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Old 10-16-2010, 05:46 PM   #21
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bathroom

I need to say something here. I have been in a lot of bathrooms where unsanitary conditions existed, both in free and paid for facilities. Showers are even worse. That said, I would not pass on the luxury of having your facilities within your confines, heated or cooled as you wish. The bathroom does not take up more space than a closet. The single dinette is 6' long and adequate. You schedule your showers and when done use your towel to wipe the walls and toilet top. The floor has a bath mat which you hang out to dry or a raised wooden floor. If not use your towel. Once dry use it, Besides, the inside of the trailers were designed to get some splash water in them, just like your tents. It will not hurt them.
Either way, the luxury of your private bath far outweighs any inconvenience, and as you get older you will appreciate it more and more. You have earned it!
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Old 10-16-2010, 06:05 PM   #22
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We have the Scamp 16’ side dinette with a Ft bathroom. We use the toilet at night and in the morning, before we depart for activities. Normally during the day we are out hiking or site seeing in the area. The shower is tight, about 2’ X 2’. We use a second shower curtain to block the toilet from getting wet. It works great!
Everyone is different, for my wife no toilet in the camper was a deal breaker also and she likes the option of showering at the camper. She takes a shower and only uses about 1 to 1.5 gallons of water, she is pretty good at it.
For us we want options, we may change in a few years but for now we would not have a camper without a toilet & shower. Just our 2 cents!
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Old 10-16-2010, 06:53 PM   #23
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I'm on the side of 'no toilet' and don't want to give up any room in a 13footer for a bathroom. I don't have a fix-it man, and I don't want to fuss with figuring out what is leaking where. (phewy!) A porta potty works great for night time, and so my whole trailer is open and roomy. As Raya put it so well, it's only used for a small part of the day, so I don't feel that it's worth giving up the space for. And I can certainly use the exercise to walk up to the public facilities.
That being said, if I had a bigger trailer, and a resident plumber, it might be a different story !!
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Old 10-16-2010, 08:06 PM   #24
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I could maybe do without the shower option, but not without the dedicated wc room. I have seen many floorplans with porta potties that sit opposite kitchens or in full view of other occupants - maybe ok for some but not for me. As for walking into the woods - there's a law here against that and even if legal, it's not for me. I could maybe stretch to a toilet tent, but it would need to be well soundproofed - lol. Seriously though, forget about the nostalgic world of rough camping. If these comforts are available, why not make use of them? Here in Scotland, a caravan (travel trailer) will not sell if a toilet compartment is not included. Use of them of course is at he discretion of the individual.
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Old 10-16-2010, 09:16 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Victor Benz View Post
Having said that, as Peter mentioned, a shower is somewhat useless when boondocking. Not only does it use a lot of water, but very few grey water tanks can handle a single shower. We only use the shower when in a full-facility campground.
Interesting observation from a fellow Fiber Streamer. I seldom have females along; does that contribute to increased water usage?

Being a retired US Navy sailor, I am well acquainted with water-saving procedures in the shower. In addition, San Diego is experiencing a stage 2 water shortage, which dictates conservation at home as well as while trailering. I cannot remember the last "Hollywood" shower I indulged in.

Robert and I get full use out of our bathroom, even while boondocking. We each use about 1.5 gallons of water per shower, and the 13 gallon gray tank easily handles a typical weekend outing for us. I also have a 5 gallon "Port-A-Way'st" Tote to draw off gray water for remote disposal. Washing (and rinsing) dishes and pots & pans is what fills the tank quickly.
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Old 10-17-2010, 06:52 AM   #26
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Space and grunge

I used the 25% figure of space for the bathroom area.

That was just a very quick observation in a 16' Scamp.

It looked as though measuring from the bath door to the front wall of the trailer was about 3'. And thinking that the interior length of a 16'er is about 13 feet that would be 23%. In a 13'er with a 10' long interior it would be more like 30%. Of course my figures could be wrong.

Maybe someone could measure the inside demensions for this discussion.

Really appreciate folks saying it like it is and not tip toeing around the subject, especially concerning the toilet.

