Pop Up Outside Showers

[soohma]

I travel alone and want a pop up outside shower (on the RV) that is easy for one person to put up and take down. I've looked at some that are very reasonably priced, but wonder if anyone has some experience with one they'd share.

[booster]

Originally Posted by soohma

I travel alone and want a pop up outside shower (on the RV) that is easy for one person to put up and take down. I've looked at some that are very reasonably priced, but wonder if anyone has some experience with one they'd share.

Many of the campgrounds we stay in have postings about no grey water dumping on the ground, so that might be an issue unless you are way out boondocking.

[markopolo]

I had thought of doing something like this http://www.safaricondo.com/acces/doucheeng.php on my van if camping where it was permitted. I doubt that I'll do it but it looks easy enough.

[markopolo]

............Many of the campgrounds we stay in have postings about no grey water dumping on the ground, so that might be an issue ............

I wonder if straight to the ground outside shower water can be considered differently. Just about every RV sold now has an "Outside Shower" head on a hose with hot and cold water supply. Obviously you don't want food particles and grease from the sink fouling the campsite and attracting insects and animals. The outside shower water never mixes with the waste grey water tank.


http://www.safaricondo.com/acces/doucheeng.php

Campsites are far from being "clean" environments with all the cooking, vehicular, wildlife and pet activities going on. Is it just a perception problem?

[stanw909]

It is perception. Todays soaps don't have the bad things like phosphates any more so showering would not pose environmental issues.

[markopolo]

Link to Wilton's outside shower idea: http://windsurf.mediaforte.com/roadtrek ... hower.html

[soohma]

Thanks for the responses. The windsurf was what I was thinking about constructing even though I'm not very handy. I looked at others, but they stand too far away from the van to be useful. I'll try that one and see if it will work. I like how little space it takes up.

And I do do boondocking as much of the time as I can. I don't think shower water is classified the same as dishwater for gray water.

[kellyllek]

Not an answer to your questions, but after a day on the bike or out on the hike, the last thing you want to do is sit in your vehicle all grimed up for a long drive home. I found I can get about 95% clean with minimal water. One thing I do is a 'shower' in a box; I take a couple of small round tupperware containers, fill them with water and a squirt of peppermint soap, then roll up a common hand towel and stuff it in. If it's warm I'll leave the 'boxes' in the sun and after the ride I pull out the soaking towel and take care of business. I save the second for the second pass, and sometimes a 3rd with just plain water for a rinse off. It is much easier than the sun shower, and I can get most parts clean without fully undressing or needing a privacy curtain. (though I do stand behind the door or at the back of the vehicle) I also have a super long XXL shirt that I call the 'changing room'

If I want no effort and no extra laundry I use a spray bottle with a bit of peppermint soap and some washcloth type disposable wipes, the kind of thing used for bed baths in hospitals. They are sold in most drug stores next to the wipes. They's just thicker. If you don't have much grime they are pre-moistened and you don't need the the spray bottle or any extra water.

That all said an outside shower for rinsing the bike, body, shoes, and even clothes, would be ideal.

[kellyllek]

check out the magnet shower head idea on this page:

http://www.forestriverforums.com/forums ... 39370.html

[soohma]

The magnet idea is a great one. I have a 1996 Coach House and there's an awning near the outside shower. I was going to hook something to the awning to hold up the shower curtain, but that risks tearing the awning off after awhile I think.

Here's what I'm thinking of doing. When I want a shower, put a 3" magnet on each side of the shower head above the awning (not permanently attached). Have 2 small plywood boards with a pvc screw in thing (don't know the name) on one side and a magnet on the other. Attach the magnet to the magnet, screw in the pvc pipe (probably do this first, actually), then hang the curtain.

1. Do you all think this will work and not fall down?
2. Do you think I'll need a pvc pole about the middle of the U-shape pvc to hold it up?

Any thoughts or ideas appreciated.

