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Henry’s Lake State Park, Idaho. Just outside of Yellowstone. 6600’, Lake formed from melted glaciers many thousands of years ago.

EDIT 12/10/23. Useful link: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6720-natures-head-compost-toilet-troubleshooting-user-guide/ EDIT 06/06/23. This is an Oliver factory installation, not mine. One member has assumed that I did this. There are a number of threads asking about this toilet. I hope we can gather up a lot of the talk here in one place. I think there has been one other installation in an Ollie but there have been NO published pictures of any kind, that I have been able to find, even from the factory. This is baffling to me. I really wanted to cut the dump station umbilical. We routinely dry camp and finding an open station during a busy holiday weekend or off season is not something I want to face. With the NH toilet we can get rid of our grey water with a 3/4 inch garden hose. In many western states it is legal and encouraged to run a hose out to a nearby shrub and let your water trickle into the ground. The black tank, drain plumbing and vent system are all completely retained. The factory folks are extremely reluctant to delete these parts, since they are part of their certification. If you wanted to reinstall a regular toilet, it would be a very minor job. The fresh water line is even in place, next to the wall. You could sell the used NH for $400 and that would pay for the replacement conventional RV toilet, with a lot left over. An RV toilet is less than $200.... I chose to charge the base with coconut coir rather than peat moss, since it is a renewable resource and doesn't damage the environment. https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=coconut+coir I made the mistake of just dropping a dry 2 pound brick into the bottom, adding water and then letting it hydrate. I ended up with WAY too much material. You need to do this in a bucket, outside, and then transfer the expanded stuff into the base, and the leftovers into gallon zip bags. The correct height is even with the internal agitator centerline. Any higher and it becomes difficult to turn with the handle. It takes about two gallons, I did not measure. There are many online sources with info. To summarize: Sit to pee, everybody, so there is no splashing. The trapdoor stays closed and your pee goes forward, and then down into the reservoir. Which you pre-treated with a half cup of vinegar, to kill the odor. That part is easy. To poop, open the trapdoor, finish the job, wipe and close the door. Give the agitator handle two or three turns. The poop and paper will decompose rapidly once the natural process gets going, which may take a few days. The fan keeps a steady flow of fresh air into the reservoir and out of the trailer through the existing roof vent. I never noticed any bad odors except the first days, before I figured out that Oliver had installed the wrong fuse, a 1 amp, which had blown. Once I installed the correct fuse (2 to 5 specified, I used 3 amp), the fan worked as designed. The fuse is located in the main distribution panel under the dinette table, right row, bottom position (UN-labeled!). It is best to put only the absolute minimum amount of RV toilet paper into the base. If you put a lot in, it wraps around the agitator and makes it harder to turn. Only stinky paper goes down - the rest (damp with pee) goes into the small covered waste can to be disposed of weekly. The can came from Walmart, $10 I think. Cleaning is simple: spritz the area lightly with a dilute vinegar spray and wipe down with a disposable baby wipe, toss in can. Done. The residual vinegar and wipes control any odor from the can. The pee tank is big but it will fill up faster than you can believe if you have four people using it! Empty when it gets to within an inch or two from the top: Flip the two side latches, carefully rotate the top off the base, remove the pee bottle and cap it. Dump it in any approved location - a pit toilet or a rest stop restroom. Rinse with fresh water a couple of times and recharge with half a cup of vinegar. Reinstall into the toilet and close and latch the top. The pee will eventually form crusty yellow deposits. The fix, I have read, is to add gravel and water and shake it hard, then rinse several times. In two weeks of use I never noticed any significant deposits. The longer you let the poop decompose the better. If you can leave it over the winter, dump it out in the spring and it will be totally benign. If you need to empty it mid-season, remove the pee bottle and vent hose, unscrew the two hold down knobs and lift out the entire unit. Carry it outside and put a 13 gallon or larger trash bag on top, flip it over and empty the compost. Refill with clean coir to the centerline. There is NO need to clean it out. Any residual material will just help the next batch get started. The organic waste you can double bag and put in the trash, or if fully decomposed, it can be spread out in the woods, but not near a potable water supply or garden. The way to keep the smell in control is to keep the pee out of the main reservoir. It's the urine that makes a pit toilet smell so bad.... If you throw up or have a messy poop, you can add a little more fresh coir to help absorb the extra fluids. I keep a gallon bag of the hydrated stuff in the overheard cabinet (along with a quart of vinegar) and haven't had to add any extra. The fan has a dust filter that is supposed to be checked every few weeks, by removing two Philips screws. I think that is way too often in the clean environment of a fiberglass trailer, unless you have a dog that sheds. You can put your hand over the left (inlet) opening and feel a light suction. If that isn't present, you need to clean the filter. The pee bottle sits in a sealed cavity to catch overflows, This is a problem since when you take a shower, a bunch of fresh water gets trapped there. I intend to drill a couple of small drain holes in the bottom. I don't care if the pee bottle overflows onto the floor of the head, at least that way I will notice it! unless it is dark, and I am barefooted.... that would be bad 😉 This is why you want to empty the tank before it gets too close to the top. Agitator handle: ours fell off right away, the shaft has a set screw with lock nut. It is very easy to tighten correctly. I am not sure why the factory guy couldn't do it successfully. Spares: I intend to purchase a spare pee tank ($40), spare lids, and a fan.I already have extra 3 amp fuses. ... http://store.natureshead.net I intend to wire in a small LED in the wire harness to show that the fan has power. You can probably hear it running, faintly, if you are in a very quiet area and don't have bad tinnitus, as I do. The Nature's Head is a cool device, but it is really just a fancy bucket. A solidly built, very expensive bucket. I wish the price were about $250 instead of $800. That seems about right for what you get. OTH it is very rugged, and long time users seem to love it. My wife still has some reservations about using it, and we need to get a short step stool since it sits so much higher than even a tall toilet. This one might work well, and it might fit in close to the base with a bungee cord around it for travel: .... https://www.squattypotty.com/shop/poop-better/classic-ecco I am still learning, but I have no regrets at this time. Questions? John Davies Spokane WA

