Best Portable RV Waste Tanks (Tote Tanks)

A portable waste tank, often called a tote tank, lets you dump your RV's black and gray tanks without moving the entire rig to a dump station. This is especially useful at sites without a sewer hookup at every pad, or when the campground's shared dump station is a long drive from your site.

The core trade-off across this category is capacity versus towability. Larger tanks mean fewer trips to the dump station, but a full tank is heavier and harder to maneuver, particularly on grass or gravel. Wheel count also matters: two-wheel totes are common and steer well, while four-wheel designs can roll more smoothly on paved surfaces but are less forgiving on uneven ground.

Below, we compare tote tanks by capacity, wheel configuration and included accessories like rinse fittings and integrated hose storage, so you can match a tank to your rig size and camping style.

Our top picks

Researched and compared by our editors. Prices move constantly, so check the retailer for today's price.

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The picks in detail

Matching capacity to your rig

Smaller tote tanks in the 25-gallon range suit compact travel trailers and pop-ups with modest black and gray tank sizes. Mid-size tanks around 35 gallons work well for typical family travel trailers, while tanks in the 40-gallon-plus range suit larger fifth wheels or motorhomes that hold more waste volume between dumps.

It's worth remembering that a full tank of waste is heavy — water weighs roughly 8 pounds per gallon, so a 35-gallon tank can weigh close to 300 pounds when full. Buying the largest tank available isn't automatically the best choice if you'll be hand-towing it any real distance.

Wheel count and towing style

Two-wheel tote tanks with a steerable handle are the most common design and tend to maneuver well over mixed terrain, including grass and gravel. Four-wheel tanks can roll more smoothly in a straight line on pavement, but the extra wheels can catch or drag on uneven ground.

Some campers tow their tote tank behind a golf cart, bike, or vehicle using a hitch adapter rather than hand-pulling it, which is worth considering if your dump station is more than a short walk away.

Fittings and rinsing

Nearly all tote tanks use a standard 3-inch bayonet fitting that matches common sewer hose kits, so compatibility across brands is generally not an issue. A garden hose rinse fitting built into the tank makes it much easier to flush out residue after dumping, reducing odor buildup over time.

Some tanks integrate hose storage directly on the lid, which keeps your sewer hose contained and prevents it from being a separate loose item rattling around the storage bay.

Using a tote tank correctly

Dump the black tank first, then the gray tank, using the gray water's relatively clean discharge to help rinse residue from inside the tote tank and hose. This is the same order used when dumping directly at a sewer hookup.

After dumping at the station, rinse the tote tank thoroughly using its garden hose fitting before returning it to storage, and leave the dump valve open slightly during transport if the manufacturer recommends it, to avoid pressure buildup.