For this gear review, we got offered the chance to test Cuddy Composting Toilet, I was so excited (it’s a toilet, I know)! Cuddy is a very small composting toilet designed for tiny spaces like vans, boats and other tiny dwellings as well as for camping.
Cuddy separates #1 from #2 so you don’t have to worry about smells or spillage which also makes emptying a breeze.
We tested the Cuddy Composting toilet from Campo Closet on a two month van trip through France and Spain. We are a family of four and three of us are using it, although mostly it’s me and our four year old daughter. We have a baby who is still in diapers/using the potty and dad uses it occasionally, but only for number two’s.
We’re mainly free camping and we like to stay a few nights or weeks in one spot. When there are public toilets we will use them, but often this isn’t the case.
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Product Specifics Of Cuddy Composting Toilet
Dimensions And Capacity
Cuddy is the same size as a medium sized cassette toilet. These are the exact dimensions:
- Height: 16.3 in / 414 mm
- Width: 15.1 in / 384 mm
- Depth: 16.8 in / 427 mm
The weight of an empty Cuddy is 21 lbs / 9.5 kg. The liquids bottle is 1.7 gal / 6.5L and the solids bin 3.9 gal / 14.7L.
Made In USA
Cuddy was created and assembled in the USA with USA and foreign parts. Cuddy is a composting toilet, also called a “Urine Diverting Dry Toilet,” that is made from polypropylene, ABS plastic, stainless steel and anodized aluminum.
How Does Cuddy Work?
Cuddy works by separating #1 from #2 in two different receptacles. It’s the combination of both urine and poop which causes the smell when using other kinds of toilets like cassette toilets.
The urine lands in the liquids bottle which can be easily emptied when full. The number two’s land in the solids container where it’s mixed with composting material to start the composting process.
Composting toilets break down solid waste material through a biological decomposition process. Waste is mixed with a bulking agent such as wood shavings to boost aerobic condition. The warm, moist environment helps to break down the waste into compost material.
You can then dispose of the compost material, which isn’t completely composted yet by the time your solids container will be full, at your compost at home or with the regular waste in a garbage bag.
Agitator
Cuddy’s extending agitator handle lets you turn the contents of the solids bin, helping waste break down quicker by exposing it to oxygen, aerobic bacteria, and carbon-rich material, boosting the composting process each time.
The agitator extends forward 2.62 in / 66.5 mm and is made of marine-grade stainless steel & lightweight anodized aluminum.
Composting Materials
Coco coir, sustainably sourced peat moss, or sawdust are recommend by Cuddy as composting materials. Here is a good quick video on how to rehydrate coco coir.
These materials are all natural and are easy to come by wherever you are located or are traveling.
Does Cuddy Need Power?
Cuddy needs power for the smart LED light indicator (so you know when to empty the liquids bottle) and the internal fan. Here is a video on how to power your Cuddy. It’s very easy to do this and there are many different options for different needs.
The smart LED Light is standard powered with a 9V battery and can be hardwired optionally. The internal fan is 12v hardwired.
LED-Indicator
Cuddy has an LED-indicator integrated in the seat, so you know when to empty the urine bottle. This is necessary, as the liquids bottle is black so you (and others when carrying the bottle around a campsite) can’t see through.
Odor Reduction
Thanks to Cuddy’s internal carbon filter, which is reusable & refillable with inexpensive carbon pellets, Cuddy doesn’t smell. The internal carbon filter is made of polypropylene and can be refilled with carbon pellets from pet stores. This needs to be done every 6 months to 1 year.
Cuddy has an internal fan as well, to help the air circulate inside of the box. There is the option to vent Cuddy externally although this shouldn’t be necessary. We haven’t done this, as we avoid cutting holes in our van whenever possible.
Cuddy Portable Composting Toilet Is Best For …
Cuddy was especially designed for small spaces like vans, cabins, boats and other tiny spaces, as well as for off-grid living and dispersed car camping. It’s great for people who want the comfort of a real toilet while traveling or living off-grid.
What We Love About Cuddy
Cuddy Doesn’t Smell!
So really, what we love the most about Cuddy, is that it really doesn’t smell! The solids don’t smell at all, definitely not like poop, if, then it’s maybe a hint of forest soil. It’s like magic!
The only smell that is sometimes bothering is that of the liquids bottle. The first three weeks it didn’t smell at all. Then it started to smell like urine or ammonia pretty strongly even after we’d just emptied and cleaned the liquids bottle.
So we got the tip to clean the liquids bottle not only with vinegar but mix in some baking soda and vinegar. This made it much better. In one of the Cuddy FB groups I received more recommendations for products, which I will try to find once we’re home again.
But really, Cuddy doesn’t smell!
Cuddy Is Easy To Use
You sit on it like on a normal toilet and pee gets diverted into the liquids bottle. If you need to do a #2, you simply open the flaps and do your business.
Put your used toilet paper into a ziplock bag to avoid toilet paper filling up the solids container and getting wrapped around the agitator.
Then you close the flaps, turn the agitator a few times and spray the flaps and pee bowl with a mixture of water and white vinegar to clean it. I just mix this into an empty spray bottle to keep on hand. That’s it.
Frequency Of Emptying Cuddy
We empty our Cuddy solids container every two to three weeks. The liquids bottle needs emptying every day or latest, every other day. This depends a lot on how much we are out exploring, or if we spend a lot of time close to the van.
Cuddy Is Easy To Empty
Cuddy is very easy to empty. The pee bottle can be emptied in a public toilet, RV dumping station, or if no other choice, diluted into nature. Here is a great blog on where to responsibly empty your composting toilet.
