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The Differences Between Porta-Potty Trailers and Restroom Trailers
TL;DR - Article Summary
- Porta-potty trailers and restroom trailers both provide temporary, portable restroom capacity, but they provide varying levels of comfort, appearance, amenities, and overall user experience.
- Porta-potty trailers are recommended for your basic, high-volume sanitation needs where appearances are not a primary concern, while restroom trailers are a stronger fit for weddings, venues, high-end events, and construction site applications.
- Restroom trailers offer additional amenity upgrades over porta-potty trailers such as running water, handwashing stations, lighting, climate control, gender-specific stations (if required), and a greater sense of privacy and security during use.
- Rental agencies and venues should base their decision between the two trailer types after considering their ideal customers, event types, capacity requirements, existing fleet options, operating conditions, and desired comfort levels.
Are Porta-Potty Trailers & Restroom Trailers the Same?
This is a bit of a double-edged question, as there can be two different answers. With several decades of restroom trailer manufacturing experience, the team at Lang Specialty Trailers has answered this question hundreds of times to potential clients.When the question is refined to, “Do porta-potty trailers and restroom trailers provide the same basic restroom amenities?” the answer is unequivocally yes. Both porta-potty trailers and restroom trailers offer a highly mobile and impermanent solution for expanding restroom capacity at outdoor venues, construction sites, or events
However, if the question becomes, “Do porta-potty trailers and restroom trailers look the same and offer the same level of restroom facility quality and customer experience,” the answer instead becomes a resounding no. Simply putting multiple porta-potty units on the back of a trailer does not provide any increase in user experience or comfort; it simply provides restroom capacity for larger gatherings or events. While each trailer type has its own place, more and more rental agencies, contracting companies, and venue organizers are opting for the upscale comfort and convenience offered by a genuine restroom trailer in place of a porta-potty trailer.
Best Fit for Agencies & Venues: Restroom or Porta-Potty Trailer
Again, this question can be met with a bit of ambiguity, as what works well for one agency might not work for another. Location, scale, number of rental units, or regional demand can all impact which trailer type is the best fit for your agency or venue. In some instances, a case could be made for agencies to carry both types of trailers for specific end uses. This helpful comparison chart looks at some of the most common agency or venue types and whether a porta-potty trailer, restroom trailer, or both are a good fit. Comparing Porta-Potty & Restroom Trailers for Agencies/Venues
Comparing Features Between Porta-Potty Trailers & Restroom Trailers
There are more features to consider when deciding between the two, or more, available trailer options for your business or venue than just how the trailer looks. Depending on how you value the following considerations, it may determine whether or not you’re seeking a porta-potty trailer or a more advanced restroom trailer option from someone like Lang Specialty Trailers.- Unit Size: Porta-potty trailers are capable of quick and easy expansion by increasing trailer size and adding more individual units to the bed. However, this can become cumbersome and unsightly rather quickly, leaving many rental agencies to opt for the more visually appealing and sleek design restroom trailer. Most manufacturers, Lang Specialty Trailers included, will offer customers varying station sizes (2, 3, 5, 7, 9, or more) to best accommodate the end use.
- Gender-Based Stations: Porta-potties provide straightforward use for both genders by not offering any kind of clarification. However, for upscale wedding venues, festivals, or even construction sites, providing restroom trailers with independent stations for each gender can be beneficial.
- Handwashing: Porta-potties can leave the user feeling uncomfortable and unclean, offering only hand sanitizer or poorly functioning wash stations outside the unit. Restroom trailers provide all the convenience of a home restroom with regular faucets and handwashing stations that improve user experience and overall hygiene.
- Lighting: Porta-potty trailers offer no in-unit lighting options, leaving users at nighttime events to fend for themselves in darkened and sometimes unsanitary conditions. A quality restroom trailer uses a generator to power traditional overhead and wall lighting to provide a comfortable and pleasant experience no matter the time of day.
- Climate Control: Another checkmark for restroom trailers over porta-potty trailers is the availability of climate control features. Whether that means A/C units in the hot summer months or some extra heating for colder nights, opting for a restroom trailer provides agencies and venues with some additional flexibility for operating seasons or hours.
- Security/Privacy: For larger gatherings or upscale events, providing restroom amenities that feel secure and private is essential. Restroom trailers offer independent stations that each have secure locks and a floor-to-ceiling flush-mount door. Porta-potty trailers still rely on simple plastic latches or locks that can leave a user feeling uncomfortable or unsafe when using them in large public spaces.
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