For us, traveling means experiencing nature and getting to know countries and people off the beaten track.
We are Micha and Jutta, the brains behind northbox. We live with our children in Hamburg and this is where our base camp, workshop and thus the creative heart of our company is located.
Overland camping has been our way of traveling for years.
Discovering the unknown, spending the night somewhere in the middle of nowhere and spontaneously throwing all plans overboard means freedom and adventure for us.
We drove over the wild mountain passes of Georgia, fought our way through spectacular dune landscapes in southern Turkey and had to have our vehicle pulled out of muddy holes by Albanian mountain farmers.
Always driven by curiosity about what awaits us at the end of an impassable trail.
No wild camping without wild peeing?
On our first tour we didn't have more than a folding spade to use the toilet. Stop every now and then, go into the bushes and continue. As we stayed in one spot for a long time, it became more difficult. We were literally marking our territory.
Yes, the folding spade method is close to nature, but let's be honest, thorny branches on your bottom are just as annoying as the question of where to put the paper.
How on earth do you get to toilets
to produce?
It all started when we decided to include a portable toilet in our luggage. We started with a chemical toilet from Jutta's parents' collection. Unfortunately, it didn't fit into our idea of relaxed and self-sufficient travel, because you could only empty it at campsites and the thing also smelled terrible.
The problem with disposal
The disposal was disgusting and simply not possible in Albania, for example, as well as in many other countries with weak infrastructure, without causing water damage.
So we soon resorted to the folding spade again for the big business.
However, having a toilet with you was an undisputed advantage and we didn't want to go without it. Only the dry separation toilet brought us closer to our ideal. The only thing that didn't convince us was the range of separating toilets available at the time.
How “homemade brand” became a business idea
Most of the separation toilets didn't appeal to us visually and didn't offer any multifunctionality. It's a shame that you couldn't use it as a table or seat.
In short, we decided to design a separation toilet according to our own wishes.
Luckily, Micha is a product designer, carpenter and inventor all in one.
Why is the toilet in an aluminum box?
As a carpenter, Micha's heart naturally beats for wooden products. But wood is too sensitive to moisture, relatively heavy and definitely not suitable for roof racks.
We already store a lot of our equipment in aluminum boxes. They are light, indestructible and absolutely suitable for outdoor use. We also love the used look of the speakers, which changes from tour to tour.
After each trip we improved the toilet a little and adapted it exactly to our needs.
Today we are so convinced of our separation toilet that we produce it in small series and send it out into the world from Hamburg. So that everyone can avoid peeing wildly when camping in the wild in the future.
We are convinced: When nature calls, northbox is the best answer. And toilet paper and waste no longer end up in the bushes.
We found a producer in Hungary who makes the aluminum box exactly according to our wishes.
We manufacture other components ourselves in Hamburg, and we have found great suppliers in Germany for other parts. Everything is assembled by hand and checked for quality.
When your northbox arrives, it is ready for its first use. We do not send a kit or loose screws.
Are you ready for the next Overland Tour? It’s definitely us at northbox!