Sara Baird tries out the Trelino portable option for toileting in the outdoors.
I always need a bathroom break just as we get to the best part of our experience. It’s just one of the perks of staying well-hydrated, I guess. I love traveling with our camper because we always have a bathroom on the road and I never need to find a bathhouse in the middle of the night. When Trelino asked us to review the Trelino Evo S. Lightweight Portable Composting Toilet I saw that this could be possible without the large camper. I experienced using a composting toilet on a sailboat during a Lake Superior trip and knew they were fairly easy to use so I was excited to try out this portable version.
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Trelino
Trelino is an international company that was founded in Germany. The founders, Mark and Ben, were inspired by their childhood camping experiences to create products for the outdoors. They aim to empower their customers to discover the freedom and beauty of the outdoors. They sell composting toilets that come in a variety of sizes and capacities all designed and produced with a commitment to sustainability, creating value, and beautiful design.
The Trelino Evo S. Lightweight Portable Composting Toilet
This is the lightest composting toilet on the market weighing only 8.6 lbs. It is also tiny at 13 inches wide, 15.4 inches deep, and 11.7 inches high. It comes with a soft-close lid, a toilet seat with an integrated separator, a 1.2-gallon urine canister, a 1.6-gallon solid container, and 10 compostable plastic bags.
How Composting Toilets Work
Composting toilets separate urine and solid waste to prevent smell and make disposal easier. To dispose of the waste you can either dump the urine into a toilet or outhouse or dilute it and put it in your garden. The solid waste can be composted or thrown into a garbage can. Composting toilets do not require any chemicals, making them environmentally friendly. The solids container can be filled with wood shavings, peat moss, coco peat, or litter. You start with a layer of fill and then add a layer each time you add to the solids container.
Using the Trelino While Tent Camping
I purchased a new car this summer and I could not wait to take it on a road trip. Fuel is cheaper and it is easier to find an available campsite when you are tenting rather than pulling a camper so we decided we would tent it a few times this summer. My holdout to tenting has always been the need to get up at night and find the restrooms as well as the need to use some gross restrooms at times. When I received the Trellino Composting toilet those holdouts were addressed.
We were able to reserve a campsite for the following week in Herbster, Wisconsin, right on the South Shore of Lake Superior. I considered purchasing a small changing room tent to set up alongside our tent for the toilet but we decided that our tent was large enough to accommodate the toilet with just two of us sleeping in there. If you have read my Staresso Coffee Maker review you will know that we found out that our tent was no longer water proof so we spent the first night in the car anyway.
The toilet was a breeze to set up, I put a bag in the solids container, added a layer of sawdust, checked to ensure the correct lid was on the liquids container, made sure the lid was on correctly, and it was ready for use.
During the first night while sleeping in the car, it was a breeze to slip out of the car and pop into the tent to use the bathroom in the night. I appreciated that I did not need to walk out of our campsite or worry that someone had made a mess out of the outhouse in the night. There was a nice clean bathhouse further from our camp that was easier to use during the day so I ended up using the solids container for toilet paper disposal only. In the morning I simply grabbed the liquid container and walked over to the outhouse to dispose of the liquid.
The following night there was no chance of rain so we moved back into our tent and put the Trellino on the side of the tent. This worked but in the future, I would prefer a separate tent for the toilet if possible. We did run into an issue with the ground being unlevel in this part of the tent, this caused the liquid to run into the solids container. The sawdust inside the bag soaked this up though so it was not an issue. I simply bagged it and threw it away. When I got home, I took the toilet apart, rinsed it with some vinegar and water, let it dry, then put it away for next time.
My Recommendation
I loved the ease of using the Trelino composting toilet. It was simple to set up, use, and clean. The way the entire toilet breaks down made it easier to clean than the traditional toilet in my house. It took me less than 5 minutes to clean it for storage and less than that to empty it out each day I used it. I appreciated that waste was very easy to dispose of and that I didn’t need any chemicals for this simple toilet.
This toilet is very small, it is meant for situations where you are in a small space or need portability. It would be wonderful for tenting, pop-up campers, and vans where space is at a premium. If you need something that would experience heavier use or be installed in a more permanent manner I would recommend you look at some of the larger models that Trelino sells. You can check out The Trelino Evo S. Lightweight Portable Composting Toilet as well as the other models of the Trelino at https://mytrelino.com/ in the United States and https://www.trelino.com/ in the E.U.
Your thoughts?
Have you tried Trelino or other similar products on your adventures? Do share your experiences or views in the comments below. Or check out other great reviews of outdoor products featured on our reviews page.
I am an adventurer at heart, always looking for the next opportunity to learn something new. I spend my winter days working with high school students to explore their interests and develop passions.
I spend my evenings and summers developing new hobbies and being outdoors as much as possible. I enjoy camping, hiking, cross country skiing, and biking.