Joseph is a very cool little town way back in the boonies of NE Oregon. Getting around takes lots time since there is the Eagle Cap Wilderness to the south and Hells Canyon to the east. The roads can be lumpy and tight and always have ferocious elevation changes. https://josephoregon.com/ Joseph is affluent, and nearby Wallowa Lake and the state park at the south end draw lots of visitors in summer. The lake area is highly developed with beaches, boats, aerial tramway to the top, and even a back country outfitter where you can ride a horse far away and far up..... the main street is very attractive, with bronze statuary everywhere because there is an art foundry in town (tours daily). You can buy your own statues, I saw one that was going for $147,950..... LOL. I did say “affluent”. It closely resembles the best Colorado ski resorts without the altitude or skiing... elevation is 4200 ft, the mountains go to around 10,0000 ft. The 5 Peaks RV park is privately owned and on a quiet dead end street two blocks from the downtown stores and a quarter mile from the foundry. Six blocks away you can board a free shuttle bus that goes to nearby attractions. Full hookups, high speed wifi, cable tv, no restroom or showers. $40 per night. There are five older heavily shaded sites like this (ours is number 4) and five brand new ones in full sun. This is what greets you as you drive up. .... Two days ago we drove up into the Blue Mts near Walla Walla to a spectacular fire lookout on Table Rock .... .... tomorrow we are driving to Inmaha Oregon and Hat Point Lookout on the west edge of Hells Canyon, 6500 ft above the Snake River. “Mouse” stays at home base for these side trips, they are far too rough, rutted, and brushy, and passing another vehicle while towing could be impossible. The days are long, the speeds low, and services are nonexistent. What fun....! John Davies Spokane WA

