This is EXACTLY the science I've been looking for! Taking into account the degraded performance of polyacrylates on urine vs straight water is something other testers don't seem to have done often. Major kudos!
Thanks for the comment @ohbits! We have been on the road about 6 weeks and the polyacrylate works great. We really appreciate the pine smell from our added cup of pine pellets too, although they are a little bulkier to carry for a long trip. A tiny vial of lemongrass oil or similar odor maskant added to the Wenge may work just as well. Enjoy your travels!
Thank you for this in-depth test. We’ve been using kitty litter for years but this year we are trying to reduce the amount of stuff we take and kitty litter takes up more space than it should. So I researched other ways to “take care of business “ and your video popped up. Great timing! I’ve added that gel agent to our Amazon list. I also watched your toilet video too. We had been using a bucket with pool noodle then switched to bucket with pipe insulation and then same bucket with toilet seat that’s made for the bucket. That last version was much more comfortable however my husband mentioned that all the versions were not so comfortable for his boy parts. So, I ordered from Amazon the Pankay portable toilet that folds up and has a carrying case. Ratings were good with no complaints from men about comfort. When it arrived, my reluctant husband sat on it and declared it was a winner. It goes on its maiden voyage in June and I’m excited to try out with the gel. So, thanks again for very helpful video!
Oh, and I subscribed. We do tent camping but for the last several months we’ve researched pop up campers for our 3/4 truck and settled on Four Wheel Camper Hawk shell model. All that’s left to do is to order it. We live in Oregon and MULE Expeditions is FWC official seller in Oregon so we took a drive and checked those campers out. We were impressed by the quality. How do you like yours?
Thanks so much for your comments @acoupleofscrewsloose! The Pankay toilet is new to me but looks like a good solution. If you've been using kitty litter, I think you'll really like the Wenge gel--we pre-make bags and they sit in the bottom of the toilet taking up very little room.
We absolutely LOVE our FWC Hawk Shell. It is a game changer if you have been tent camping because you don't have to spend so much time before and after a trip packing things up and unpacking! It takes us 15 - 20 minutes to unpack/clean up after a trip. And we can go anywhere - even places our RAV4 can't go. If you live in Oregon, I would definitely get the furnace and thermal pack (fabric side walls) because it is so nice to warm up in the morning, another advantage over the tent. Yes, we tented most of our lives too. But we'll never go back and in 4 years, we've never wished we had a larger living space. We have slept us and 3 grandkids in it so that's enough room for us, with simple custom bed boards on the bottom level. I can't recommend FWC enough. A game changer! And I enjoyed customizing it to fit our needs (like grandkids ;-) Our build-out is documented in our earlier videos. Email if any questions on the FWC to Sagebrusherz@gmail.com. Thanks again for your comments.
@acoupleofscrewsloose I was wondering how the Wenge product has worked out for you guys. Looks like (on Instagram) you got your Four Wheel Camper. I hope you are loving it as much as we do! I would subscribe but I'm not on Instagram. Thanks, @Sagebrushers8497
@@sagebrushers8497 Yes, you are correct, we did get our FWC and have taken it on a couple long trips. Every time we come home we make modifications. But overall it has been a real game changer. We did get the thermal pack but opted out of the heater as we already had one to use. We have a few low elevation camping places that we are going to check out (along rivers, creeks, meadows, etc.) because we have no interest in camping in snow.
Good question @lynnsaini. Yes that would work also. Six of the agents I tested in this video were polyacrylamides and that is the same agent used in baby diapers! However buying diapers and cutting them open is a way, way more expensive way to get the stuff. The Wenge product is the cheapest way to get this solidification agent that I could find 6 months ago, although there are at least one or two others I have heard of since this video was published that could be marginally cheaper. However, I don't believe any will be significantly cheaper. If they are polyacrylamides they should all work about the same. Thanks for your comment.
