Emergency Essentials Tote-able Toilet Seat & Lid (Seat & Lid Only, Grey/Green, Fits 4 1/4 to 6 Gallon Buckets, Ideal for Outdoors & Emergencies)

I just received this tote-able toilet seat and found out why there is so much confusion about fitting these onto a bucket. Perhaps some of them are a little easier but mine seemed impossible. I weigh over 250 and I was unable to press the seat onto the bucket in any way shape or form. Then I discovered the secret on mine was to not press the seat onto the bucket but to press the bucket onto the seat! After doing it this way I was able to fit the lid onto every bucket I had in my house which included buckets from Aubuchon, Walmart, VIP, and Home Depot. A smaller person may need to improvise with added weight or the help of a second person but this is how it worked for me:[Update: After snapping the lid on and off maybe a dozen times it became much easier to snap on by hand]1) Lay the seat onto firm but soft flat surface (carpet) upside down with the lid opening tab facing away from you and the hinge toward you.2) Loosely place the bucket upside down onto the center ring of the seat with the bucket handle lined up with the seat lid tab (away from the hinge).3) Kneeling behind the hinge of the seat lay your chest on the bucket so the bucket lip closest to you pushes into the seating ring first.4) Slowly rock your weight forward pushing the lip of the bucket into the ring working both sides toward the front. You can run your fingers behind the seam as it closes but do not let your weight get in front of the seam or the back will pop back out.5) As the rear and sides of the bucket lip slide into the seating ring you will be able to look down at the front of the bucket and see the lip bulging out over approximately 6 inches of the front of the ring when it is almost seated.6) When the lip is no longer slipping into the seating ring, smack the bulging part with your fist or a rubber mallet, which will pop it into place with an audible snap.When I first received the seat it seemed lightweight but once snapped into place it feels rock solid. [Update: testing "in the wild" I discovered it is not a problem to situate myself to take care of all business with one seating. The only time the comfort of a full size toilet was missed was during the subsequent cleanup of the second order of business which was slightly awkward but tolerable.] There is a snapping tab to hold the lid down between uses but using this bucket on a boat I might be inclined to rig up some bungee cord to make sure the lid gasket stays snug on the seat. Even doing that it is still more comfortable and way more convenient than simply using a bucket and snapping a lid on every time.

The water dept. shut off the water in my neighborhood for a couple of days recently, while they repaired a water main break. That's when I decided to get one of these seats and keep it nearby, just in case it's needed again. In Atlanta, our water pipes are pretty old, so there's a fair chance that it will be needed.I got this to fit on a 5-gallon blue Walmart bucket with a bin liner in between. It's a tight fit, but it doesn't ruin the bin liner. You just need to set the seat on the bucket and get the front in place. Put your knee down on the front, then put your hands on the back, near the handle, and press down. It takes a bit of pressure, for sure, but it will seal. To remove the seat without slinging whatsit all over the place, use one hand to take the seat by that handle on the back while you hold the bucket steady with the other hand (or hold it between your feet, if you can get a better grip that way). Lift up sharply on the handle, and it should pop loose without much issue. If you're not heavy enough to brawny enough to manhandle this thing, I suppose you could cut some slots into the inner lip of the bucket seal. A lot of bucket lids this size have slotted lips to make them easier to work with. Naturally, modifying the toilet seat would void any warranty or whatever, but for an item like this, you do what you have to do to make it work.

I own two of these lids. One is in my camper, the other in a remote yurt. I'm 6'5" tall and 235 pounds and though the seat's too small for me to want to spend all day enjoying the view it's sized adequately for its purpose. I have yet to find a buck this seat won't fit - despite what most negative reviews have to say. The fit to bucket is snug but not difficult to remove and the lid fits snug with a gasket to hold in moisture and smells. I use peat moss to cover deposits and smell rather than chemicals and this works perfectly well for my wife and me. I do not use this lid for transporting a full bucket. If the bucket were to fall over the lid would readily pop off so I have a very tight lid for that purpose. I'd give it five stars if I could safely leave the lid on for transport.

I purchased this toilet seat for my emergency/ BOV/ camping kit awhile back, but had never used it beyond snapping it to a bucket to be sure it fit correctly. In fact, the lid was tucked away in a closet, nearly forgotten. That ended abruptly this morning, when the main sewer pump where I live died unexpectedly, leaving everyone with no bathroom facilities until sometime tomorrow. While my neighbors have been making the 3+ mile commute to the nearest public potty all day (or 'roughing it in the back 40'), I have had this little unit, set up on a Home Depot 5 gal bucket with a plastic bag liner and some kitty litter, to use. It is indoors and I was concerned about odors escaping as I put it together, but figured this was one sure way to 'field test' my purchase.I am pleased to report that this product is performing extremely well. While not quite as comfy as a regular toilet seat (no surprise, esp since I am nearly 6ft tall and in no way 'dainty'), it does the job. More importantly, the seal/snap down lid/kitty litter combo is containing all odors between uses. Disposal is as simple as popping off the lid and tying up the bag, which gives it points over flushable port a pots in my book.Bottom line- For just over $20 (lid+bucket+kitty litter), I have had a functional, sanitary toilet all day and night in a real life, sewer related emergency that has had other, unprepared folks scrambling, inconvenienced, and majorly uncomfortable. I highly recommend this product for emergency kits, campervans/BOVs, car camping or any situation where facilities are unavailable, unsanitary... or it's just too damned cold to get out of the tent at 2AM :)