I agree that many Campground facilities are less than desirable. No matter how clean or dirty they look, I try my best to not sit on their toilets. We want our own toilet, and Porta Potties work pretty well, at least for the sanitation issues. They seal odors really well and the blue chemicals liquify the waste. With a cover over them they can even serve as a foot stool. Dumping is easy as the top and bottom seperate. The bottom has a convient pour spout, which for me, is less "dirty" to fool with than dealing with a sewer hose and flushing the black water tank at the dump station.

I agree about not wanting to trek to a bathroom in the middle of the night, especially as I get up at least once and maybe multiple times. So a half gallon clorox bottle handles that nicely and I can pour it in the campground facility sometime the next day.

I feel the same concerning the beds in motels/hotels. The only thing seperating us from whatever has been done on them is a, hopefully, clean sheet and pillow case. That is why we want a camper, so we "Know" any germs there are ours!

Gotta get ready for Church.. Thanks for the input, and please someone get some interior measurements.

Thanks,
Kip
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Old 10-17-2010, 08:13 AM   #27
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A shower is not an option in our 9' x 5' LiteHouse. Instead, we have a solar shower. Since we live in the southern woods, there is often not much sun where we camp, we augment the heat by adding water from the tea kettle. A small pop-up awning with bedspreads clipped to the sides provides privacy for the shower and a portapotti which we use when necessary. Having a built-in shower (and head) would be lovely, but not at the cost of the additional tow weight.
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Old 10-17-2010, 08:14 AM   #28
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what to do in the middle of the night?

Just returned from 3 months on the road in a 13 ' Boler, w/o on-board facilities. NO WAY am I going outside in the middle of the night.
a 750 ml yogurt container serves the purpose, and is easily emptied in the morning. And, the price is right.
That's my 2 cents worth.
Karen H

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kip in Ga. View Post
I used the 25% figure of space for the bathroom area.

That was just a very quick observation in a 16' Scamp.

It looked as though measuring from the bath door to the front wall of the trailer was about 3'. And thinking that the interior length of a 16'er is about 13 feet that would be 23%. In a 13'er with a 10' long interior it would be more like 30%. Of course my figures could be wrong.

Maybe someone could measure the inside demensions for this discussion.

Really appreciate folks saying it like it is and not tip toeing around the subject, especially concerning the toilet.

I agree that many Campground facilities are less than desirable. No matter how clean or dirty they look, I try my best to not sit on their toilets. We want our own toilet, and Porta Potties work pretty well, at least for the sanitation issues. They seal odors really well and the blue chemicals liquify the waste. With a cover over them they can even serve as a foot stool. Dumping is easy as the top and bottom seperate. The bottom has a convient pour spout, which for me, is less "dirty" to fool with than dealing with a sewer hose and flushing the black water tank at the dump station.

I agree about not wanting to trek to a bathroom in the middle of the night, especially as I get up at least once and maybe multiple times. So a half gallon clorox bottle handles that nicely and I can pour it in the campground facility sometime the next day.

I feel the same concerning the beds in motels/hotels. The only thing seperating us from whatever has been done on them is a, hopefully, clean sheet and pillow case. That is why we want a camper, so we "Know" any germs there are ours!

Gotta get ready for Church.. Thanks for the input, and please someone get some interior measurements.

