Waste is a word that explains itself— and few places expose it like the RV life. Whether you’re a dispersed camper or a brand-new glamper, your proximity to nature prompts a change in perspective. Now, to be sure, what that looks like is a little different for every RVer, but what’s certain is that your relationship with nature will have a moral and practical impact on the way you camp. And we think that’s pretty cool.
Living a little in the wild (even if it’s just for a weekend) reminds us why we make the choices we do— even how we do … doo. From cleaners and compost to the products we carry along, it all makes a difference for the environment and (equally important) for our ability to live comfortably in nature’s most beautiful parking spots. So, here are a few eco-friendly essentials that stay evergreen season after season.
Keep Fresh and Clean-Clean
CLEAR2O TankFRESH Water Tank & System Flush
GET FRESH. NO CHLORINE OR BLEACH REQUIRED. Fresh water is the wellspring of human life. No one knows this better than a camper, because your supply is finite—especially when you’re parked far beyond the reach of a full hookup (see Page 45). You need your freshwater to actually be fresh. That precludes weird chemical smells and foul tastes. CLEAR2O TankFRESH is chlorine-free, contains no bleach, and eliminates any olfactory offenders left lurking in your freshwater tank. One gallon treats 100 gallons of capacity and makes sure that your water is safe, drinkable, and nature-friendly.
Gabe’s Pride Everyday Essentials Cleaning Kit
ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE CLEANERS. Your RV’s lack of square footage means every inch gets a lot of traffic. So you need a tough cleaner. But man! Most tough cleaners are full-on chemical factories. Standard cleaners are hard on your hands, rough on your lungs, and burning with harsh chemicals that you don’t want to fill your cabin with. Gabe’s Pride solves all that with environmentally responsible cleaners and commercial-grade cleaning tools that make cleaning easy effective and charmingly fresh. (Their fragrances are even California Prop 65 compliant.) The Everyday Essentials Cleaning Kit gives you the basics to master your entire interior with a multisurface, bathroom, and RV window cleaner, plus microfiber cloths and a shower track/grout brush.
All Seasons Indoor Composter Starter Kit
KEEPING FOOD WASTE OUT OF THE LANDFILL. There are levels of composting. (And no one knows which level is right for you better than … well … you.) But it feels safe to say that we are all left with food scraps—whether that’s from cooking in the galley or those fainting remains of old takeout. Just composting those basics can keep unnecessary food waste away from our overfilled landfills. And, if you’ve got a green thumb going at your campsite, you can nurture your plants with easy-to-access compost tea. Do it all in a bin that takes up just one square foot of space.
Camco RV Pop-Up Recycle Container
YOUR INSTANT RECYCLING BIN. Nature’s best parking spots don’t usually have a recycling bin next to them. Unless you bring yours. Fortunately, the Camco RV Pop-Up Recycle Container makes it easy. Like super easy. It folds down to 2.5 inches tall, so you can store it almost anywhere. And once it pops up, it has dividers for paper, cans, and bottles—which could come in handy if you’re planning a mobile Oktoberfest.
Get Down to Business
The bottom line from the bowl to the black tank
Hinlo Bowl Flushable Toilet Liners
EXPERIENCE A CLEANER TOUCHDOWN. Hinlo Bowl solves two big No. 2 issues: poop stains and splash-back (aka The Kiss of Poseidon). These flushable toilet bowl liners are eco-friendly, biodegradable, and dissolvable. Just place one inside your toilet bowl before you do your business. Then afterward, flush. It’s funny to say, but(t) it’s true: Removing poop stains saves water. It prevents multiple flushes and saves you from spending money on cleaners.
Thetford Porta Potti 365
A COMPACT COMPOSTING TOILET. There are a lot of great composting toilets out there, all depending on how much you want to spend. The Thetford Porta Potti 365 is a great fit for a lot of reasons: price (it’s low), size (fits nicely in a tight space), and ease (for cleaning in a pinch). There are other obvious benefits, too. Saving lots of water is one. The ability to relax in nature when it calls is another.
Valterra Odorlos Holding Tank Treatment
100 PERCENT BIODEGRADABLE AND CALIFORNIA FRIENDLY. Nontoxic and formaldehyde-free, Odorlos has the added benefit of being California-compliant. This is big when you’re looking for a full hookup near the Redwoods National Park (Page 15) or planning a foray into Southern California’s golden autumn (Page 48). Odorlos is 100 percent biodegradable and accelerates the breakdown of tissue and waste, providing naturally occurring bacteria with a continuous supply of the best alternative energy source to pure oxygen— nitrates. But the best part might be the smell: There is none.
Monochem Dyna-Bact Deodorizing Packets
NATURAL TOILET SMELL SAVIORS. Bathroom solutions always sound sticky. But Dyna-Bact has an easy one: If your toilet is stinking up the cabin, toss in a packet and flush. Still, the packet does more than mask an unholy odor. Dyna-Bact digests residue inside of the holding tank cleans waste from tank walls, and reduces environmental contamination. How does it do it? With a super science combo of bacteria and enzymes that work together to smell good.
Foodle Wheat Straw Dinnerware
SUSTAINABLE DINNERWARE-EVER YOU GO. Styrofoam and plastics are some of the worst campsite culprits. Their literal presence can all but sour a perfect spot. Far better to keep a small sustainable set of camping dishes like Foodle Wheat Straw Dinnerware. Stylish and stackable. Light and microwavable. You can kiss Styrofoam— and all its neurotoxins—goodbye.
Bee’s Wrap Beeswax Wraps
PLASTIC WRAP REPLACEMENT. As RVers, we love finding new, innovative ways to do things. And this sustainable replacement for plastic is one of our favorites. Made from organic cotton, beeswax, plant oil, and tree resin, Bee’s Wrap is a durable yet pliable food wrap that can be used over and over. Unlike plastic, it breaks down in compost. But it shines most in use. Prepping for picnics. Saving leftovers for later. Bee’s Wrap keeps it all fresh while cutting down your plastics.
Wilderness RV Mattress
MADE FOR RVS. CERTIFIED FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. Specially designed for RVs, these mattresses are engineered to better regulate temperature and layered to give comfort not normally found in foam beds. They also all carry a CertiPUR-US® certification. That means that each has undergone rigorous testing and an evaluation to meet specific environmental, health, and safety standards. So, no harmful chemicals or ozone depleters. Low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. And the assurance of eco-friendly manufacturing. All so you can sleep better at night.