[Mike]

We looked into these things (portable camp shower enclosures) a few years back, before we decided to just take pot luck with showers, and grab them where and whenever we could at parks, truck stops, etc.
http://www.walmart.com/cp/Tiolets-Showe ... 9&sdir=xx&
Walmart actually carries a lot of camping gear, either in store, or online. The price for the Zodi "bundle" isn't too bad, or you can just buy the free standing, portable, enclosure.

[Davydd]

To me it is one more thing rarely used and no room in a B to store it. Occasionally we have taken outside showers with swimming trunks on. That's good enough in a pinch.

[mlts22]

There is always the water bladder, Coleman propane water heater (it uses a battery and a small propane bottle), and a shower tent. It also helps to have a plastic chair and a mat so one can shower, dry off feet, and get shoes on without touching the ground with wet feet.

[soohma]

My shower head line is very short, so the commercial pop-ups don't work - they're too far away. I'll either try the magnet idea or do 4 legs stand alone.

[kellyllek]

Originally Posted by soohma

1. Do you all think this will work and not fall down?
2. Do you think I'll need a pvc pole about the middle of the U-shape pvc to hold it up?

.

I was thinking it may be possible to set the whole thing up with just magnets, both for the shower and the curtain rod, directly to the vehicle body. You'd just need a thin pad between to protect the paint. But if the curtain is light enough it may be adequate. I could see a flexible thin rod, like a really bendy tent pole, or the kind of just a flat length of metal, somehow connecting to two magnets, and running the curtain along that instead of PVC pipe.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by soohma

My shower head line is very short, so the commercial pop-ups don't work - they're too far away. I'll either try the magnet idea or do 4 legs stand alone.

Extend the shower hose line if it's too short. I'm not convinced the magnets will hold very well, once you pressurize the line.
The easiest setup/take down system is probably something like the Safari Condo one, which uses the opened rear doors of the van as 2 sides of the shower, and needs a width of shower curtain to enclose it, and a boot tray or mat or something to stand on. Then you can hop into your van to dry.
Kelly's sponge bath method, or camping where there are included or ppu shower facilities, might be better choices, unless you plan to boondock for extended periods, and have limited options available for showers.
I'd still think something like these would work.....
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Zodi-Outback- ... e/22401547
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Stansport-Cab ... er/7933626
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-S ... y/21550152
http://www.walmart.com/ip/GigaTent-The- ... e/19207673
Where to store them while mobile would be an issue, as Davydd pointed out.

[.boB]

I came across this solution a while back and liked it so much I built one right away. Since then I have modified it several times and it will be modified again with the magnet Shower head holder to reduce storage requirements. It’s a pretty cool set up but we've carried it around for 2 years and never used it... always found an alternative.
http://windsurf.mediaforte.com/roadt...te_Shower.html

.

[accrete]

Originally Posted by markopolo

I had thought of doing something like this http://www.safaricondo.com/acces/doucheeng.php ...

I saw that item and it reminded me of something my MacGirlver wife put together on the back of our Tacoma some years ago along the same lines, we could change clothes and even take a shower:



Thom

[accrete]

Now onto a couple of cute stories on pop-up shower enclosures

The first is a first hand account...my wife and i were camping with a couple of close friends. Cari & I had taken a shower in the van and our friends were using a 4' x 4' x 7' shower tent next to their tent trailer. Three of us were at the campfire when one of them went to take a shower after the sun set and brought an electric lantern inside the tent. He had NOOOOO idea that he was giving us all a Vaudeville Shadow-show!

The second was told over at the expo forum...two couples had camped on the rim at the Grand Canyon. They went wheeling for the day and were looking down at the river and saw what looked like a shower tent. When they got back to camp they realized that the high afternoon winds had carried their shower tent over the edge.

Thom

[mlts22]

Originally Posted by accrete

I saw that item and it reminded me of something my MacGirlver wife put together on the back of our Tacoma some years ago along the same lines, we could change clothes and even take a shower:



Thom

That tent would come into handy with a hitch mounted toilet like a Bumper Dumper (http://www.bumperdumper.com).