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
- Sara Bairdhttps://www.campingforwomen.com/author/sara-baird/
I’ve been using the Trelino Evo Medium in my tiny house (no plumbing) for a few months now. I use compostable bags and soft wood shavings (actually chicken coop bedding) for the solids, which allows me to bury the solid waste (far from water sources and gardens) when the container is full. The whole thing is so easy to maintain with no odor and no mechanical parts to malfunction or draw energy from my off-grid system. I love it.
The Trelino portable composting toilet is a great choice for outdoors where there are no restrooms. It’s looks quite easy to set up with separate liquid and solid containers and convenient disposal. But I agree that a separate tent for its use would be more hygienic and not sure if dumping the bags in the garbage would be a good idea and environment friendly. It’s nice that Trelino composting toilets come in different sizes.
Oooh this portable toilet looks perfect for longer-term camping trips or Van/RV life. I’m really hoping to get a Van next year and I know having something like this would really come in handy!!
Laura x
An incredible product right there, it does address more than a need to go to the loo! Things that normally is cumbersome like getting rid of waste or having too large a device were addressed too. Kudos to you for trying out the product and writing a review on a useful mobile facility to have – for those camping days.
This is something that I will keep in mind because our trailer doesn’t have a toilet. It’s interesting because you can take the liquid container to the bathroom and dispose of it in the toilet. But I’m not sure about throwing solid waste into the garbage can, though.
No different than disposable diapers into trash. I’m discreet and try to use only outdoor trash cans
I’ve never heard of the trelino toilet but it sounds perfect for outdoors travelers. I think it would be good for road trips too and I like that it’s easy to clean. It looks small but I guess it has to be! I would be open to trying it out.
Oh wow! I had no idea that composting toilets were even a thing. I love how easy it is to use, and YES, for having to go a lot due to drinking lots of water and staying hydrated. The Trelino seems like such a great, affordable option for the convenience it provides!
I do like the idea of a small more portable toilet option. And having the composting option sure makes dumping it easier. A great option for tent camping. Or for locations where the toilets may be far away. Passing this on to a friend who does a lot of camping.
Interesting product, for sure! I have seen compost toilets at several places in the mountains this summer. However as I usually go hiking with the tent it would not be suitable to carry a compost toilet. I do carry a shovel though on remote hiking trips. I can see that it is a great addition if you go car camping.
I had no idea how a compost portable toilet worked. It’s very interesting that there are two containers inside, one for liquids and one for solids, and that they are separated. I like that the portable toilet is very easy to clean as well. Also, I can imagine that using it is a breeze due to its design, just like a proper toilet. That’s one thing I always worry when I go camping – the hygiene of the toilet on the site.
Compost toilets are actually very popular in tourist places in India as well. I have heard of Trelino. They are good.
This looks so compact, the most important thing to have when you are camping. Thanks for sharing this with us.
That sounds like a must-have for those of us who love to go camping. I see how useful and convenient this would be.
This is super handy and perfect for camping and such! We love to do that and I may have to check this one out as it seems to handy and portable too! Great review and appreciate you sharing as we are in The Poconos and I love campaign and hiking!!
Not having a toilet while camping can be one of the biggest problems you will encounter. I am glad that the portable toilet is made! We really need this!
wow.. this is such a cool concept and so very useful.. we were just discussing the issues of going to the bathroom while camping last weekend with friends.. and this solves that problem
I love how compact and convenient the trelino portable composting toilet is!
This sounds like it would come in very useful for a family camping trip. It helps that the composting toilet is light weight as most tend to be laden down anyway with the essentials. I am sure this would be a very useful and popular product for those who enjoy camping regularly.
Composting toilets are great! I have friends who have one in their trailer and they love it.
This sounds really great, perfect for camping what a really great idea! Thanks for sharing this with us
That is actually such a great idea. I would use this during camping. I love it!
What a great product. This would be great for camping trips.
I can see how this would come in handy for camping. I admit, I am not a camper. I will glamp, but being outdoors for long periods of time is not for me.
I have never heard of a composting toilet before, but it sounds perfect for road trips! I like that it separates urine from the solid material.
Wow! That is pretty handy to have for camping. Looks like a pretty decent option on the market.
This is revolutionary! One thing that keeps my wife from wanting to go camping is the lack of modern toilet amenities. This portable toilet is such a good idea!
This is an interesting device. I did not realize there were portable versions. It is nice to see something that is eco-friendly.
My husband loves roughing it, and he’s subjected me to it a few times. I have to say, this is the one thing that might make me more willing to go on those trips without a fight. I HATE going the old-fashioned way. LOL
This is such a good idea! This was always my biggest issue with camping – where do I go to the bathroom? But, while this is still very much in the wilderness, it sort of takes away the guesswork, so to speak.
Nnniiiccceeeee…I love the fact that these forms of waste can be separated and carried away safely. I think I should buy myself this one.
I like the idea of this toilet for camping. However, for hiking, it seems a little large to be carting around.