One tip I learned when I emptied the liquids bottle once (because it was pretty full and we had to drive before being able to empty it), is to always empty the liquids bottle with the ring on it. This allows air to enter the bottle while pouring out the pee, and makes the liquids flow steadily, so you won’t get splashed with pee.
The solids container can be emptied on your compost at home or you can easily shake the content into a garbage bag to dispose of it with the regular waste. This video shows the process of emptying your solids container. Be mindful of properly disposing in a closed garbage bag.
Honestly, when I looked at the pretty humid content of our solids container I was a bit skeptical about how that was going to come out of the container easily. I was already imagining myself shovelling out poo…
Nothing like that, it was so much easier than expected! Also, no smell at all, even while handling the solids container. It’s real game changer, definitely if you’ve ever emptied a cassette toilet.
Small Composting Toilet
We have used a cassette toilet before, and so we had this space in our van, which fits a medium sized cassette toilet. Cuddy fits in perfectly! It’s a small, compact and lightweight toilet!
It’s light enough to carry it out of the van for emptying, cleaning or doing your business with a view.
We usually just slide Cuddy out of the storage space and place it in the middle of the van, when we want to use it. At night it stays there for when someone needs to go.
Sustainable – No Chemicals
Cuddy doesn’t require any use of chemicals, it’s all natural. For the liquids bottle you only need some water and a bit of white vinegar to rinse it. The solids container needs some kind of composting material, we use coco coir, nothing else. It doesn’t need to be cleaned after emptying.
Cuteness Stickers
Cuddy comes with two eyes to make it look even cuter:). Our four year old loved to put the stickers on Cuddy, and really likes to use the friendly toilet.
Great Support
Cuddy has two Facebook groups where real users help each other out. There are good YouTube videos made by Cuddy, e-Mails to Cuddy Compocloset get answered pretty quickly and you could also DM them on their Facebook or Instagram account. Another option is to fill out a form on their website.
I’ve experienced very friendly and super efficient help from the Cuddy team and also found some great tips in the Facebook groups. Customer service really is the best!
Comfort For Little Children
Our four year old is rather small and she is happily using Cuddy. She sits on it comfortably and just needs to move a bit back for number two’s and forward for peeing.
It’s a solid toilet and so easy to use that she can do it all by herself. She likes to turn the agitator as well after using Cuddy.
What We Aren’t So Crazy About In Cuddy
Drop-Zone Flaps Issue
When we received our Cuddy, the flaps didn’t close anymore after the first time opening them. I contacted Cuddy and I could quickly fix the issue with this helpful video on how to make the flaps close.
Cuddy offered great support and also let me know that we received a Cuddy from the first batch. This was improved in the next version and isn’t an issue any more.
Moisture Inside of Cuddy
One thing that most Cuddy users experience is the building of moisture inside of Cuddy. This is due to the composting process which produces heat and moisture.
One solution a Cuddy user posted in a FB group is to put two very small tin foil baking trays filled with wood pellets (from the pet shop) inside of the box, on top of the liquids bottle. These absorb the moisture and should be replaced every week or so. It seems to fix the issue, and I definitely want to try it out as soon as we’re able to find these while traveling.
Another option is to vent externally if that’s possible in your situation.
In our version of Cuddy the hinges aren’t made of stainless steel yet, and so they might get rusty when having the moisture issue. That’s why it’s recommended to spray the hinges with WD40 before using it. This video shows you how to take care of the hinges.
All Cuddy’s ordered after August 1, 2023 are upgraded with stainless steel hinges.
Urine Bottle Assembly Kit
This is a kit for older Cuddy’s when you have the problem that the sensor for the liquids bottle isn’t working properly. Again, we got a Cuddy from the first batch, all new Cuddy’s will come with this standard.
This upgrade was done because some users have found that condensation forms inside the bottle and triggers the sensor. The float switch solves that issue.
When I opened Cuddy and went through everything that came with it I was a little confused discovering the Float Switch Kit. It seemed complicated to install. After contacting customer service I learned that it’s not necessary to install it, but it could get useful in the future.
The Cuddys that are currently on stock in Europe are from before this upgrade, so they send everyone the switch in case they have an issue. In the USA this is no longer an issue as all new Cuddys come with it standard.
We found that the sensor for the LED-indicator works fine up till now without the upgrade, as long as you keep the screws on the outside of the liquids bottle (sensor) dry.
The Lid of The Toilet Didn’t Stay Up
We soon figured out that Cuddy’s lid didn’t stay up when we opened it. So when I contacted Cuddy about this issue, they sent me this video with a quick fix to make to lid stay up.
It looks easy to do, but honestly I haven’t come around to do it yet. I just keep forgetting and we hang a kid’s jacket on the back of the lid to keep it open. But I will take care of it soon!
Smell Of The Liquids Bottle
As mentioned before, the only smell that’s sometimes bothering is that of the liquids bottle. The first three weeks it didn’t smell at all. Then it started to smell like urine or ammonia pretty strongly even after we’d just emptied and cleaned the liquids bottle.
So we got the tip to clean the liquids bottle not only with vinegar but mix in some baking soda and white vinegar. This made it much better and super easy to do.
Is Cuddy The Best Portable Toilet?
It was love at first sight. Then we got to know each other better and found out about some little things we didn’t like about Cuddy, no big things though. So we worked on them and could fix them easily with the great support from Cuddy and we fell in love again.
Cuddy stays with us, it’s a real game changer! Cuddy is the best camping toilet we have used so far. It’s small, lightweight yet solid, comfortable, easy to use, empty and clean and most importantly odorless!
We believe Cuddy is great for van life! And I think it’s great for other small spaces as well, just as it would be for dispersed car camping.
Where To Buy Cuddy
Cuddy can be bought on the Cuddy website for your country. There are different websites for the US, Australia and even for different countries within Europe.
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