Van Life: From trend to lifestyle. More and more people choose to go into nature.
The attractiveness of van life – whether long-term or even just for holidays or weekend trips – is obvious to many of its fans. Instead of having to plan months in advance, as is the case with other trips, you can get right in, drive off and leave the grey daily routine behind you immediately.
Travelling with children also gives them valuable experiences in nature, which they often have less and less opportunity to do these days. And travelling with four-legged friends is also much easier to do with van life than with more traditional holidays. Furthermore, travelling in a van is considered to be particularly sustainable and has many supporters, not least because of this. However, very few people are aware that if done incorrectly, you can actually cause unintentional harm to the environment. Below we have therefore compiled the most important dos and don’ts on the subject of sustainability and van life.
Aside from the hard-to-avoid CO2 emissions caused by fuel consumption, a holiday or even a long-term stay at a campsite or van life goes along extremely well with a sustainable lifestyle – and is also far more environmentally friendly than long-haul flights or even a package tour on a cruise ship! The following fact-check will show you exactly how this works.
Minimalism: Even if you don’t aim for maximum sustainability in your van – living in a van almost forces you to adopt a sustainable lifestyle, because space constraints mean you have to limit yourself to the essentials and, compared to an 80m² apartment, you already save a lot of resources without really having to take action in terms of sustainability.
Consumer behaviour: The manageable size of the living space in a van also means that you inevitably have to adapt your consumer behaviour. In contrast to conventional ways of living, there is no danger of falling into the usual consumer behaviour, which regularly tempts us to embellish our beloved home here and there with a new armchair or the latest Ikea lamp. The calculation is simple: what is not bought does not have to be re-produced and thus saves resources.
Water and energy consumption: Similar to the question of space, the same applies here: What is only available in limited quantities is used more consciously and above all more economically. In a normal household you have permanent and unlimited access to water. In a van the opposite is true, which automatically leads you to use less water. The same applies to heating. If you are travelling in a van in winter, you may need an independent heater. But: the energy for this can be generated by a second battery, which is charged by the van’s alternator during the journey, or by solar panels.
Waste reduction: vrom low-waste to zero-waste – van life or even life on a parking lot makes it quite easy to avoid waste as much as possible compared to a conventional life in an apartment or house. For example, food in a compact van refrigerator is not in danger of being forgotten in some hidden corner, as is often the case, whereupon it usually ends up in the trash can. Those who want to improve their waste balance even more, after all, simply do without the known culprits. That means: plastic in all kinds and forms. Use cloth bags instead of plastic bags, exchange the to-go cup for your own (you always have it with you in the van anyway), do without straws, etc. Furthermore, many plastic products can be replaced by natural alternatives. The conventional plastic toothbrush, for example, with one made of bamboo, which is biodegradable and, unlike its plastic counterpart, does not sit around for hundreds of years or turn into microplastic. DIY enthusiasts can also make their own cosmetics and care products and thus firstly have control over the ingredients used, and secondly can reduce further packaging waste.
Nature conservation rules: Rules of nature conservation or rules of conduct serve to protect the local flora and fauna and should always be followed. Even if some of them may seem exaggerated, a local expert has always thought about them and has drawn up the rules mainly as a result of (nature-damaging) precedents. A campfire in the wrong place does not necessarily lead directly to a forest fire, but can be disturbing to native animals in sensitive phases, such as breeding periods. The same applies to dogs running free. So if you are serious about sustainability, in these cases you should accept a slight restriction on the newly won freedom of your van life and take into account all applicable nature conservation rules.
Toilet choice: If you generally choose not to have an on-board toilet in your own van, you will reduce your consumption of resources, as many models require water and electricity. At the same time, however, you also lose a large portion of comfort, which becomes unpleasantly noticeable at night, in case of illness or bad weather. If you are forced to leave the van under such circumstances, it can be very unpleasant. Thus, choosing not to have a toilet in your the van is not necessarily recommendable, even if there might be one or two hardened vanlifers who have come to terms with the absence of a toilet. In the following we will therefore do a detailed fact-check on which toilet variants are suitable for van life and how they perform in terms of sustainability.