Just got back home with the Ollie and may post some of our thoughts on the ollie later but initial thoughts on the navigator was that it worked like a champ. Towing the ollie from Hohenwald, TH, to Greenville ,SC ( 450ish miles with some stops over three days to test out the Ollie) it did very well even across the mountains. For the most part it was hard to remember it was back there it was so smooth. I think that is helped by the anderson hitch as I do not think it was tightened enough for one short leg of the trip and I had a bit of bounce but once I got the hang of setting it up it was very smooth. Ascending hills was barely an inconvenience as the tow haul mode did its job fantastically, on the last leg we had an issue with the tow/haul mode indicator not lighting so I am not 100% sure it was engaged and I had to do a little manual downshifting on a 2-3 mile long 6% grade with one brake push as well but that was it. So I am very happy with the navigator as a tow vehicle so far. I had it on the adaptive cruise control for 90% of the trip and I got about 20ish MPG on the way out and about 14.5 on the way back with the ollie. It was better then I had expected given the hilly terrain and at that MPG you have about a 350 mile range with the 26 Gallon take ours has. I expect it would be a bit more through say nebraska. Comfort wise I think the Navigator is also top notch and I think the vehicle weight is a big plus for feeling safe while towing and heck just driving in general it hugs the road wonderfully. So far the 20 inch tires have been very good, but I think if we were going to do more boondocking we may swap them out for something smaller and more aggressive but so far I have never felt like the tire have slipped no matter what we have done with or without the Ollie. So that my initial impressions on the Lincoln navigator as a tow vehicle

We do the best we can to keep these spammers in check. We’ve been deleting these users and their posts all week. If a spam post is reported the moderators get an email so we’ll know to jump on the forum and clean things up. Mike

No, they definitely aren't. But sometimes the spammers work as hard at posting as the moderators do at deleting. This afternoon has been particularly difficult, so we appreciate your patience as we deal with it. If you do see any spam on the boards, please click the report button so that the moderators are notified. We have several moderators and admins, but there are still gaps when none of us are on line, and so sometimes a dedicated spammer can get several posts in before we notice and can delete the account and posts. Reported posts get emailed to us, so if the posts are reported by members, one of us is likely to see it and quickly get the posts removed. Of course, we like to think that we get most of the spam taken down before anyone notices.

Since I was taking some inside photos today, I thought I'd snap a few to add to this thread. Plus I'll add some that I've posted in other threads recently. Here's how we organize all our drawers: Top right, we use an expandable cultery tray from OXO - I cut out some pieces of a stiff felt liner from Ikea to put in each of the compartments, which cushions the utensils and helps keep the tray from getting marred - In the middle two and bottom left, we use a different OXO tray, with the same felt lining as above - Then on the bottom right, we keep two cutting boards, place mats, coasters, towels, etc., so no need for any organizer - For the nightstand drawer, I used the excellent trick that Bill came up with. But instead of the aluminum angle, I added some adjustable shelf pegs to the drawer, and then stuck some thick felt on the sides of the insert to both center it and keep it from sliding around. Then I placed a similar 10 x 16 tray in the bottom, also with some felt pads to keep it in place. Man, now I know where all the lip balm and sharpies end up. I added two wire organizers to the pantry door (glued some 1 x 2 PVC to the door to give some extra depth and something to screw to.). Unfortunately I can't find these exact items on Amazon now to link to - We added storage nets galore, and these are incredibly handy - In the pantry, I added a stainless plate from Amazon, to which I attached a small box from Ikea (discontinued) to use as a spice shelf. (The box slides under the pantry shelf when closed to keep the contents from bouncing out.). A bungee across the very top on the inside holds a folding drying mat perfectly. The boxes are Sterilite Clip Boxes, medium and small, which you can get on Amazon or at Target. They're the best fitting that I've found so far. On our last trip, I had trouble finding stuff to fill them. The light in the pantry is a Luminoodle Click. By the way, I buy bungee stuff from www.hookandcord.com. I asked for the cabinet instead of the microwave/convection oven, and we keep a toaster oven there, plus I made a shelf for plates and bowls - Some hooks by the door are always handy - As are some flashlights - Over the kitchen, I found these boxes for glassware, mini bar, etc. They're another discontinued item, but if you want to find something similar, they're 6.25"w x 11.5"d x 5"h. We keep out the two or three pans from our Magma set that we use all the time, while the rest stays in their storage bag. I lined the back of all our upper cabinets with the same stiff felt from Ikea that I used on the drawers (they had them on closeout sale, so I bought them out.) Like with the drawers, it keeps things from marring the fiberglass, plus I think it looks a lot better - The bath cabinet stays stuffed, but these boxes from Ikea help to keep it somewhat organized. I covered the back of the door with black vinyl to protect the mirrored surface - In the back of the attic, I put another storage net to hold books in place, and then in front of that, we keep camp chairs and other small items that get unloaded at the camp site. The rest is filled with electronics. -

