“With Clesana, using the restroom in the van is now completely stress-free and super relaxing.”

Edina Müller is an exceptional athlete and one of the most recognizable faces of Paralympic sports in Germany. A resident of Hamburg by choice, she has already competed in four Paralympic Games, winning no fewer than two gold and two silver medals in various sports. She is also a world and European champion in paracanoe. She will represent our country in Paris as well. She has been in a wheelchair since she was 16. Edina is the mother of a son, a sports therapist, and a role model for many people with disabilities. As a van lifer, she has deliberately chosen the sealing-toilet Clesana C1. We met Edina in Hamburg while she was training in preparation for the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.

Edina, with all the training for the Paralympics in Paris, your job as a sports therapist, and being a mom, do you even have any time left for traveling?

Yeah, it’s not exactly easy right before the Games start. I train a lot, but I also try to balance things as best I can. On the weekends, I manage to combine training with our family camping trips. We head to the lake, and I can train all weekend long. Then training actually feels like a little break for me.

Do you have any favorite spots around Hamburg?

We don’t really have any specific favorite spots right now. We’re surrounded by a lot of water here. It’s always nice to be by the water, especially with the camper. You can make yourself comfortable anywhere. Thanks to the camper, we don’t have to rely on anything else, and we can basically just stop wherever we like or wherever it’s the most beautiful..

Why did you build your camper together with Vartan Rocks?

Right. Vartan Rocks have supported me in my endeavor from the very beginning. I spent a very long time looking for a camper that would suit me. I visited every camper and outdoor trade show and looked at all kinds of options. But I couldn’t find anything that was both suitable and affordable. In the end, you can buy just about anything, but the big brands with their modular systems are anything but flexible. As a wheelchair user, you also have different needs. If, for example, the toilet is located in the middle of the vehicle and privacy is ensured only by a shower curtain, that defeats the purpose of the design. You’re traveling with your family and just want some peace and quiet for certain things—whether you’re in a wheelchair or not.

Why don’t you tell us a little more about your camper?

This is an ambulance car. The idea to convert a vehicle like this also came from Vartan. There was one on the neighboring lot back then, and I was allowed to take a closer look at it. An ambulance like this offers several advantages, so we started looking for one, and that’s how our joint project slowly got underway. Of course, it took a long time before I found the right one. The vehicle was built in 2008 and is a Mercedes Sprinter 313 CDI. At first, weight was important because I only have a driver’s license for vehicles up to 3.5 metric tons. We then gradually modified and customized the rest of the vehicle. For example, I have a great sliding system with a lift and an electrically adjustable backrest on the driver’s seat so I can slide right into it. And of course, I have a modified automatic transmission so I can drive it myself. The ambulance has a ton of space. Thanks to all the support, it has turned out to be a really great, accessible vehicle.

Many people with disabilities dream of owning their own camper so they can explore the world freely. With this van, you, too, are fulfilling a big dream. What are some of the specific challenges you face in everyday life when camping with a disability?

Of course, there are quite a few. The issue of restrooms plays a very important role for people, especially those with mobility impairments. So the restroom solution was also one of the most important things for me in the camper. When you’re on the road, you’re dependent on restrooms every day. I’m not necessarily reliant on a designated wheelchair-accessible restroom. My wheelchair just has to fit through the door, and the floor leading up to it has to be level. That’s not the case everywhere. When there are steps involved, it gets tricky. I just don’t want to have to think at all about whether a lake has a restroom nearby or whether a campground offers accessible restrooms. For me, that’s always a major source of stress. Luckily, none of that matters anymore. With my Clesana, I don’t have to worry about it anymore. A festival, a weekend kayaking trip, just heading out to a lake somewhere, camping—it doesn’t matter at all. With the vehicle, the solar panel, and the Clesana, we can be self-sufficient for days on end, so none of this is a problem at all. To me, Clesana simply means a great, great sense of freedom.

The term “accessible to people with disabilities” often turns out to be very broad. And, as we all know, the devil is in the details.

Absolutely right. When we talk about accessibility, it’s true that every disability is unique and different, and of course everyone would prefer a personalized solution. There are accessible restrooms that are much higher off the ground. That’s great for people who, for example, have trouble walking or who have difficulty sitting down and standing back up. For me, though, that makes things much harder. I have to climb up there and somehow hoist myself up. It’s the same the other way around. If the toilet is too low, I don’t feel very stable. It’s really pure stress. That’s why it’s so great to have my own custom solution, especially in the camper. At first, Vartan and I spent a long time thinking it over.

How did you handle that before using a Clesana?

Well, I thought about it for a long time and did a lot of research. And yes, in the end I kind of had no choice but to go with a dry separation toilet. But I wasn’t really happy with it. As a wheelchair user, you pay special attention to hygiene. And then having to hold the urine insert or the solid waste container of the separation toilet on my lap, then get out of my camper, and clean it all up afterward… None of that is practical for wheelchair users. And there was no question of taking a chemical toilet with great organic additives out to the disposal station. And then I was so happy when I stumbled upon Clesana by chance. I quickly looked up more information and then went ahead and bought the toilet right away.

What are the personal benefits of Clesana for you?

With the Clesana, of course, you don’t have to worry about a thing anymore. It’s super easy to use. You don’t need to add anything extra—no water, no chemicals, no litter, or any other additives. You can really just throw everything in there. All your sanitary products are simply gone—sealed, clean—and they just fall into a drawer at the bottom as a bag. They’re super sturdy. The toilet itself is also super sturdy. It’s securely bolted to the floor. But I can still rotate it however I need to. And size-wise, it’s just like a real toilet. So far, we’ve mostly only been on the road for a few days at a time. That way, I can dispose of the bags later at home. In short: With Clesana, using the bathroom in the van is now completely stress-free and super relaxing.

Why is the feeling of a proper toilet so important?

Well, I’ve also sat on Porta Portis chairs, which were narrow and actually quite deep—so they felt kind of short. For me, it’s essential that the chair be stable and comfortable to sit in. I lack upper-body stability and sometimes have trouble balancing. I can’t stabilize myself with my legs. That’s why height and the seat surface are very important to me.

That’s a really nice restroom you have here, though.

Above all, it’s very practical. I can get right up to it in my wheelchair, and thanks to the adjustable wall design, I can close off the space while sitting down. This creates a small, private restroom area where I can sit comfortably and have plenty of room to move around. Plus, of course, everything is within easy reach. Vartan Rocks built me some small shelves where I can store supplies like toilet paper and hygiene products. The toilet stall may be small, but it has the advantage that everything is within easy reach for me.

May we ask you how you keep your bathroom tidy?

Sure. As someone in a wheelchair, you often get in your own way (laughs). So I actually always have to clean in stages. First one side, then the other. In the camper, I have a little broom for that. I can use it to sweep out the big dirt or just quickly wet it down and wipe things down. Then I also have one of those portable handheld vacuums. That’s super easy, of course. You don’t really need to clean the Clesana. It’s just like at home—just wipe down the lid and the lenses with a damp cloth every now and then, and you’re all set. So I don’t have any life hacks to offer here.

That’s fine. Thank you so much, Edina.

About Edina:

Edina Müller (born in 1983 in Brühl) will represent Germany at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris. She is a sports therapist and lives with her family near Hamburg. Edina is a two-time Paralympic gold medalist, a world, European, and German champion in paracanoe, a recipient of the Silver Laurel Leaf, and Hamburg’s Athlete of the Year. Follow Edina at facebook / Instagram oder beim Teamdeutschlandparalympics.

Press contact at Clesana AG:
AP: Tino V. Göbel / presse@clesana.com