The Toilet Test
Ok, so this may sound odd, but when we looked around for a toilet to replace our infamous ‘bucket’ we had to do the seat test. Well, you see, the bucket was about 3 inches too short to comfortably sit when doing your business. There was always the fear one might lose balance and fall off – a serious issue for sure!
Then there was the storage test. Will it fit in the cubby we made under our wood burning stove? A serious question considering the need for space utilization in a small vehicle.
There is also the ‘heft’ test. The toilet can’t be too heavy to move from storage to our preferred usage area between our two seats in the truck cab, but it can’t be wimpy either. The toilet needs to be stable, so it won’t topple over – there, that terrible fear of stuff coming out of it again!
It also needed to have two compartments for you know what. My honey and I had already agreed that a composting toilet was the way to go to save on our precious water supply while boondocking. More choices as there seems to be several on the market.
Enter the OGO Composting Toilet
As a good marketer once told me, people love a good story. OGO is a company making one product very well, a toilet. They have perfected the toilet and have a mission statement that shows a company dedicated to reducing water waste while providing a sustainable opportunity for more than just campers. Their vision inspired me!
Now to serious shit! When I pulled the OGO out of the shipping box, I thought there was a brick inside. It was a nice, manageable weight. Even though it came with screws for floor mounting at 28lbs, it was heavy enough on its own to allay my fears of it moving or tipping. It also has an optional drain kit if you really have the need to install it with your black water system, yuck!
It actually fit comfortably in our cubby with a small footprint of just 15″ x 16″ x 18.4″ tall. The OGO also solved the ‘seat’ test. At 3” taller than our bucket, it was perfect for the throne it would become.
The ‘bowl’ of the unit was separated into two areas for the obvious pee and poop. With a large, easily removable two and half gallon pee container, it is the largest on the market.
Built to Last
I’d never seen a solid poop container, but this one was, also, easily removed, and the company says it’s good for 25-30 ‘uses’. I was told that with the coco coir material placed in the bin to a certain level over the agitator before depositing the offending matter, you wouldn’t really need the supplied exhaust hose. This is a departure from others who told me you simply pooped then sprinkled a bit on the top. Hmm, this sounds so much more civilized.
The wild looking agitator had a warning in the manual not to put your hands in the bucket while agitating – not likely unless I dropped my iPhone in there.
When you’re done your business, you simply close the patented trap door and push a button for an automated 45-second turn of the agitator. You are done! No muss and no fuss.
Quick Install
The OGO comes with everything to set it up in minutes, including a wiring harness for 12v (a 110v adapter is optional) and a spray bottle to keep the bowl clean. Composting works best when the coco noir is a bit damp to start, but doesn’t work well if #1 is added. The pee makes everything smell.
These folks have thought of everything. There’s an indicator light to tell you when the toilet needs changing. The thing about OGO I find amazing is it’s fully made in the USA and these guys stand behind their craftsmanship.
This OGO doesn’t even look like a toilet. We were thinking to keep it between our front seats permanently, maybe buy the optional shower cover. It would double as a seat and our drink console fits right on top. Who would even think it was a commode?
Firstly, I never thought I’d ever do a post about a toilet and secondly, be reviewing one.
Discount
Check out our video as we go over the setup and the components. Our friends at OGO have also offered our viewers a $50US discount when you buy the toilet (code gbizzo50)