Private Porta-Potty?

[drletawdry]

Our camp is relatively large this year. We are considering renting a porta-potty for camp use.

Has anyone done this in thier camp? Do these things smell all the time? Would you recommend for or against this?

Thanks for the tips!

PS: Sorry if this is a duplicate post. I looked through the threads and did not see any talk of this anywhere, although I was assuming people have talked about this already.

[Orchid]

They don't smell as long as you get them cleaned regularly - make sure you have them placed sort of near the edge of your camp so that the sucker truck can reach it, but don't place it out in the open or random passers-by will see it and use it if it's unlocked, or possibly pee next to it if it is locked. Make sure you rent from the same company that's providing all the public potties (I think it is United, can anyone confirm this?) or the trucks will NOT service your potty unless very heavily bribed.

Use a combination lock and instruct your camp mates not to give the combo to anyone who doesn't want to chip in to the potty fee. Make sure you collect the potty fee BEFORE you get to the playa - people have a tendency to "forget" and leave whoever put the potty on their credit card with a huge bill. Don't let anyone who didn't pay for the potty use the potty - you may feel like an asshole, but you won't have to have the potty cleaned as often if it's restricted to paying campmates.

All in all, I personally think it's worth it if you're camped more than a few blocks away from the public potties, especially first thing in the morning. If you're camped within a block or two of the public potties, don't bother - it's not worth the headache.

[theCryptofishist]

You rent the potties and you get one or maybe two free pump-outs. After that they charge you. Go with United, or ex-johnny on the spot, the company that the llc contracts with, because they can drop off and pick up the squat. Some one will have to be there when they drop it off your address. I don't know if you have to have a placed address status, but I suspect it. It's going to cost some hundreds. I think you get two. Get locks and don't let people outside the camp use it--it'll get trashed if too many people go in. Prepare to attract flak for that. You have to have a clear way for the hose/truck to pump it out. You are going to want to pump it out at least once, that'll help with the smell.

[CapSmashy]

United site services out of reno is the contracted provider for the event.

A single unit wi cost you $350 for the week and an ada unit will cost you $500 for the week. You get one free servicing with the rental, addditiona servicings are $25 apiece per unit. When your unit(s) need servicing, flag down a passing uss truck.

USS wil coordinate delivery for drop off at your camp address and will pick it up after the event.

Cpt Smashy
Terminal City Shitczar

[Ugly Dougly]

Depends on how small your camp is.

[Elderberry]

United site services out of reno is the contracted provider for the event.

A single unit wi cost you $350 for the week and an ada unit will cost you $500 for the week. You get one free servicing with the rental, addditiona servicings are $25 apiece per unit. When your unit(s) need servicing, flag down a passing uss truck.

USS wil coordinate delivery for drop off at your camp address and will pick it up after the event.

Cpt Smashy
Terminal City Shitczar

Interesting. When I was in construction, we used to rent them for about $90 a month with weekly cleaning included!

JK

[Lord Of Ruin]

Our camp is relatively large this year. We are considering renting a porta-potty for camp use.

Has anyone done this in thier camp? Do these things smell all the time? Would you recommend for or against this?

Thanks for the tips!

PS: Sorry if this is a duplicate post. I looked through the threads and did not see any talk of this anywhere, although I was assuming people have talked about this already.

Ummm...not to be a dick, but you're considering no such thing at this late date.

It's a problem of logisitics. You need to find a company that does this, is close to the event to service it, and is not fully booked already.

Those variables are pretty far apart at this point in the year.

LoR

[oneeyeddick]

That's a really long way of saying "call and ask first" ?

[This Woman]

Holy shit!! $350 a week? Ouch. I was just thinking hey, I’ve been doing this for years and no one has ever given me a free cleaning out there. But if you’re paying $350 that includes a “freeâ€

[This Woman]

TIPS –

One nice thing about taking them back yourself is they are great for hauling out refuse. But DO NOT leave your garbage for the sani hut folks to clean up. They already have to vacuum your crap.

Lock it - Combo locks are key (pun intended). Better to have pee spots around your sanis (you will) than beer bottles inside them. We’ve used key locks too, but people got lax about putting the keys back where they belonged.

