Sara Baird investigates a transportable 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 supplied after we went tent tenting. I beloved having the identical freedom from utilizing an outhouse or ready in line for the bogs we had when tenting in a Camper with a toilet with out the effort of hauling a camper.
The dear composting rest room I reviewed was small and designed for portability, it labored completely for tenting for a number of days and as a backup when a full rest room was not accessible. I had thought-about 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 rest room and whereas it could work I didn’t suppose it could be preferrred.
When Compo Closet reached out to see if I wished to check out their Cuddy Composting rest room, I believed it might 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 assist its clients in dwelling a sustainable and adventurous life-style.
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 Mild 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 transportable. It’s 16.3 inches excessive, 15.1 inches large, and 16.8 inches deep and has stainless-steel hinges that permit 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 together with your chosen medium to begin the composting course of and cut back any odor. It additionally has a carbon filter to eradicate odor and a fan that permits it to be vented outdoors.
The Cuddy is designed for straightforward set up: “Put it down, plug within the energy, and performed!” 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 odor and make disposal simpler. To eliminate the waste you’ll be able to both dump the urine into a bathroom or outhouse or dilute it and put it in your backyard. The strong waste will be composted or thrown right into a rubbish can.
Composting bogs don’t require any chemical compounds, making them environmentally pleasant. The solids container will 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 Mild doesn’t have the agitator so you’ll add some fill after which add extra fill after every use.
The benefits of a composting rest room are that you do not 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 transportable 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 sure that the right valve is on the liquids container. Then you’ll be able to merely place it the place you want to it and start to make use of it. You need to use it in a cabin, a camper, or perhaps a tent. Relying on the place you employ it it’s possible you’ll select to vent the bathroom outdoors or not, directions are supplied 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 dangerous 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 comfy and felt very very similar to sitting on an everyday rest room. The peak is decrease than an ordinary rest room however not extraordinarily low. I poured in water to check out the liquid container. I observed that it was by no means onerous to ship the liquids into the liquid container. The diverter is deep sufficient that it may well 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 provide 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 simple to deal with. There isn’t any want to maneuver the bathroom. It was not troublesome to place a bag over the container and empty it.
My Suggestion
My most important curiosity in a composting rest room was to find out if it could be a superb match for our Fifth-wheel camper transform. We regularly camp in locations the place we depend on the lavatory in our camper and infrequently it may be difficult to discover a dump station. There are additionally instances when the black tank is full and we don’t wish to transfer. I might be proud of the Cuddy in our camper. I discovered it was comfy and straightforward to make use of. Since I didn’t get to try it out on the highway, I learn critiques of others who’ve them and located that individuals didn’t have points with odor and have been proud of the Cuddy.
I appreciated that’s it comfy to make use of and that it’s compact and will be positioned flush with the wall. The diverter was designed properly and works because it ought to. The scale of the Cuddy is massive sufficient that it may be used recurrently with out continuously needing to empty it however not so massive that it may well’t be transportable. It would slot in a cabin, camper, van, and even an possibility 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 learn how to use the bathroom accurately. There’s additionally a Fb group for Cuddy homeowners to debate experiences and Compo Closet workers are energetic on the location offering assist as wanted.
My solely reservation in regards to the Cuddy is that I’m undecided I would like an agitator. I might really feel higher about utilizing a compostable bag to line the solids container. I believe that is solely one thing that I can work out with use. I believe whereas touring I would favor a liner however might 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 instead of the agitator. That method I can use both possibility because it matches my consolation degree.
Have you ever used a composting rest room or would you contemplate one on your van, camper, or rustic cabin? I might love to listen to your ideas. You may try the Cuddy at https://compocloset.com/product/cuddy/
