If you’re trying to decide what composting toilet to get for your van, RV, truck camper, or boat then you’re in the right place! In this article we provide an in-depth comparison of Trelino vs. Nature’s Head composting toilets. Both brands make waterless toilets that “divert” solids from liquids, but there are significant differences in how the two brands of composting toilets operate. Below we provide an overview of how each unit works, followed by the pros and cons of both units. Then we weigh in on which is better – the Trelino vs. Nature’s Head. 

Why should you trust us? We used a Nature’s Head composting toilet in our campervan for 3 years, and in August 2024 we switched to a Trelino composting toilet for our truck camper. Therefore, we’re able to provide an in-depth review and comparison of Trelino vs. Nature’s Head based on our personal experience with both brands.

Trelino vs. Nature’s Head Comparison

Nature’s Head overview

The Nature’s Head is a waterless composting toilet commonly used in RVs, camper vans, and boats. They were one of the first major composting toilet brands on the market, and the brand debuted their flagship toilet in 2006! We used a Nature’s Head composting toilet for almost three years in our camper van. Below we share how the unit works, followed by our thoughts on the pros and cons of the Nature’s Head.

These toilets work by separating your liquids and solids, and then desiccating the solids. Liquids go into a 2.2 gallon jug, which can be emptied as needed. When two of us traveled full time we would typically fill up the jug every three days. Solids go into a large plastic base, where they are mixed with a medium (commonly coconut coir or peat moss) using an agitator. We emptied our solids every 20-30 days when traveling full time with the toilet.

One of the features that sets the Nature’s Head apart from some of the other composting toilets on the market is that the toilet desiccates solid waste and is externally vented. The toilet essentially has a small computer fan inside of it, which pulls air into the solids section. There is also a vent hose, which allows smells to exit your boat or camper. This means the toilet requires a 12 volt power source. These units are made in the USA, and we found out toilet comfortable to sit on and use.

Nature’s Head pros and cons

Pros of Nature’s Head composting toilets

• Very limited smell. After three years of using our Nature’s Head, I can confidently say that the toilet does a great job of dealing with smells. We rarely noticed an odor from the solids portion of the unit. The combination of medium, agitator, and external vent were highly effective. The urine container can get a bit stinky if you let it sit too long in hot weather, but that’s also true of the Trelino. 
• Easy to see how full the urine and solids containers are. I think this speaks for itself, but the structure of the Nature’s Head makes it easy to determine when the urine container and solids need to be emptied. 
• Great customer service. About 1 year after purchasing the unit we had an issue with our Nature’s Head fan, and the company immediately sent us two new ones free of charge! 
• Quality materials. The Nature’s Head is well built with thick plastic and metal hinges and components that don’t rust. After 3 years of use our toilet looked the same as when we bought it! Other than having a small issue with the fan we never experienced any broken parts or major issues.

Cons of Nature’s Head composting toilets

• Emptying the solids can be a challenge. These units, and the human waste inside of them, are heavy. In fact, the unit weighs 28 pounds on its own before you add medium and waste! In order to empty out the solids, the entire lid of the unit needs to come off, and the unit needs to be flipped upside down and shaken into a plastic garbage bag until all the material comes out. God forbid you lose your grip on that bag during the process! This process requires lots of space, and afterwards you need to find a place to dispose of your waste, which is fairly bulky.
• The Nature’s Head is large and spatially inefficient. One of my least favorite things about the Nature’s Head is how spatially inefficient it is. It takes up a ton of room, and I think the unit could easily be streamlined a bit to make it more efficient and smaller. Because it’s so large and heavy it also needs a robust system to secure it in place when driving.
• Agitator can be hard to operate. The agitator in the solids bin is an essential part of the Nature’s Head, but it can be hard to operate when the unit is getting full, and in colder weather. 
• High cost. Although I feel the quality of the materials is high, this toilet is over $1,000. Thankfully it’s a “one and done” purchase, but that’s still a lot of money!

