Sara Baird investigates a conveyable different in composting bogs with the Compo Closet Cuddy.
This summer season I wrote about testing out a composting rest room and the liberty it offered after we went tent tenting. I beloved having the identical freedom from utilizing an outhouse or ready in line for the loos we had when tenting in a Camper with a rest room with out the trouble of hauling a camper.
The valuable composting rest room I reviewed was small and designed for portability, it labored completely for tenting for just a few days and as a backup when a full lavatory was not obtainable. I had thought of utilizing it in our camper transform however after we journey in our camper we frequently keep locations the place we fully depend on our camper lavatory and whereas it could work I didn’t suppose it could be excellent.
When Compo Closet reached out to see if I wished to check out their Cuddy Composting rest room, I assumed it may very well be the answer that we have been on the lookout for.
Compo Closet
Richard Peter dreamed up Compo Closet throughout his time as a traveler. As he explored choices for bathrooms of their self-converted van he fell in love with composting bogs and located all the present fashions left him wanting. He then designed the Cuddy Composting Rest room and Compo Closet was fashioned. Compo Closet strives to help its prospects in dwelling a sustainable and adventurous way of life.
The Cuddy Composting Rest room
Compo Closet sells two variations of the Cuddy Composting Rest room, the Cuddy, which comes with an agitator, and the Cuddy Gentle which has all of the options of the Cuddy with out an agitator. The Cuddy Composting Rest room. The Cuddy is constructed to be compact and moveable. It’s 16.3 inches excessive, 15.1 inches broad, and 16.8 inches deep and has stainless-steel hinges that assist you to place the bathroom flush with a wall. It weighs 21 kilos.
The Cuddy is filled with options. It has a 1.7-gallon liquid container with an LED liquid degree indicator to point when the liquid container is full. The solids container is 3.9 gallons and has an agitator to combine waste along with your chosen medium to start out the composting course of and cut back any scent. It additionally has a carbon filter to remove scent and a fan that enables it to be vented exterior.
The Cuddy is designed for simple set up: “Put it down, plug within the energy, and completed!” The one energy sources wanted are a 9-volt battery for the liquid indicator and an 11 volt for the fan. Each of those aren’t required to make use of the bathroom.
How Composting Bogs Work
Composting bogs separate urine and strong waste to stop scent and make disposal simpler. To eliminate the waste you possibly can both dump the urine into a rest room or outhouse or dilute it and put it in your backyard. The strong waste may be composted or thrown right into a rubbish can.
Composting bogs don’t require any chemical compounds, making them environmentally pleasant. The solids container may be stuffed with fill of your alternative. Selections embrace wooden shavings, peat moss, coco peat, or litter. The Cuddy has an agitator so you’ll merely add your fill after which combine it after every use to start the composting course of. The Cuddy Gentle doesn’t have the agitator so you’ll add some fill after which add extra fill after every use.
Some great benefits of a composting rest room are that you don’t want to cope with a black tank in a camper, portability because it doesn’t should be plumbed in, and it doesn’t require chemical compounds like different moveable rest room choices.
The way it Works
To put in the cuddy you merely set up the batteries, add medium to the solids bin, and be certain that the right valve is on the liquids container. Then you possibly can merely place it the place you want to it and start to make use of it. You should use it in a cabin, a camper, or perhaps a tent. Relying on the place you employ it chances are you’ll select to vent the bathroom exterior or not, directions are offered on how to do that.
Testing It Out
The Cuddy arrived in October and I hoped to get in a fall tenting journey to try it out however unhealthy climate and sickness foiled our plans. As an alternative, I performed round with it at dwelling to determine all of the options. I discovered the batteries and filter simple to put in and wanted to take away the cardboard from the agitator for the Cuddy to be totally arrange. Compo Closet was even good sufficient to ship some Coco Noir for me to make use of as a medium within the solids container. It was tremendous easy to hydrate the coco noir and add it to the solids container.
The seat of the Cuddy was very snug and felt very very similar to sitting on an everyday rest room. The peak is decrease than a regular rest room however not extraordinarily low. I poured in water to check out the liquid container. I seen that it was by no means onerous to ship the liquids into the liquid container. The diverter is deep sufficient that it might probably tolerate some quantity of unlevel floor and nonetheless divert the liquid into the right container.
I used to be intimidated by the thought of dumping the solids container right into a bag slightly than simply having it bagged up. I made a decision to offer it a dry run and see how troublesome it was to empty the coco noir right into a bag. It’s good that the container pulls proper out and is straightforward to deal with. There isn’t a want to maneuver the bathroom. It was not troublesome to place a bag over the container and empty it.
My Advice
My major curiosity in a composting rest room was to find out if it could be a very good match for our Fifth-wheel camper transform. We regularly camp in locations the place we depend on the lavatory in our camper and sometimes it may be difficult to discover a dump station. There are additionally occasions when the black tank is full and we don’t wish to transfer. I’d be pleased with the Cuddy in our camper. I discovered it was snug and straightforward to make use of. Since I didn’t get to try it out on the street, I learn critiques of others who’ve them and located that folks didn’t have points with scent and have been pleased with the Cuddy.
I appreciated that’s it snug to make use of and that it’s compact and may be positioned flush with the wall. The diverter was designed nicely and works because it ought to. The scale of the Cuddy is massive sufficient that it may be used often with out continually needing to empty it however not so massive that it might probably’t be moveable. It would slot in a cabin, camper, van, and even an choice when tent tenting in a automobile.
I used to be very impressed by the customer support provided by Compo Closet once I picked out the mannequin. They even provided to ship me to “potty coaching” to make sure I knew how you can use the bathroom accurately. There may be additionally a Fb group for Cuddy house owners to debate experiences and Compo Closet workers are energetic on the location offering help as wanted.
My solely reservation concerning the Cuddy is that I’m undecided I would like an agitator. I’d really feel higher about utilizing a compostable bag to line the solids container. I feel that is solely one thing that I will determine with use. I feel whereas touring I would favor a liner however may see how an agitator could be useful when utilizing it in a cabin or when stationary. The cool factor is that I should buy a solids container with out the agitator for under $35 from Cuddy and use that rather than the agitator. That approach I can use both choice because it matches my consolation degree.
Have you ever used a composting rest room or would you take into account one on your van, camper, or rustic cabin? I’d love to listen to your ideas. You may take a look at the Cuddy at https://compocloset.com/product/cuddy/