Thanks,
Kip
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Old 10-17-2010, 08:30 AM   #29
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With our little 13'er we don't have room for a bathroom and now don't see the need for one. We always try to camp fairly close to the washrooms and carry a porta poti and tent enclosure for the times that we need it. On a month long trip this past summer we only set it up three times; when it was pouring rain out or when we wouldn't even think of using the badly neglected [filthy] washroom in the campground. After all tese years of towing the small trailer we have talked about moving to a larger unit with a washroom and then at a couple of past meets we began to notice that the people in the larger rv's don't use their facilities either except in emergencies so as to keep them clean and/or eleminate odors in the trailer. There's always a parade to the public washrooms in the mornings and evenings made by all the rv users regardless of size or options of their trailers. It's become a good time to have a last chat of the day or a good morning wave with your neighbours and fellow campers.
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Old 10-17-2010, 08:38 AM   #30
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There's an old saying, you can never miss what you've never had. Now that I've owned a trailer with a flush toilet, I wouldn't want to be without it. When I was first looking to buy a molded trailer, I was looking for a 13 footer... they're so dang cute! Couldn't find one within my budget. Then a 16 foot sidebath Scamp came up. Nirvana! First the bathroom was convenient because my young daughter went camping with me and there was always a middle-of-the-night potty call. NOW, it's me! After a couple of nights of very wet NOGs, I'm grateful I can take three steps out of bed, take care of business and be back in a warm bed quickly. I find the older I get, the more important that sidebath becomes.... YMMV.
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Old 10-17-2010, 09:39 AM   #31
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Kip, I saw one reference in this thread to the bathroom taking 25% of the total space and another for 30% of the space. Those percentages seemed very large to me so I made some rough measurements from the floor plan schematics on the Casita and Scamp websites. The Casita 17 bathroom was 12% and the Scamp 16 bathroom was 11% of the space.
Hi Andy,

I'm one of the people who listed a percentage; I can't remember if I said 25% or 30%, but either way, let me explain why:

First of all, I have a 13-footer, as I think I mentioned in my reply. The 13-er has basically three usable areas: The front gaucho/bunks, the kitchen, and the rear dinette/bed. A full bath (bath/shower) typically takes away the front gaucho/bunks, so that means 1 of your 3 areas is "gone." (In addition to the large window there, which really adds to the feeling of space; also, you no longer have two separate beds if you want them.)

In addition to the "one of three main spaces gone," there is extra weight and space taken up by a larger water tank (I would hope!), a grey water tank, a water heater, plumbing, and etc. There is really no additional room under the trailer (the ~10 gallon water tank takes up all available space under there), so these tanks and heater would have to be inside the trailer. There goes a percentage of your storage space. Would it be 25/30% exactly? I'm not sure, but if I picture a 10 gallon supply tank, a 10 gallon grey tank, a water heater, and some plumbing, I can see something in that range "gone."

I did choose 25/30% as a figure I hoped would be "round" enough to show it was just a casual estimate, but I'm not sure it's *that* far off in the end for the 13-ers I was discussing.

It also adds weight in the front which tends to load up the tongue (especially if you need to add a battery and carry more propane), but that is a separate thing and may not be a factor for many people.

I hope that explains how I came up with my 25/30%.

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Old 10-17-2010, 11:04 AM   #32
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We've been camping for 3 seasons now and have never used the toilets other than our own and have only used the campground shower once (to get the sand off). there are only 3 reasons we got a camper: 1 to have our own bathroom. 2 to take our dogs with us. 3 to sleep in our own bed. As a bonus we can afford to take more vacations, go to more places, and cook our own meals when we want. LIFE IS GOOD.

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Old 10-17-2010, 11:08 AM   #33
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I see most posters seem to be either single or couples. As a family of 4 (with 2 daughters) we are looking for a flush toilet and privacy. From what I've read not all National and State Parks have facilities plus overnighting in Walmart or a Truck Stop we'd need the private toilet. Now if it was just me and DH, that would be a tough decision. We had one in our first popup and we only used it a handful of times when the facilities were either too dirty, too crowded or out of hot water. It sure was nice to have it available even if we didnt need it all the time. Looking for a family trailer we want the side bath front bunks option. As a couple, I'd probably have a 13 ft with no bath although since the emptying chore falls on me I'm not sure how well I'd handle emptying somebody elses solids from a little portapotti tank. DH is too squeamish to be of any assistance so for us a black tank and hose to obscure the contents would be better. You might want to consider long term use too. You might be fine with portapottis now but 5 or 10 yrs down the road do you still want to be using them? You could always sell your non-bath model and upgrade so that may be an option as well when you got to that point in life.