Trelino overview

Founded in 2020, Trelino is a relative newcomer to the composting toilet market.  They’re a German company known for their stylish and compact composting toilets, which operate quite differently from a Nature’s Head. We’ve been using a Trelino Evo L unit (their biggest unit) in our truck camper since August 2024. Below we share how Trelino units work, followed by our thoughts on the pros and cons of the Trelino.

Like the Nature’s Head, the Trelino is a waterless, urine-separating toilet, and the Trelino also has an integrated pee jug and a separate compartment for solids. The Trelino units come in several sizes, but ours– the Trelino Evo L– has a 2.6 gallon pee jug, which we typically empty every 3-4 days. 

The main differences between the Trelino and Nature’s Head come down to design, and how the solids portion of the toilet works. While the Nature’s Head is shaped like a large toilet, the Trelino is made from thinner plastic and shaped like a box, making it much more spatially efficient. Additionally, unlike the Nature’s Head, the Trelino does not have a desiccating fan, external vent, or agitator. This means no power source is required. Instead, the Trelino basically has a “trash can” inside of the box, which is where your solid waste goes (you line the can with a trash bag, which makes disposal quick and easy). When you’re done going to the bathroom you cover your solid waste with medium, such as cedar chips or coconut coir. We typically have to empty our solids every 4-6 days when using the toilet full time.  

Trelino pros and cons

Pros of Trelino composting toilets

• Light, compact, and available in a variety of sizes. One of the most notable benefits of the Trelino is that it’s significantly lighter and more compact than a Nature’s Head. They take up less precious space, and are easier to move around. They also come in a range of sizes, so they fit a wider variety of spaces. The smaller units can easily be tucked away, even in small camper vans.
• More stylish. I’m not too particular about how my toilets look, but I can’t deny that these toilets are more attractive than many of the other options on the market. They’re inconspicuous, and come in several color and finish options. 
• Easy to empty. Because these units use plastic bags in the solids section there’s no mess, and they’re super easy and fast to empty. 
• Easy to install. Because they don’t require power or venting, they require minimal installation effort! We currently have our unit affixed to the floor of our truck camper using double-sided heavy duty tape.
• Less expensive than the Nature’s Head (but not cheap!). The most expensive units that Trelino sells are currently $599, making them nearly $500 less than a Nature’s Head. 

Cons of Trelino composting toilets

• Harder to know when liquids are full. Because the liquids jug sits inside the Trelino unit, it’s hard to tell how full it is. That means it’s easier to overflow…  gross! In fact, we had our very first overflow incident with our Trelino recently. Comparatively, even after 3 years of use we NEVER overflowed our Nature’s Head! 
• Smell issues. Because there is no external venting, we’ve had significantly more issues with smell with our Trelino than we had with our Nature’s Head unit. We need to experiment with different mediums for our solids section because we’ve noticed a distinct smell after the unit has been in use… not nice! We’ve also noticed more of a smell from the urine jug. 
• Storing medium for solids is bulky. We’ve been using animal bedding cedar chips as our medium of choice for the solids container. They’re thankfully cheap and readily available, but they’re also pretty bulky to store! 

Trelino vs. Nature’s Head – the final verdict on which composting toilet is best

We have enjoyed both our Trelino and Nature’s Head units, and would recommend them both. For us, the biggest con of the Trelino has been the smell issue, which I’m hopeful we can overcome. It’s not terrible, but it’s also not great. On the flip side, the Nature’s Head is unnecessarily bulky, heavy, and significantly more of a hassle to deal with when emptying the solids.

If I were buying another composting toilet, I would probably buy a Trelino. I find the ease of use and lack of installation requirements (such as power and venting) are a big benefit. I also appreciate that the units are compact and spatially efficient, and also relatively stylish. The units look more like trash cans than toilets.

I hope you enjoyed this comparison of the Trelino vs. Nature’s Head composting toilet systems, and that our article helps you find the best composting toilet for your needs! If you’re looking for more resources regarding our van build and truck camper click here, or follow along on Instagram @gwynandami. Feel free to leave any questions in the comments!