I'm loading up our trailer for the first trip of the season. This will be the twelfth season for the Target bathroom organizers that I use in the kitchen. Those suction cups have held up really well, but may have to replace the cups next year. We keep flashlights by the bed, and by the door, on velcro. Sherry

In the spirit of keeping this thread going, here are a couple more random ideas I've found useful. We had remotes everywhere until I put this wasted horizontal surface to use! Velcro dots keep them in place when the tv is down. We're on the move quite a bit and at each new location I pick up as much info as I can to plan our time there. All that paper ended up stacked on the table. This simple little file holder mounted out of the way under the dinette table keeps the current info handy without clutter. It can also hold a charging laptop, again freeing up the table surface. When you're living in a small space little things like this can make a big difference?

Love Mossemi's shoe idea! Our shoes are kept in covered bins tucked under the trailer next to the front door. Clothing storage was one of my worries in the planning stages as well. In addition to the packing cubes inside, we started out with a fairly large bin each in the back of the truck full of clothes we thought we might want. Over time, that extra stash has dwindled down to one shared smaller bin. It helps that we're pretty much chasing the sun and warm weather clothes don't take up as much room.

Mike - No problem with any of my pictures unless they make me look really stupid! Bill

Excellent ideas, thanks!

GrumbleandTwist, I think I've got your photos corrected. Let me know if they're right. Great idea on the dirty clothes hamper by the way.

This one appears to have been dropped from my last post. These are stacking bins for produce in the cubby next to the pantry.

Spike, I was the one who posted about Kodachrome State Park. After my post, Phil Andrews from OTT contacted me and I wrote a story on Kodachrome State Park that appeared in the Oliver Newsletter. Kodachrome State Park is a great park, and close to Bryce Canyon. They take reservations, so it may be hard to get a spot in a couple of weeks. I think some Utah State Parks have some campsites set aside for first come first serve use. We have stayed at a great NFS campground nearby called Red Canyon, which is about ten miles west of the cut off road to Bryce. There is also a great protected bike path in this area that follows Highway 12. A distance rurther northeast on Highway 12 near Boulder is the Calf Creek BLM Campground, and it is very nice. The campgrounds in Zion NP and Arches NP are really nice. They take reservations, so it could be difficult for you. The campground in Bryce NP is not so good, but Kodachrome SP and Red Canyon NFS are nearby. The campground in Capitol Reef NP is very nice; it used to be completely first come first serve, but I just looked at the Capitol Reef NP webpage and it says now most campsites can be reserved. but a few remain first come first serve. In Canyonlands the Willow Flat Campground in the Island in the Sky is all first come first serve. The Squaw Flat Campground at The Needles section of Canyonlands NP has part reserved and part is first come first serve. The area around Moab, near Arches and Canyonlands has a lot of BLM land with great free campsites, as well as BLM campgrounds. Mike mentioned Horsethief BLM campground, which is really nice. We like the BLM campgrounds near Moab along the Colorado River. The only amenities are pit toilets, a fire ring, and a picnic table. There are also good BLM sites near Capitol Reef NP. There is a great book on boondocking sites in Utah that I posted info about HERE. The authors also have a guide to Arizona. My sister camped last year with her Casita at Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, and raved about it, so we made reservations to camp there later this month. Other Utah State Parks that are supposed to be nice include the aforementioned Snow Canyon State Park, Sand Hollow State Park, Goblin Valley State Park, and Quail Creek State Park. Goblin Valley State Park is high on our list, but we have not been there yet. I have heard mixed reviews about Coral Pink Dunes State Park; beautiful scenery, but some people are turned off by all of the ATV activity. That is a good plan. Many of the Utah State Parks have water-electric sites, but those parks tend to reserve first. Maybe you could reserve commercial hook up campgrounds for the weekends, and use state or national parks or BLM land for mid week. There are a lot of commercial places in Moab. We stayed at Wonderland RV Park in Torrey, near Capitol Reef NP, and it was nice. There is a good thread on the Airstream Forum that maybe useful. Our last trip to Zion was two years ago while our Oliver was being built. We checked out the campground right next to the entrance, Zion Canyon Campground, and it looked AWFUL. Closely packed rigs with hardly any space for a picnic table. I have heard good things about Zion River Resort Camp, which is about 15 miles west of Zion NP. We have learned to be advance planners, and we have a campsite booked at Zion's Watchman campground during October. If you head south from Moab, the dispersed camping on BLM land in the Valley of the Gods is the prettiest campsite I have ever found. Info HERE. We then stayed at Gouldings, a nice commercial RV park near Monument Valley. Finally, since you are focused on Highway 12, among my collected bookmarks is a guide from Roadtrippers on Highway 12. I will send you a PM with the dates we are visiting Escalante Petrified Forest State Park and Zion NP, and maybe we can meet up. While we are not musicians, we appreciate music!