Good question @deanfields7135. Yes they remain active until they are fully saturated. Doesn't matter when the pee arrives, just the total amount. And I don't think there is any degradation in the used mixture due to bacteria or anything else for at least a week or two in my experience, probably much longer. It is similar stuff to "grow animal" toys that grow to many times their original size in water and they can absorb water then be dried out over and over again. The Miracle Gro polyacrylamide product we used to use in our toilet is used in potted plants and absorbs/desorbs forever. Think of it more like a sponge that keeps absorbing until saturated.
The Portable Toilet at :06 seconds is a Playberg Portable Travel toilet, about $60US on Amazon. You can see more of it in our other "Bathroom" video here: czcams.com/video/n26kUky7jrk/video.htmlsi=1PlNxdkIBbW52qfD We love it because it is a full sized seat and the base is wide so it doesn't tip over. As you will see in the video I just linked, our only complaint with it is that it stuck out into the doorway a little too much so we took the best part, the seat (and the collection bucket with its lid) and put them on a 5 gallon bucket that we shaped to fit the inner bucket. Now, it works perfectly for us. Note, if you decide to attach a nice seat to a 5 gallon bucket like we did, you can get full size plastic (or wood!) seats at any big box hardware store but then you have to rig up a way to fasten it. Maybe just onto a cabinet over the bucket? Whatever you do, keep in mind you need a "lid" on on the bucket that holds the bags that is under the seat because that lid condenses vapor from the warm contents and you don't want that making your seat wet all the time. Or just buy the Playberg- it is great and we used it for 3 years with no complaints.
This is EXACTLY the science I've been looking for! Taking into account the degraded performance of polyacrylates on urine vs straight water is something other testers don't seem to have done often. Major kudos!
Thanks @4_Science! I'm glad you appreciated my poor-man experiments. I appreciate the comment!
Thanks @4_Science! I'm glad you appreciated my poor-man experiments. I appreciate the comment!
Very thorough
Excellent! By far the most comprehensive and informative vid on this subject. Ty for diving in and sharing
Thanks for the comment @ohbits! We have been on the road about 6 weeks and the polyacrylate works great. We really appreciate the pine smell from our added cup of pine pellets too, although they are a little bulkier to carry for a long trip. A tiny vial of lemongrass oil or similar odor maskant added to the Wenge may work just as well. Enjoy your travels!
Thank you for this in-depth test. We’ve been using kitty litter for years but this year we are trying to reduce the amount of stuff we take and kitty litter takes up more space than it should. So I researched other ways to “take care of business “ and your video popped up. Great timing! I’ve added that gel agent to our Amazon list.
I also watched your toilet video too. We had been using a bucket with pool noodle then switched to bucket with pipe insulation and then same bucket with toilet seat that’s made for the bucket. That last version was much more comfortable however my husband mentioned that all the versions were not so comfortable for his boy parts. So, I ordered from Amazon the Pankay portable toilet that folds up and has a carrying case. Ratings were good with no complaints from men about comfort. When it arrived, my reluctant husband sat on it and declared it was a winner.
It goes on its maiden voyage in June and I’m excited to try out with the gel. So, thanks again for very helpful video!
Oh, and I subscribed. We do tent camping but for the last several months we’ve researched pop up campers for our 3/4 truck and settled on Four Wheel Camper Hawk shell model. All that’s left to do is to order it. We live in Oregon and MULE Expeditions is FWC official seller in Oregon so we took a drive and checked those campers out. We were impressed by the quality.
How do you like yours?
Thanks so much for your comments @acoupleofscrewsloose! The Pankay toilet is new to me but looks like a good solution. If you've been using kitty litter, I think you'll really like the Wenge gel--we pre-make bags and they sit in the bottom of the toilet taking up very little room.
We absolutely LOVE our FWC Hawk Shell. It is a game changer if you have been tent camping because you don't have to spend so much time before and after a trip packing things up and unpacking! It takes us 15 - 20 minutes to unpack/clean up after a trip. And we can go anywhere - even places our RAV4 can't go. If you live in Oregon, I would definitely get the furnace and thermal pack (fabric side walls) because it is so nice to warm up in the morning, another advantage over the tent. Yes, we tented most of our lives too. But we'll never go back and in 4 years, we've never wished we had a larger living space. We have slept us and 3 grandkids in it so that's enough room for us, with simple custom bed boards on the bottom level. I can't recommend FWC enough. A game changer! And I enjoyed customizing it to fit our needs (like grandkids ;-) Our build-out is documented in our earlier videos. Email if any questions on the FWC to Sagebrusherz@gmail.com. Thanks again for your comments.