In principle, there are two toilet variants that can be used as an on-board toilet in a van or motor home: chemical toilets and dry toilets.
Chemical toilets in their most basic form are quite inexpensive to purchase and are still installed as standard in many motorhomes. However, this circumstance should not inspire false confidence in the customer!
Although chemical toilets do their job relatively reliably, in that they stop the decomposition of urine and faeces and thus prevent odour formation to a certain extent, all this happens at a high price, which our environment ultimately pays. Because of the chemical substances used, these toilets must not be emptied in nature under any circumstances, but only at specially equipped disposal facilities. However, even if the contents of your chemical toilet are disposed of correctly, they still have to be defused” or reconditioned at great expense. Chemical toilets may seem practical at first glance, but due to the chemical substances used, they are real sustainability killers and therefore not recommended.
Composting toilets have the great advantage that they do not require any water supply at all, and in some cases even no electricity, which places them high up on the sustainability scale. In addition, contrary to some persistent clichés, they reliably prevent the formation of odours and are only dependent on the use of litter, which is added to the waste, or the removal of air. Disposing of the contents of a dry toilet is also easy to reconcile with a sustainable lifestyle: urine collected separately can be diluted with water and used as fertiliser or disposed of in a permanent toilet. If you are travelling with a van, of course you don’t have a flower bed with you that would benefit from this fertiliser. But the message is clear: urine mixed with water can be used for the good of nature. Although the solid waste container requires a collection bag, this does not have to be made of plastic – it is also available in a biodegradable version. Thus, the use of a dry toilet allows you to deal with your leftovers in the most sustainable way.
When developing our TROBOLO BilaBlœm and TROBOLO IndiBlœm models, the special requirement was to design particularly compact composting toilets that can also be used in rooms with minimal space. With our TROBOLO WandaGO, we have even topped this development.
The TROBOLO WandaGO is a fully-fledged composting toilet, coupled with the advantages of a conventional camping toilet. Because what is more important than comfort in mobile use or in van life? That’s right, weight! And this is exactly where the TROBOLO® WandaGO comes in, leaving many competing products far behind. No other composting toilet combines sustainability and independence with lightness, compactness and robustness as well as this model. At just 4.7kg, it’s like a flyweight and, at 31 x 38 x 34 cm (H x D x W), it can be stored in every nook and cranny in no time at all.
Once you’ve settled on our wooden design, the weight of the toilet is more or less irrelevant. No problemo. These two wooden models are just as suitable for your trip on wheels, even if they weigh a little more.
The TROBOLO IndiBlœm is a mobile composting toilet with litter in the usual TROBOLO quality. Thanks to its waterless function, you are not dependent on any connections and the integrated and reliably working separation system reduces odours to a minimum! Furthermore, the TROBOLO IndiBlœm is characterised by its low weight and very compact design. Two practical transport handles also enable a change of location in no time at all. Thanks to the integrated spill-stop mechanism, safe and hygienic mobile use is guaranteed at all times, even if you are travelling off the beaten track. This makes the TROBOLO IndiBlœm ideal for use in mobile homes, minivans or even sailing boats!
The TROBOLO BilaBlœm is a permanently installed composting toilet, which meets the special requirements of motorhomes and caravans thanks to an efficient electrical exhaust system and an external urine drain. The highly energy-efficient exhaust air system, whose integrated USB port also offers flexible connection options (12V, 24V or 230V), eliminates odours completely and reliably! The external urine drain can be easily connected to the existing grey water tank of the motorhome or caravan. You are thus spared any additional urine disposal and emptying the solids container is simple and hygienic, as you are used to from our TROBOLO composting toilets. The installation kit included in the package contents also enables the TROBOLO BilaBlœm to be firmly screwed to the wall or floor of the motorhome. This guarantees that the TROBOLO BilaBlœm can be used comfortably and conveniently at all times – even while driving!
In direct comparison with other toilet variants for vans and motor homes, dry toilets therefore make a significantly higher contribution to sustainability than chemical toilets. Due to the chemicals used, the latter are also anything but sustainable and a direct burden on nature.