We too have been to Snow Canyon and "second" the recommendation. It really is not very far from St. George. The hiking/biking is great. Don't miss the lava caves but don't try to go in. Also, if you are poking around St. George - ask about the dinosaur tracks just north of town near the water tower. Its probably a little more built up compared to the last time we were there, but, you go to the water tower, park and then just walk 100 yards or so to the north to an old dry river bed. Start walking along this river bed to the east and you will shortly start to see the tracks. Hopefully it has not been commercialized in that it made us feel as though we were discovering these for the first time. Bill

Starting in the Southwest corner, Snow Canyon SP, stayed there a couple years ago, midsummer 110° temps, you can do full hookups or one of the outlier spots with nothing, look from Google satellite. It's just west of St George and the rocks and overall area is great for exploring. It was interesting, on one of our walks, we saw, at a very long distance, telephoto lens, a local "dragon" lizard thing, I don't remember what it was called, when we were explaining/asking the park ranger about it she said we must have been mistaken about what we were describing, so I showed her the video of what I'd captured after which she asked for a copy because they had never had any record of them behaving like that and wanted to forward it all the way up the chain for their research.

I don’t have any suggestions for RV camping, but if you are at all interested in 4wd roads the White Rim Road in Canyonlands is beyond stunning. Camping is allowed, but only in a dozen designated spots and you can’t tow an Ollie. You could camp near Moab, rent a Wangler, and drive the best part of the White Rim, the east half (out and back) in a day. A stock 4wd shortbed pickup with good clearance (not a Chevy) could do this part, no problem, but a raised suspension and tough tires are best. This is our old Series 80 LX450... good memories. https://www.nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/whiterimroad.htm If you get further northwest in your travels, Great Basin NP is stunning and very uncrowded. Most people have never even heard of it. It is 100 miles north of Lake Meade right at the border in Nevada. There are a number of typical forested USFS campgrounds along the 5000 ft drive to the top, but Wheeler Peak CG at nearly 10,000 feet is the one to visit. It can be really breezy that high up and there is risk of snow. Nearby Wheeler Glacier (13,000 ft) is the southernmost glacier in North America. Lots of golden aspen this time of year. Remote. Gorgeous rugged alpine scenery. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Basin_National_Park John Davies Spokane WA

