The Nature's Head composting toilet is the most popular dry toilet for campervan conversions in the UK. It's expensive (£350-450), but it solves the biggest problem with cassette toilets: finding a place to empty them.
This review covers whether the Nature's Head is worth the money, how it works, and what UK van lifers actually think after a year of use.
How It Works
The Nature's Head separates liquids from solids. Urine goes into a front tank (2.3L). Solids drop into a rear compartment (7.3L capacity) where you add a scooper of coco coir or peat moss after each use. The urine is poured down a normal toilet or into a bush (diluted). The solids are emptied into a compost bin or general waste every 3-6 weeks.
No chemicals. No water. No cassette. No finding an Elsan point.
The Good
No Cassette Emptying Drama
This is the main reason people buy a Nature's Head. With a cassette toilet, you carry a 20L tank of chemical-infused waste to a disposal point. If you're wild camping, that means finding a campsite, service station, or public Elsan point. They exist but they're not always convenient.
With the Nature's Head, you empty urine at any public toilet (or into the ground, diluted, away from water sources) and solids go in a compostable bag in the general waste. No special infrastructure needed.
No Odour (If Set Up Correctly)
A properly maintained Nature's Head has less odour than a cassette toilet. The urine goes into a sealed tank. The solids are separated and dry. The fan (12V, 0.05A) pulls air through the solids compartment and vents it outside, creating negative pressure that prevents smells from entering the van.
The key: The 12V fan must be running whenever someone is in the van. If the fan stops (battery dies, fan fails), the toilet will smell within 48 hours.
One Year Between Full Empties
The solids compartment takes 3-6 weeks to fill for a full-time user. The urine tank needs emptying every 2-4 days (depending on your hydration). The solids go in a compostable bag that goes in the general waste bin — no different from throwing away a nappy.
Build Quality
The Nature's Head is made in the USA from marine-grade materials. The plastic is thick and UV-resistant. The lid is a proper toilet seat (not flimsy). The separating insert is a single piece of polypropylene — easy to clean. It's built to last 10+ years.
The Not-So-Good
The Price
Nature's Head is £350-450 in the UK (from Amazon UK or Leisure Plus). A basic cassette toilet (Thetford C200) is £150-200. You're paying double for the composting system.
Is it worth it? If you wild camp 50%+ of the time and don't have easy access to Elsan points, yes. If you mostly use campsites with facilities, the Thetford is cheaper and not much worse.
The Size
The Nature's Head is tall (50cm). In a standard Transit Custom with a 1.76m interior height, the toilet takes up a significant footprint. It also needs access to the side for the urine tank to slide out. You can't put it in a tight cupboard.
Minimum installation space: 40cm wide × 45cm deep × 55cm tall (with clearance for the vent hose and urine tank removal).
The Vent
The Nature's Head must be vented to the outside. The kit includes a 75mm hose that you route through the van floor or wall to the exterior. This requires drilling a 75mm hole through your van's structure — not a decision to take lightly.
The vent also has to be as short as possible (under 2 metres, ideally) because the 12V fan is not powerful enough to pull air through a long hose. If your toilet is more than 1.5 metres from the nearest exterior wall, the vent won't work effectively and the toilet will smell.
Winter Use
In winter, the coco coir in the solids compartment can freeze if the van sits below 0°C for more than 12 hours. The frozen coir doesn't absorb moisture properly, and the toilet gets wet and smelly. You need to insulate around the toilet or keep the van above 5°C.
The urine tank also freezes (it's a small volume of liquid). If the tank is full and frozen, you can't slide it out. Keep the van heated.
UK-Specific Considerations
Where to Buy
| Supplier | Price | Stock |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon UK | £380-450 | Usually in stock |
| Leisure Plus | £350-400 | Variable |
| CAK Tanks | £360-420 | Seasonal |
| eBay UK | £300-400 | Used/second-hand |
Second-hand market: Nature's Heads hold their value well. A used one (2-3 years old) sells for £200-300. The plastic cleans up well. Only buy from a non-smoking household (the plastic absorbs smells).
Disposal in the UK
Urine: You can pour urine down any public toilet. In the countryside, dilute 10:1 with water and pour on the ground away from water sources — it's sterile.
Solids: Put them in a compostable bag (Brabantia or similar) and dispose of in general waste. Some councils accept compostable waste in green bins. Check your local council rules.
Coco coir: Available at UK garden centres (B&Q, Homebase) or Amazon. A 10L brick expands to 40L and costs £5-8. It lasts 6-12 months. Coco coir is better than peat moss (sustainable, doesn't clump as much).
Alternatives
| Toilet | Price | Type | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thetford C200 | £150-200 | Cassette | Cheap, compact, widely available | Need Elsan points, chemicals cost |
| Dometic Saneo | £200-280 | Cassette | Built-in flush, 20L tank | Same as Thetford |
| Separett Villa 9215 | £400-500 | Composting | Swedish, well-made, fan included | Larger, more expensive |
| OGO Composting Toilet | £300-400 | Composting | New competitor, cheaper than NH | Less proven in UK, smaller capacity |
| Bucket + sawdust | £10-20 | DIY | Essentially free, no installation | Not user-friendly for guests |
Verdict
Buy the Nature's Head if:
- You're building a full-time live-in van
- You wild camp >50% of the time
- You can fit the vent hose through the floor (less than 2m run)
- You have the budget (£350-450)
- You're comfortable with the maintenance (weekly rinse, monthly emptying)
Skip it if:
- You're a weekend van lifer who mostly uses campsites
- You want to save the money for other parts of the build
- You don't have space for the tall vertical profile
- You can't drill a 75mm hole through your van
The Nature's Head is the best solution for full-time off-grid van life in the UK. For weekend use, a cassette toilet is simpler and cheaper.
Maintenance Quick Guide
| Task | Frequency | What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| Add coco coir | Every use | One scoop (100ml) after solids |
| Empty urine tank | 2-4 days | Pour down a toilet or dilute on ground |
| Rinse urine tank | Weekly | Vinegar + water (kills odour crystals) |
| Empty solids | 3-6 weeks | Bag and bin, rinse compartment |
| Clean separating insert | Monthly | Mild soap, not abrasive |
| Replace coir | Monthly | Full change of coir in solids basin |
| Check fan | Monthly | Make sure it's running (feel the airflow) |
| Replace fan filter | Yearly | Order from Nature's Head |
The separating insert is the key maintenance item. If it gets blocked (generally from using too much toilet paper), the separation stops working and the toilet smells. The Nature's Head uses a small amount of paper and relies on the user not to overuse it. Some people keep a bin for used toilet paper next to the toilet (like in many countries) to extend the solids capacity.
