Portable toilet buyer's guide

Ali Wood checks out the best places to go... when you really need to go

It's the middle of the night, you need the loo and the marina toilet block is just too far away. Or maybe you're canal-boating, camping in a boatyard or star-gazing from your trailer-sailer.

Aside from doing the business overboard (a big no-no inshore), your standard bucket is, of course, your emergency option. But there are many sophisticated portable toilets on the market these days for all bottoms and budgets: they're inexpensive, lightweight and quick and easy to set-up. The only downside is that you need to empty them by hand, and with flush loos you need to replace the chemicals after 10 days or so.

Or alternatively, if you already have a boat toilet, but no holding tank, a simple option is to fit a bag to catch your waste.

Bucket toilets

The cheapest kind of portable loo is the bucket toilet. Most small-boat sailors will know the expression, "bucket and chuck-it', and any parent will know the joys of potties.

Bucket toilets are really just potties for grown-ups. A bucket camping toilet is simply an extra-strong bucket with a toilet seat, and can be used with or without a toilet bag.

Some designs, such as Denny International's large 6L compact portable toilet, have a discreet inner bucket which can be carried to the toilet for flushing, while others-such as the Green Blue GB320 Portable Toilet-have a larger (16lt) capacity. The latter has a lid that stays up like a regular toilet and comes in a range of colours. At 38cm it's higher than a lot of bucket toilets on the market, and has a handle that doubles as a toilet paper holder.

Space will likely be the deciding factor when it comes to this kind of toilet so it's worth measuring up first. A smaller option would be the lightweight Hi Gear Travel Toilet from Go Outdoors, which has a snap-on toilet seat with a folding seat and locking catch.