When we visited Moab last year we stayed at Horsethief BLM campground. They have 60 sites, no reservations. We were there last September driving from Mesa Verde, CO and arrived around noon. We had our choice of campsites. It’s just outside of Moab in between Canyonlands and Arches NP’s. Nice level gravel pads, picnic table. No hookups. Very clean vault toilets. $15. We would stay there again. Mike

John, Did you have a shower curtain installed? I can't quite tell by the photos. I'm considering doing that as a way to help ensure the toilet stays dry. But in reading through other threads about shower curtains, it seems like the water doesn't really spray every where and I could go either way and still be okay with the composting toilet. I didn't quite understand it on your first set of photos but then when you told me where specifically to look for water collecting, I understood it much better. That's when I started wondering if a shower curtain would eliminate the issue altogether. For me, the down side of the shower curtain is the aesthetic. All the photos I've seen with them seems like the shower curtain kind of over runs the tiny little room. I'm on the fence about this add-on.

This would work, but IMHO it adds unnecessary complication. If you were full timing, it might be beneficial. but it isn't hard to empty the tank manually. There might be problems with hard crusty deposits forming in the drain line. I am not sure if you could chemically remove those periodically. The deposits that form in the tank require some hard scrubbing, using a handful of gravel, some water, and shaking vigorously is a common method. You can't do that with a small drain hose. A composting toilet is definitely a different kind of system compared to a regular RV toilet and tank... John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks for the kind words. See the second picture down from the top of Page 1. There is a significant lip around the seat part, under the lid, that keeps shower water out. You are correct, you want to keep the compost damp, but not drippy wet. Unfortunately, as I noted, there is nothing to keep shower water out of the hollow that the pee tank sits in. So when you are done washing, you can either leave that water sitting there, lift out the tank and dry the parts, or drill a couple of holes in the bottom of the receptacle .... NOT the pee tank itself, LOL. I plan to do the latter, but I keep forgetting. I suppose that you could fabricate a rubber seal around the top, but that might make removing and reinstalling the tank harder. John Davies Spokane WA

If you read those articles I linked to and talk to people who have these, it doesn't seem quite so alien. My wife had pretty major reservations, but she has come to accept it, if not exactly embrace the idea... ;) It truly is nastier dealing with raw sewage and the big stinky hose. If your husband is doing that job, then good for you. But if you have to do it yourself, you will soon understand that it is unpleasant at the best of times, and potentially VERY nasty if there is a spill, backed up drain, or ripped hose.... Dealing with soapy water from the grey tank is painless and odor free. Composting toilets have truly revolutionized toilets in cruising boats. They are starting to catch on in RVs. There is a steep learning curve, to get past the initial wierdness. John Davies Spokane WA

I think that I would just go back to the Tee, which should be inside the vanity, then just pull the Tee off and put a coupling straight in to the bathroom faucet. Then just blow the now empty toilet line out once and forget about it.

A teak mat won't be enough for a height challenged individual. My wife is 5'6" and she wants at least five or six inches of lift. At 6' I can get on OK but it is a stretch. I think the stool I linked to would work fine and take up minimal space when stored up against the base, with a bungee going to the two base knobs during travel. Purty it ain't, does that really matter? You can go with a purty conventional toilet, and admire the sleek lines, and then contemplate and smell your gross 3 inch Stinky Slinky and the nasty stuff coming out the end every time you dump..... your choice ;) The fan only uses about an amp, max. I would not bother with dumping before storage, but I keep my trailer in a conditioned RV bay, aka The Hanger Deck, and plugged in all the time. You would not want the parts to freeze more than ocassionally, especially if full. For outdoor storage in a freezing climate the head should be decommissioned in the Fall and unplugged. Useful links: https://theboatgalley.com/our-composting-toilet/ The coconut coir I use: ... https://www.amazon.com/Planters-Pride-RZP3041-11-Pound-Beats/dp/B004HLSL7W/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1464718104&sr=8-1&keywords=beats+peat&linkCode=sl1&tag=theboagal0a-20&linkId=07579bfa2f7cd988a4f0550e9448ab6d John Davies Spokane WA