are compost toilets really better than regular low-flush ones?

If saving water is the overriding priority and you’re comfortable with the routine handling, I’d lean toward a compost toilet. If water is limited but still available, and ease of use matters more, a modern low-flush toilet may be the better fit. Neither is automatically better - the cabin’s water constraint and how much upkeep you want to take on are the deciding trade-offs.

If the cabin is only used occasionally, I’d lean low-flush if water is limited but reliably available and the priority is an easy visit without much routine handling. If the water supply is so constrained that each flush is a real concern, the compost option could still make more sense, even with the upkeep. Infrequent use doesn’t by itself make either choice automatic.

When you say “routine handling,” what tasks are you thinking of that would matter most in comparing the two?

By routine handling, I mean tasks such as adding cover material, keeping an eye on moisture and ventilation, and periodically emptying or managing collected material. The details vary by composting system. A low-flush toilet avoids that waste routine, though it still depends on the cabin’s water supply and ordinary plumbing upkeep.

For someone weighing those options, would the possibility of odor trouble worry you more than the recurring handling tasks - adding cover, monitoring moisture and ventilation, and managing the collected material? Or is it the day-to-day upkeep that would be the bigger deterrent?

For me, the recurring handling would be the bigger deterrent: it’s a routine you have to keep up with, while odor is a concern I’d weigh against how well the system is maintained. If saving water made composting the clear fit, I might accept that routine; if low-flush fit the cabin’s limits, I’d favor the simpler visit.

Would the handling routine feel easier to keep up with when the same people use the cabin, compared with having changing guests who may not know the routine?

I’d expect the routine to be easier with repeat users who know what the system needs. With changing guests, someone would need to explain the basics and stay responsible for the follow-up; otherwise the upkeep can fall to whoever is hosting. A low-flush toilet has a simpler routine for guests, if the cabin’s water supply can support it.

For changing guests, a short note with only the routine steps they need could make the expectations clear, while one named host stays responsible for checking and follow-up. That won’t remove the compost toilet’s upkeep, but it may keep tasks from being left to whichever guest happens to notice them.