Just another side of the equation, lol.
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Old 10-17-2010, 11:13 AM   #34
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Originally Posted by Frederick L. Simson View Post
Interesting observation from a fellow Fiber Streamer. I seldom have females along; does that contribute to increased water usage?
Have you seen my hair? It takes a couple of gallons to rinse it, since it had to be washed and conditioned, seriously. When it was short it took quite a bit less.

So I guess the answer for me is yes girls use more water if they have long thick hair to wash. I also think most women who don't camp boondocking are not in the habit of doing serious water conservation in general. Including all aspects of water use.

I can wash my body and brush my teeth with a 16 oz bottle of water, but my hair has to stay dirty.

As for the potti. I love having one. Can I do with just a porti potti? Yes. Can I do with no potti? I have and I don't like being a bear.
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Old 10-17-2010, 04:36 PM   #35
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Joehl----I couldn't agree with you more. We spent far to many nights in our teardrop trailer as we made nightly treks to the restroom in the cold, the rain, and being concerned about the furry National Park inhabitants. At our age, give us a flush toilet and a shower after a several mile hike and we'll forgo a chair/extra place to sit in our 13' deluxe
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Old 10-17-2010, 05:50 PM   #36
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It's fun to read all the different perspectives on this one.

One note I'd like to add on the "no plumbed bathroom" angle is that I don't ever walk to the facilities unless I want to (some nights are just nice for a walk). No, I don't have a flush toilet, but I do have facilities in the 13 (I use WAG bags but others use a Porta Potti).

I just wanted to clarify that not having a bath "room" does not mean that one *must* hike out through rain and snow to un-tidy facilities.

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Old 10-17-2010, 06:34 PM   #37
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since we're all adding our 2 cents worth...i'll contribute mine. our 13 footer has no bath or shower. it does have the requisite sink. we do have a portapottie, but we've not used it in 2 years. we do use the campground facilities and if we're not in a spot with a good shower set-up, we sponge bath. yes, baby wipes are great and so is hand sanitizer...
i do not miss a bathroom. it is our ritual to both walk together, at bedtime, to the washroom. i guess i am lucky in that i rarely get up thru the night. if dennis needs to, he does. i would not sacrifice the space to get a designated bathroom area.
our friends owned the same trailer as us....but with the toilet. she thought it was terrific---at first. but in getting the toilet, she sacrificed having the bunk/second dinette.....so if their table was left down as the bed, and the weather was wet and they needed to eat/drink indoors for a meal, one of them was forced to sit on the toilet while the other sat on a stool!! i'd rather walk to the facilities, thanks.
okay...so maybe that was 4 or 5 cents worth. hahahaha
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Old 10-17-2010, 09:18 PM   #38
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It appears to me that we are getting a good cross section of opinions here on washrooms in small trailers. What a great Country, and great manufacturers---we can all buy the trailer from the manufacturer we like, equipped with the options we like/need to fit our lifestyle. Sure is nice that we all have that opportunity.
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Old 10-18-2010, 11:10 AM   #39
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Late night walk

I agree with most of the posters that a late night walk to the campground bathroom is not on the desired list of things to do.

Besides having to put on some suitable clothes, shoes and such, there is no telling what might be lurking outside, with bad intentions.

Also by the time we get back we might be awake.

Some type of receptical inside the trailer would/should eliminate the necessity, to take a hike!

On the other hand, waking up in the middle of the night "Needing" to take a shower is probably not done very often. An exception might be if camping while working and a need to be somewhere at the crack of dawn. Even then the shower could be taken the night before, if necessary.

On the 3rd hand if the shower is there and not being used, it could be used for storage with shelves or to hang clothes in.

I'm at the point that If we don't get a BR we will wish we had. If we do we will wish we had a front sofa/bunks. You posters have offered some compelling arguements in both directions. And it is most appreciated.

Could someone please measure from the front inside wall to the bathroom door to establish just how much space is dedicated to a front bathroom?

Thanks,
Kip
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Old 10-18-2010, 11:29 AM   #40
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I have had toilet and shower campers. I now won't even go look at a camper which has them. There are many other better options, seems to me.
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