Part of the fun of meeting up with others is finding out new (and often better) ways to do things. Here are three tips from Tony.

Hose Storage

Tony went off to Bunnings and bought one meter lengths of pool hose sections, with connectors, to use for sullage. He stores the sections in the cylinder on the back of the van. The hose is neatly stashed out of the way, and he can always construct the perfect length for each site.

Fold-Up Ladder

At last! A strong ladder that is tall enough to allow you to reach the roof of the van without using up too much valuable storage space. We’re going to buy one of these for sure.

The ladder collapses to a long, narrow rectangle and fits easily into Tony’s long toolbox. (You could keep it in a cylinder on the end of the van, too.) It’s rated to take up to 120 kg.

Here are some photos of Tony demonstrating how it unfolds:

Here’s the website address for the ladders: http://www.txp.com.au/shop/product.php?productid=16314

And here’s a demonstration:

 

Use of Cassette Toilets

The big question that comes up on forums regularly (and around the campire) is this: do you use your cassette toilet (or porta-loo) for solid waste as well as liquids? Many people (including us) had a ‘wees only’ policy, which sometimes meant late-night walks to the amenities block. (I still remember dragging myself out of bed at 3 am to visit the amenities block at Yass, with the temperature about 2 degrees. Shiver.)

Anyway, I happened to mention that I’d seen an inflatable toilet seat cover at a dollar shop and, at the time, wondered why anyone would buy one. Then I saw the all-stainless-steel toilet at Walgett Free Camp and instantly wished I’d bought it. I could see, I said, that our ‘no solids in the cassette toilet’ rule might have to be broken.

The campfire gang stared at me as though I was an idiot. “What? Of COURSE you should use it for solids,” they chorused. Kerry told me about how she’d used a porta-loo for workers on their farm, when they didn’t like the idea of a long-drop loo. No smell, she promised: in fact, no problems at all!

After all, the whole point of the toilet additives (whether you use chemicals or Napisan) is that they are used to break down organic matter.

Here’s the swear-by recipe that they used:

• A generous lid ful of Napisan (Aldi equivalent is recommended: cheap and effective) dissolved in a bottle of water.
• Add a capful of Eucalyptus oil (lovely scene, great to clean). 

And away you go. If you are one of those who originally had a no-solids rule, this will change your life. (I also added a capful of Eucalyptus oil to a spray bottle, filled it with water, and keep it in the bathroom to clean the toilet.)

NOTE: I’m copying and pasting this additional contribution from the comments section below, so it’s in the body of the post: Jeffers says “In relation to the Portaloo, Aldi is the Nappi- soaker that is not recommended as it is a weaker compound but the Woolworths and Coles versions are identicle in strength to the original Nappisan. Also we have read on several websites that a squeeze of dish washing liquid helps.” 

All additional info is very welcome!