designed differently than the other potties reviewed here.  Instead of folding, it opens and closes on a hinge. There are no legs but rather a complete circle base, so the potty is very stable.

Liner bags attach underneath the foam-padded seat.   You can put the liner bag in place beforehand so it’s ready when you need it. Overall, that makes the Blue Snail the fastest travel potty to set up.

When folded, the Blue Snail has a weird shape. It fits well at the bottom of a tote bag or even strapped outside of a backpack.  I like that it doesn’t look like a potty when folded.

• Type: Seat with liner
• Open size: 9x11x5.6 inches
• Folded size: 11×6.6×5.4 inches
• Weight: 1.85lbs
• Buy Here

4. OXO Tot 2-in-1 Go Potty

Best For: Girls who will mostly use it on top of a toilet

This is far from the best travel potty for camping. If you want to use it with liners, your kid will have to sit directly on the plastic.  It works okay as a seat adapter but there is a gap between the two.  The pee guard is really low.  Because of the gap, pee can spray out when boys sit on it.

My verdict is that the OXO potty is okay for girls who mostly will use it on top of a toilet seat.  If you want to use it on the ground, then get something sturdier and a seat which goes over the liners.

Specs:

• Type: Seat-adapter combo
• Weight limit: 50lbs
• Open size: 3.3×10.6×12.1 inches
• Weight: 1.5lbs
• Buy Here

Do you use a portable potty when camping with your toddler? Share your tips in the comments section below!

Image credit: “Toddler on a potty in the yard. Relaxed” (CC BY 2.0) by Ivan Radic