There are few things worse about camping trips than the thought of having to use the camp site toilets in the middle of the night.
Unfortunately, for many of us this has been a required experience, although undoubtedly not a fun one.
Why should this be the case? Although some camp site owners have undoubtedly look to improve the quality of facilities provided, it often seems that many are lacking in terms of hygiene and quality.
This is partly due to the nature of the experience but there doesn't seem to be any reason why it must be so.
Many of us wouldn't put up with such conditions in a hotel or when using other types of holiday accommodation so there seems little reason why we should put up with them on a camping trip.
The answer to this problem is surely to make it clear that we're not happy to be faced with such a situation.
If camp site providers aren't willing to listen then this may mean voting with our feet.
What other alternatives are there? Many people have decided to ignore the poor quality facilities and to bring their own toilets along with them.
This may sound like a strange option to take but there are a number of manufacturers selling products that are ideal for this purpose.
Until recently there have basically been two choices available.
The first has been to make use of a very basic toilet that consists of little more than a plastic bag and a frame.
If that doesn't sound too pleasant then the alternative has been to make use of a chemical toilet.
These have the advantage of being rather more pleasant to use but they are a bit more bulky and are not necessarily very environmentally friendly.
A third option has now emerged - a folding camping toilet that is completely environmentally friendly.
Originally designed for the Norwegian armed forces, they are now finally on sale in the UK.
So the good news is that you don't have to put up with poor quality facilities.
You can certainly complain when you find such facilities, while another option is to make use of a portable camping toilet.