Portable Bucket Toilet with Lid (camping) review
By Tom Calder
A simple bucket with a snap-on seat and lid is one of the cheapest, most reliable pieces of emergency sanitation you can keep in a cupboard. Paired with heavy-duty liner bags and gelling sachets it does the job with no plumbing, though it is basic and offers none of the odour control of a proper cassette toilet.
- Best for
- A cheap, foolproof backup loo for when the water or drains are off at home, or for festivals and touring.
- Skip it if
- You have the space and budget for a proper flushing chemical/cassette toilet and expect prolonged…
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Researched, not used. We haven't used this product. This review is built from the maker's specifications, owner reports and our own sizing.
What we like
- Very cheap and near-indestructible, with nothing to break or leak
- Works entirely off-grid with liner bags and gelling powder, so no water or chemicals needed
- Doubles as a storage bucket for other kit between emergencies
Worth knowing
- No sealed odour trap or waste breakdown like a chemical cassette toilet, so it relies on liners and gel to stay tolerable
- The seat and comfort are basic, and disposal of used liners still needs thought
Out of stock when we checked: our alternatives
Closest in size first, then by our score. None of them was showing out of stock when we last checked.
Best for A full-height portable toilet to see a household through a water or power outage.
as of 2 Nov 2026, 16:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Best for Caravan, campervan and boat owners, or households wanting a compact self-contained loo for power cuts or a burst-main.
as of 2 Nov 2026, 16:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Best for A portable separating toilet for a household backup, campervan or garden room, with no water or chemicals.
as of 2 Nov 2026, 16:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.ⓘ As an Amazon Associate, PreparedBritain earns from qualifying purchases. We may earn a commission when you buy, or a fee when you request a quote, through our links. When two products are close, commission can decide which one we pick. A clearly better product always wins. Amazon prices come from Amazon's own product data and show the date and time they were retrieved. Prices at other retailers are checked by us, less often. Prices and stock can change at any time, so always check the retailer's price before you buy.
Our review
A bucket toilet is a 20-litre plastic bucket with a snap-on seat and lid, sold for camping under names such as Need-A-Loo and Big Loo. With liner bags and a gelling or absorbent powder it is the cheapest working toilet you can keep in a cupboard for when the water or drains are off. It has no tank, no flush and no odour trap, so it is only as pleasant as the liners you stock with it.
What you are buying
The designs are near identical across brands. Leisurewize's Need-A-Loo is a 20-litre bucket-style toilet with a snap-on traditional seat, 32 cm across and 37 cm tall, with a carry handle and a maximum user weight of 100 kg. Outdoor Revolution's Big Loo is a 20-litre heavy-duty plastic bucket, 33 by 40 cm and 5 kg, with a removable lid and carry handle. Pick whichever is in stock; the seat, the lid and the handle are what matter. Between emergencies it stores other kit.
Using it when the water is off
The GOV.UK public health advice for a national power outage says you will not be able to flush the toilet and should not try, because the sewage system will not be working; collect waste in plastic bags, seal them and dispose of them with normal household waste, ideally in an outside bin. The same applies when the water is off or a drain is blocked. A bucket toilet is that advice made comfortable: line it with a heavy-duty bag, add a scoop of gelling powder, sawdust or cat litter after each use, tie off the bag when it is a third full and bin it outside. Keep the lid on between uses.
Hand washing matters more than usual. The advice is to fill a washing-up bowl with water and add soap or a household disinfectant, so keep a bowl, soap and a bottle of water beside the bucket. Our guide on what to do with no water supply covers the rest.
What to stock with it
The bucket is useless without its consumables. Keep a roll of strong bin liners that fit, a bag of gelling powder or a tub of cat litter, toilet roll, hand sanitiser and a second bag for rubbish. Gel sachets sold for camping toilets turn liquid solid and control smell; sawdust and litter are cheaper and work well enough for a few days. Set it up somewhere with a door and a window, not the kitchen.
How it compares
On our emergency toilets page, Cleanwaste wag bags are the ready-made gelling liners that drop straight into this bucket. The Thetford Porta Potti 565P flushes into a sealed cassette and is far more pleasant for a long outage, at many times the price. The Trelino Evo M and TROBOLO WandaGO separate liquids and solids with no chemicals. The bucket is the one most households will actually buy and keep.
Our verdict
Cheap, unbreakable and good enough: a bucket toilet with a stock of liners and litter turns a drain failure from a misery into an inconvenience. Buy one with its consumables. Skip it if you have the money and the space for a cassette toilet and expect to need it for more than a few days, or if you will not keep the liners and powder with it.
A researched review, built from the maker's specs, manual and UK listings; facts checked 2 Nov 2026. Sources: Jacksons of Old Arley: Leisurewize Need-A-Loo portable toilet; Attwoolls: Outdoor Revolution Big Loo; GOV.UK: water and sanitation advice from the UK Chief Medical Officers for a national power outage.
Who shouldn't buy this
Don't buy this if you have the space and budget for a proper flushing chemical/cassette toilet and expect prolonged off-grid use, or if you won't stock the liner bags and gelling sachets it really needs to be pleasant.
Key specs
| Type | Open bucket ('luggable loo') with snap-on seat lid |
| Capacity | ~20 litres |
This is a Researched review: we haven't used this product. We check every specification against at least two independent sources, re-check the UK price on a schedule where we can track it automatically, and say plainly who it isn't for. Commissions never change a rating.
Questions
What size is a bucket toilet?
About 20 litres. The Need-A-Loo is 32 cm across and 37 cm tall; the Big Loo is 33 by 40 cm and 5 kg. Both have a snap-on seat, a lid and a carry handle.
What do I put in a bucket toilet?
A strong liner bag, then gelling powder, sawdust or cat litter after each use. Tie the bag off when a third full and put it with household waste in an outside bin, which is the GOV.UK advice when toilets cannot be flushed.
Can I flush the toilet if the water is off?
Only with water you pour in yourself, and only if the drains are working. If the sewage system is affected, GOV.UK says not to try to flush at all.
Does it smell?
It has no odour trap, so it depends on the liners and powder. Gel sachets control smell well; litter or sawdust and a closed lid are adequate for a few days.
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