GEAR | Thetford Porta Potti Qube 165 Flushing Camp Loo Review

May 13, 2019 Shell Robshaw-Bryan

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Thetford Porta Potti Qube 165 Flushing Camp Loo — *The Thetford Porta Potti inside my bell tent, I made a DIY privacy screen which worked really well!*

What is it

Thetford Porta Potti 165 Camp Loo

RRP £63.99

Features

21 L waste holding tank
15 L flush water tank
Light to carry
Integrated cover-lock on all models
Integrated pour-out spout
Convenient to store
Manual flush, bellow pump

Thetford PortaPotti camp toilet — *I put stickers all over my camp loo….becuase I’m clearly 12*

The Verdict

Without going into too much detail, as someone that suffers from IBS and who also frequently needs to go to the loo during the night, camping without a camp loo just isn’t viable for me.

For the past 15 years or so I’ve been using a Luggable Loo, essentially little more than a bucket with a lid. Whilst it has served its purpose, it’s really not ideal, and disposing of the contents isn’t particularly easy or pleasant either.

I did buy a smaller, cheaper portable camp loo several years ago and ended up selling it. I found it was too big to transport (at the time I had a much smaller car) and I found it clogged endlessly too.

Before deciding on the Thetford Porta Potti 165 I spoke to some camping and boating friends, and all of them recommended Thetford, so a few days before a recent 5-day camping trip I placed an order on Amazon and the next day my new Porta Potti arrived.

It doesn’t come with any chemicals so I purchased a double pack of Blue Diamond Toilet Fluid & Bowl Cleaner separately, packed my car and set off, eager to try out my new bit of camping kit.

Practicality

I found the Thetford Porta Potti very easy to fill with the necessary chemicals; blue in the bottom and pink in the flush tank. The Porta Potti has big chunky screw caps which you take off to fill up the various tanks and they feel reassuring sturdy.

In use I found it exceptionally comfortable and stable. It’s quite high, and I didn’t feel like I needed to squat down at all, and it was easy to get up from after use too.

I decided that as I’d be using it for 5 days and with no chemical disposal point on site where I was camping, that I’d not flush tissue down with any waste, and instead I used disposable dog poo bags for tissue, which meant I had no issues at all with blockages when it came to empty the waste tank.

The push-down flush worked really effectively, one good strong press and the water wooshes around the top of the inside of the bowl and the bottom waste trap is easily opened and closed.

There were no smells at all from the unit, and at the end of my camping trip, I was able to transport it back in my car to dispose of back at home.

I’d read reviews on countless other models of flushing camp loo and alarmingly, reviews for several other smaller and cheaper models all mentioned seals that leaked, thankfully there were no such issues with the Thetford Porta Potti 165.

Final Thoughts

Our Rating

Quality 4.5/5

Practicality 5/5

Looks 3/5

Value 4/5

Overall Rating (4.5 / 5)

I can’t believe I waited this long to get a flushing camp loo; a bucket with a lid is all well and good up to a point, but in summer, even when emptied daily, my old camp loo was pretty grim to use.

If you’re looking for a great quality flushing camp loo with a generously sized waste tank that doesn’t drip and is easy to empty and clean, then the Thetford Porta Potti 165 makes a great buy.

You can buy online at Amazon or find out more on the Thetford website.

The featured product was purchased privately and we were not paid to write this review.

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Shell Robshaw-Bryan

Editor & Owner at Camping with Style

Shell loves all things travel and outdoors and is a nature-loving, comfy-camping kinda girl. Shell started the Camping with Style blog after a serious snowboarding accident which left her with a broken back. Despite this she used the outdoors and healing power of nature to aid her recovery and she continues to spend time outdoors whenever she can.

From open water swimming, snowboarding and kayaking to hill walks and meditation, Shell shares her travels and microadventures here on the blog and in various publications she's written for, Shell has a particular interest in promoting wellbeing and the many benefits of nature therapy.

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