Light it - Find little reading lights at dollar store or equivilent to attach outside so people can work the combos at night. If you’re running from your tent for a midnight pee, you likely don’t have all your outdoor accessories readily available.

Shade it – those white tarps with holes (love love love them) are perfect for sani shading. They are less visible to the peeing public and it brings the daytime inside temp down considerably.

Check it – Our camp is extremely casual, but I am the pisspot nazi. Do not let potty rules be broken and keep an eye on whats going on. Some people like to sneak in their pickups or just want to be nice to visitors or passers by. Not recommended. Nip it in the bud. Nip it! Nip it!

[CapSmashy]

Interesting. When I was in construction, we used to rent them for about $90 a month with weekly cleaning included!

JK

Yep.

We pay about $50 a month here with a weekly servicing.

[CapSmashy]

[quote="This Woman"]Holy shit!! $350 a week? Ouch. I was just thinking hey, I’ve been doing this for years and no one has ever given me a free cleaning out there. But if you’re paying $350 that includes a “freeâ€

[oneeyeddick]

TIPS –

One nice thing about taking them back yourself is they are great for hauling out refuse. But DO NOT leave your garbage for the sani hut folks to clean up. They already have to vacuum your crap.

Lock it - Combo locks are key (pun intended). Better to have pee spots around your sanis (you will) than beer bottles inside them. We’ve used key locks too, but people got lax about putting the keys back where they belonged.

Light it - Find little reading lights at dollar store or equivilent to attach outside so people can work the combos at night. If you’re running from your tent for a midnight pee, you likely don’t have all your outdoor accessories readily available.

Shade it – those white tarps with holes (love love love them) are perfect for sani shading. They are less visible to the peeing public and it brings the daytime inside temp down considerably.

Check it – Our camp is extremely casual, but I am the pisspot nazi. Do not let potty rules be broken and keep an eye on whats going on. Some people like to sneak in their pickups or just want to be nice to visitors or passers by. Not recommended. Nip it in the bud. Nip it! Nip it!

Clean it - if anyone uses it wearing glitter or anything else that transfers to the next person's ass, make them clean it up or deny the access if they are pricks about it.

[theCryptofishist]

I realise that this is a minority concern, but if you take it out, then it's on the trailer. I can't climb up.

[Orchid]

I realise that this is a minority concern, but if you take it out, then it's on the trailer. I can't climb up.

Excellent point, for everyone.
In 2007 my camp had our potties on a little trailer and I hated it because if I had to go right now, making that big step up onto the trailer was... far more challenging than normal. Even more so if you're anything less than sober.
I also managed to trip over my own tent flap that year (completely sober) and wrench the heck out of my knee, and I had to have assistance to get in and out of the potty after that. That was super.

Anyway, point being: potties on the ground are (in my humble opinion) far superior to potties on a trailer.

[This Woman]

Our camp has never been over 30, so have never had to consider getting more than two. We’ve also never had entry concerns with the trailer. Most we’ve ever done is put a block by the trailer for a step.

One annoying thing that has popped up in the last few years about taking them out yourself, is the requests to be smuggled inside them. The first few years, we jokingly reminded greeters to check the huts, but now they do it without fail. Don’t get me started on the life threatening temperatures inside a locked box (“you’ll only have to do it from Gerlach.â€

[Token]

No matter how cool your camp mates are, or how much you love them, someone, at some point during the week will try to hover ... And epic fail.

Are you ready to clean it up?

[drletawdry]

Thanks for all the feed back. I appreciate the fact that you guys answered seriously and have been very helpful!

I contacted United Services and the rate is indeed $350 for the week with one free cleaning (at the end of the event) and $95 for any additional cleaning.

Mindy at United (who is VERY nice and helpful by the way) suggested that you would want to clean this at least two additional times during the week. She also said that you can order this up to the last week before bman.

At this time our camp has decided not to go with a porta potty. The biggest issue is that our camp space is not huge, so someone would have to sleep next to it!

[This Woman]

you're welcome! And now some of next year's homework is done.