@acoupleofscrewsloose I was wondering how the Wenge product has worked out for you guys. Looks like (on Instagram) you got your Four Wheel Camper. I hope you are loving it as much as we do! I would subscribe but I'm not on Instagram. Thanks, @Sagebrushers8497
@@sagebrushers8497 Yes, you are correct, we did get our FWC and have taken it on a couple long trips. Every time we come home we make modifications. But overall it has been a real game changer. We did get the thermal pack but opted out of the heater as we already had one to use. We have a few low elevation camping places that we are going to check out (along rivers, creeks, meadows, etc.) because we have no interest in camping in snow.
As always, thank you for the helpful boondocking tips.
Thanks for tuning in @andrewinaustintx and for your comment. I'm currently putting together our favorite Death Valley free camping spots. Stay tuned!
This is a very helpful video, thank you!
@@lizabethjoy1883 So glad you found it helpful! Thanks for the comment!
Great video. Getting ready to take our FWC Fleet model out on it's maiden trip and this video solved the toilet problem. Thanks.
Thanks, glad it helped! Enjoy your maiden voyage!
Great editing, I will have to keep this in mind for our next camping trip 👍
Wonderful video!
Hi, how about getting the cutting the agent from diaper, and then put it the waste bag for waste management?
Good question @lynnsaini. Yes that would work also. Six of the agents I tested in this video were polyacrylamides and that is the same agent used in baby diapers! However buying diapers and cutting them open is a way, way more expensive way to get the stuff. The Wenge product is the cheapest way to get this solidification agent that I could find 6 months ago, although there are at least one or two others I have heard of since this video was published that could be marginally cheaper. However, I don't believe any will be significantly cheaper. If they are polyacrylamides they should all work about the same. Thanks for your comment.
Do the polyacrylamides remain active over time and pees? I don't pee 2qt at a time - does the receptacle have to be refreshed after each pee?
Good question @deanfields7135. Yes they remain active until they are fully saturated. Doesn't matter when the pee arrives, just the total amount. And I don't think there is any degradation in the used mixture due to bacteria or anything else for at least a week or two in my experience, probably much longer. It is similar stuff to "grow animal" toys that grow to many times their original size in water and they can absorb water then be dried out over and over again. The Miracle Gro polyacrylamide product we used to use in our toilet is used in potted plants and absorbs/desorbs forever. Think of it more like a sponge that keeps absorbing until saturated.
What portable toilet is shown at the :06 second mark? It is oval, instead of the round, 5-gallon bucket seat. I need that!
The Portable Toilet at :06 seconds is a Playberg Portable Travel toilet, about $60US on Amazon. You can see more of it in our other "Bathroom" video here: czcams.com/video/n26kUky7jrk/video.htmlsi=1PlNxdkIBbW52qfD We love it because it is a full sized seat and the base is wide so it doesn't tip over. As you will see in the video I just linked, our only complaint with it is that it stuck out into the doorway a little too much so we took the best part, the seat (and the collection bucket with its lid) and put them on a 5 gallon bucket that we shaped to fit the inner bucket. Now, it works perfectly for us.
Note, if you decide to attach a nice seat to a 5 gallon bucket like we did, you can get full size plastic (or wood!) seats at any big box hardware store but then you have to rig up a way to fasten it. Maybe just onto a cabinet over the bucket? Whatever you do, keep in mind you need a "lid" on on the bucket that holds the bags that is under the seat because that lid condenses vapor from the warm contents and you don't want that making your seat wet all the time. Or just buy the Playberg- it is great and we used it for 3 years with no complaints.
@@sagebrushers8497 Thanks!