Finally, when it comes to sustainability, it is always important to remember that sustainability does not begin with the use of a sustainable product (here: a dry toilet), but rather with its production. TROBOLO dry toilets meet all the criteria for sustainable use of resources. At TROBOLO we are firmly committed to sustainable business and have made this our company philosophy. The wood for our composting toilets comes from FSC®-certified forestry. We treat all our employees and suppliers fairly and are guided by the highest level of quality awareness in every step of work and production.
This credo ultimately enables us to offer our customers a long-lasting, sustainably and fairly produced quality product – not only for indoor and outdoor use, but now also for your van, motorhome or Tiny House.
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If you own a garden or an allotment, you probably know the problem – sanitary facilities haven’t been installed or aren’t even legally permitted. On this page, you’ll find out how you don’t have to do without a comfortable toilet solution in your garden or allotment despite this. Here, you’ll find everything you need to know about garden toilets.
Read moreBelow you will find information on functionality, areas of application as well as advantages and disadvantages of dry toilets.
Read moreDIY culture has gained more and more followers in recent years and has conquered practically all areas of everyday life. Composting toilets are also part of the growing group of popular DIY projects. Reason enough for us to follow this trend and introduce you to the do-it-yourself possibilities of our odourless TROBOLO composting toilets.
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BegrepenThe TROBOLO LuweBlœm is delivered ready for use and can be used completely odour-free in combination with litter thanks to the separation system. This option is optimal for occasional use, for example at the weekend.
The TROBOLO LuweBlœm incl. natural exhaust system is also used in combination with litter. This option is recommended if you want to use your TROBOLO regularly but there is no electricity connection at the place of use. This option allows you to discharge moisture and residual odours to the outside in a natural way without electricity.
The TROBOLO LuweBlœm incl. electric exhaust system is the ideal solution for regular use, provided a power connection is available. The electric exhaust system effectively and power-savingly conducts moisture and residual odours outside via an exhaust pipe at the rear of the TROBOLO, so that the use of litter is not necessary.
The TROBOLO LuweBlœm incl. electric exhaust system with exhaust pipe set is ideal for regular use in a place with electricity. The electric exhaust system effectively directs moisture and residual odours to the outside via an up to 2m long exhaust pipe, which can be flexibly directed upwards or to the side. The use of litter is not necessary with this option.
The TROBOLO TeraBlœm can be used completely odour-free in combination with litter thanks to the separation system. This option is optimal for occasional use, for example at the weekend.
The TROBOLO TeraBlœm incl. natural exhaust system is also used in combination with litter. This option is recommended if you want to use your TROBOLO regularly but there is no electricity connection at the place of use. This option allows you to discharge moisture and residual odours to the outside in a natural way without electricity.
The TROBOLO TeraBlœm incl. electric exhaust system is the ideal solution for regular use, provided a power connection is available. The electric exhaust system effectively and power-savingly conducts moisture and residual odours outside via an exhaust pipe at the rear of the TROBOLO, so that the use of litter is not necessary.
The TROBOLO TeraBlœm incl. electric exhaust system with exhaust pipe set is ideal for regular use in a place with electricity. The electric exhaust system effectively directs moisture and residual odours to the outside via an up to 2m long exhaust pipe, which can be flexibly directed upwards or to the side. The use of litter is not necessary with this option.
The optional 2 litre paint set includes 1 litre of paint in the colour of your choice, 1 litre of paint in white, two brushes for easy application and two pairs of gloves. With the high-quality water-based paint, you can design the wooden surfaces of your TROBOLO according to your own wishes, while the natural grain of the wood is still preserved. In addition, the paint serves to impregnate the surface and thus protects the wood naturally and reliably from moisture penetration.
You will receive your TROBOLO with unoiled surfaces, so that you can carry out an individual surface treatment. For optimum protection of your TROBOLO, it is advisable to apply a water-repellent coating, for example with our natural oil or paint set.
With this option, you receive your TROBOLO pre-treated with already impregnated surfaces, so that you can use it immediately. Our high-quality natural oil is used for the impregnation, which provides optimum protection and preserves the natural wood grain.