Inside vs Outside shower?

[aimeelightsey]

We are about to order our camper but are on the fence about inside vs outside showers....

They can do either.

What do most people do?

We will be in campgrounds probably about 65% of the time, and out in remote areas the rest of the time.

Thanks!

[Michael W A]

We are about to order our camper but are on the fence about inside vs outside showers....
They can do either.
What do most people do?
We will be in campgrounds probably about 65% of the time, and out in remote areas the rest of the time.

Thanks

Aimee, we have both and use each often for different purposes. The outside shower isn't used so much as a shower, but rather to get dish water, clean off the shoes or the dog. Stuff like that.
Other people omit the outside shower and simply pass the inside shower head out the bath window.
Everything depends on how you anticipate using either.

Mike

[Kevin K]

Some campgrounds DO NOT allow outside showers.

[aimeelightsey]

Originally Posted by Kevin K

Some campgrounds DO NOT allow outside showers.

Do those campgrounds have their own showers, generally?

Thanks

[Kevin K]

Some do, some don't. I would ask, when you pull in to camp.

[Carol H]

For people washing I think you will find the inside shower used more - due to how often other people are within eye sight and the cold. I dont have an outside one but have used my brothers trailer prior to getting my own trailer and he had one. It did come in handy for washing off the dogs and cleaning off sand from shoes etc from the beach and once or twice on hot days for people if no one was looking. In a perfect world I would have both! :-)

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by aimeelightsey

Do those campgrounds have their own showers, generally?

Thanks

The issue is usually around the fact that water is going directly onto the ground with the outside shower which is a no no at many parks and campgrounds.

[Adrian W]

I would think, the outside showers were developed for people camping in a beach sitting; to rinse off sand and/or salt water.

But it could be used out in the boonies, dispersed campsite. Or shower & collect the water in a kid's wading pool, then use a bucket to transport the water to a toilet, etc. This might work in a forest campground, not so sure in a private one.

Would you like to be seeing some dude out showing........?

Never had one. Just thinking.

[Greg H]

Some chic...

[Adrian W]

A chic, would be better, depending on the chic.......of course........No?


I have been wondering about were and how one would use a shower privacy tent.....seems to be a simular question.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Stansport-...ndingMethod=rr

[Brian Van Snell]

We have a 13 foot trailer with an outside shower and a hot water tank, no inside bathroom or shower, but double bed / table at the back and single bed / dinette at the front, and Porta Potti with its own storage, and it works for us. It is great having running hot and cold water inside and also important to us to have two beds. We have used the outside shower very little (mainly for rinsing things off), but the main expense was getting the hot water tank, not the external shower. We have found campground showers are fine at any of the State Park campsites in Washington and Oregon we have visited. We are happy with our choices.

Brian

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Adrian W

Would you like to be seeing some dude out showing........?

which dude? George Clooney or Gerard Butler? I would not complain to the camp ground manager!

[HikeSticks]

I have a Bill Clinton question... What is a shower? It may seem like a silly question but...
I have a 13' Trillium with no indoor shower; range, fridge, furnace, Port-a-potti but... no shower. However, I love to camp and I especially like mountain hiking and camping in the boonies. A shower is needed. What I do have is a portable spray unit made by Nomad. It has 3.5 gallons of water, 20' of hose and an adjustable nozzle that I can hang up and turned on. It is powered by 110V house current, 12v auto or a portable 18V power tool power pack. Does a 'hose down' while wearing shorts count as a shower? Soap/no soap? Just curious. When I'm sweaty and dirty my 'shower' rig can clean me up. If I returned from the beach I could wash the sand off my legs. Is that a shower? How far up my legs do I have to go to transition from 'rinse off' to 'shower'... LOL It's getting late and maybe I'm just being a bit silly but... I make due with what I have. I travel light, use camp showers when I stay in a campground so equipped, but if I stand behind my trailer, in shorts, and hose myself down, am I likely to offend someone? I'm a guy and I know the 'rules' and comfort levels for women may be different but... this is how I handle the shower thing.
Cheers,
Barrie

[darwen]

Hi all, i'm new here and very much enjoy this site and the wealth of information. In our 1980 Boler 13' we have no shower, just a portie.. Like Barrie we enjoy hiking trips and require a shower upon return before sharing small spaces. So we use a zodi portable hot water system and a porta leau shelter with bio soap. We also do a lot of music festivals with no services and this peice of kit is essential for in this situation as well. Would I enjoy an indoor shower? Sure, but for now, the zodi and porta leau fits the bill..

[RonMayo]

I have the full inside toilet/shower in my 13' Scamp Deluxe and I must say it is a very comfortable thing to have on a cold windy evening when the campground showers are a half mile away and dirty when you get there. Inside showers Yeah!!!

[David and Nancy]

This discussion naturally leads to the age-old question of gray water disposition. In addition to privacy issues there are very few places where it is legal, or proper, to put shower soap directly on the ground. Most people use the outside shower as an outside faucet. It is very handy for quick rinsing in various situations. My trailer has one, but I have not really needed it very often. It is one more thing to remember when camping in freezing temps, and it does need to be winterized and de-winterized.

We have camped in some Corps of Engineers campgrounds in the Southeast where they actually encouraged watering the plants with gray water. In that case the proper technique was to attach a long hose to the gray water outlet and direct the outflow to a specific spot well away from the campsite. Way better than a puddle of soapy water next to the trailer.

If we had to choose between outside and inside shower, it would be a no-brainer for us.

[darwen]

I agree, in commerical campgrounds or heavy use area's, especially in deserts etc, using the outdoor shower as a shower would not be good ettiquete. However, in the North East in remote area's, so long as you are using a bio soap, and not near a water source, I don't see this as an issue in any way. In a world in which we set "exceptable" limits of all kinds of toxic substances in our environment, a little bio soap is the least of our concerns.

We use careful placement of our privacy shelter in a low area near camp, scrape the soil down a few inches to make a water trap, place a raised cedar platform in which to stand over the area and shower away. When breaking camp we are careful to replace the soil over the area that collected the water and move on.

Same approach as with setting up a new firepit area when none exist.

[rgrugg]

We've had two trailers with an outside shower and never used. Our new EGG CAMPER does not have one. We expect not to use the inside shower unless hooked to sewer because the gray tank is small. Very small water heater, too, but still useable.

[Greg H]

In the desert where I live a lot of people use outside solar showers, that might be the only way some of these bums will ever get clean.

[David and Nancy]

Originally Posted by darwen

I agree, in commerical campgrounds or heavy use area's, especially in deserts etc, using the outdoor shower as a shower would not be good ettiquete. However, in the North East in remote area's, so long as you are using a bio soap, and not near a water source, I don't see this as an issue in any way. In a world in which we set "exceptable" limits of all kinds of toxic substances in our environment, a little bio soap is the least of our concerns.

We use careful placement of our privacy shelter in a low area near camp, scrape the soil down a few inches to make a water trap, place a raised cedar platform in which to stand over the area and shower away. When breaking camp we are careful to replace the soil over the area that collected the water and move on.

Same approach as with setting up a new firepit area when none exist.

My answer to the original post was referencing the statement that they expected to stay in established campsites 65% of the time. An outside shower would be very impractical for both privacy and puddling of soapy water.

We love to boondock as often as possible and also use the bio-degradable soap. If practical, we dump the gray tank later. Otherwise, we distribute it away from the campsite with a hose. In carefully selected spots. Don't want to start a debate here.

Now what kind of trailer can only be ordered with an inside OR outside shower?