a dry bath

[Robert Partee]

Thanks Frederick for clarifying "dry bath". You were spot on. I am heading out to the production line to look at the shower curtain idea. That is simple, inexpensive and might work well for those that request it. I really appreciate all your responses and input as you make my job so much easier with all the great ideas and experience to drive the R&D of the trailer to what the customers want, as opposed to just doing something for the sake of change. If the boss finds out how easy it is for me to reach these things he might just dock my pay...lol...
Thanks again!

[Robin G]

Personally I don't see the issue! It is a 17/18/19/20/22 ft travel trailer bathroom after all! If people need or want more they should be looking to buy a bigger travel trailer/rv. Though I think the shower curtain suggestion Frederick posted is a great idea. If it meant losing storage space it wouldn't be a option I would choose!


Robert, I too appreciate a manufacture that cares enough to ask the opinions of potential customers and hope you find a solution that will work to meet some potential owners wants. But some "want's" may exceed reality in our lil glass trailers, just a fact!

[Adrian W]

We have a Scamp 16' Front Bath. Not sure if it designed as a dry bath or a wet bath. Maybe a wet bath.

However, we added another shower curtain & curtain rod to keep the toilet & the area behind & the sides of it dry when we use the shower. But later we found it worked better to use one full sized curtain so it wraps from one rod to the other without a gap.

The Scamp has a very deep recessed shower 'pan' or floor where the drain is located. Very easy to keep all the wet in that area with the second curtain.

We still like to wipe the fiberglass down after a shower, walls & floor. As well as the curtain. But much less to wipe down & easier to do than having to wipe down the toilet & behind.

I consider it a dry bath.

That's my Story & I'm stickin' to it.

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

The problem with having a dry bath is that you still have to wipe down the walls and clean the toilet. With a wet bath, that just gets done after a shower.

I use a squeegee and a sponge.

Uh... why do you "still have to wipe down the walls and clean the toilet" after showering in a dry bath? I don't do all that in my dry bath. Mine even has luan walls but they air dry quickly enough and I note no damage whatsoever to them after 3 summers of camping and showering.

Most egg owners are necessarily accustomed to a wet bath simply because that's all they can get and they accept it as normal. Sort of like folks 100 years ago, they all accepted outhouses, but if offered the chance to try indoor plumbing, guess what they eventually wanted?

My stick built unit has a dry bath, even though it is just 16 feet long overall. I do prefer having the dry bath over a wet bath. And guess what, I can store a couple jugs of water or some other stuff in the tub (temporary storage!) whenever I'm not showering.... which is 98% of the time.

I think that as long as you are going bigger with the new Oliver 22', it makes sense to offer a dry bath. This will open up the field of potential customers by adding in all those who would reject any trailer that does not offer a dry bath. In other words, some more folks might migrate from stick trailers to an Oliver. At the price point this 22' unit will be at, I think the lack of a dry bath option could be off-putting to some of your potential clientele; at that price level they are accustomed to the nicer things in life, including a more spacious and convenient 'powder room'.

[Glenn Baglo]

I was trying to say that wet or dry, you still have to clean the bathroom (s ), so having a wet-bath just ensures you do it more often.

[Mike Magee]

"Have to clean"? You haven't met my wife.....

Robert, one more thought. Instead of replacing the closet, consider moving the stool in front of the door (more or less where the sink is drawn in on the schematic) and having the shower in the corner where the stool was. It may be possible to have a shallow sink above and to the rear of the stool, but it could be left out entirely in my opinion; the kitchen faucet is only a couple of steps away.

[Nathan_h]

Did these dry bath units ever materialize?

[Jon in AZ]

Nope. Only dry baths in all-molded fiberglass I'm aware of are larger Bigfoot trailers: 21' and 25'.

Most molded fiberglass trailers are narrower than similar length stickies, Bigfoot being one exception. That may play into the decision to go with a wet bath. The mold-making process also limits the number of choices that can be offered. I'm thinking the front bath section is identical on the smaller and larger Olivers.

I agree that takes it off the table for many buyers. But as the molded fiberglass market constitutes less than 1% of total RV sales, they are not marketing to the masses. Their buyers generally have a less-is-more philosophy.

[RogerDat]

Lot of folks with FGRV are fine with a porta pottie under the couch or in a closet. Been some lively and almost heated debates on the trade off between space for a bathroom and the convenience it offers vs. having that as living space or the desirability of keeping the open feel.

Lot of the "value" of a feature depends on the individual. And their own pre-conceived viewpoint. Sister had a dry bath, wouldn't want anything else, she compared it to a wet bath in prior camper.

I had a wet bath, I compared it to wrapping a tarp around some trees and making a pot of hot water, which I dumped into a bucket of cold water, that and a plastic cup from the mess kit inside the little booth formed by the tarp was called a "shower", toilet or pit was a different tarp booth so I guess that makes this a dry bath.

Anyway you can see why I considered a shower head, water heater, real walls and a floor to be a major upgrade.

Now however I'm back to no bath in the camper. This time I'm getting me one of those pop open little booths and propane portable showers that run out of a bucket. No more tarp and coffee pot of hot water for me, getting to old for all that fussing around

[Nathan_h]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Nope. Only dry baths in all-molded fiberglass I'm aware of are larger Bigfoot trailers: 21' and 25'.

Most molded fiberglass trailers are narrower than similar length stickies, Bigfoot being one exception. That may play into the decision to go with a wet bath. The mold-making process also limits the number of choices that can be offered. I'm thinking the front bath section is identical on the smaller and larger Olivers.

I agree that takes it off the table for many buyers. But as the molded fiberglass market constitutes less than 1% of total RV sales, they are not marketing to the masses. Their buyers generally have a less-is-more philosophy.

Thanks for this. Good to know.

It makes sense but is disappointing. Wet bath is a deal breaker for the wife. She'd give up storage space, etc, in order to have it.

Maybe I could change her mind by renting one and she could get over the fear....

[RogerDat]

It is actually sort of nice to have a place to sit when washing ones hair. But then I'm a touch over 6 ft. so sitting and using hose is less hassle than trying to get head under shower while holding it between my head and the ceiling....

[Nathan_h]

Originally Posted by RogerDat

It is actually sort of nice to have a place to sit when washing ones hair. But then I'm a touch over 6 ft. so sitting and using hose is less hassle than trying to get head under shower while holding it between my head and the ceiling....

Yeah. At the very least this makes the argument that one should try the wet bath before ruling it out....so getting her into a rental will be useful.

[floyd]

I don't buy the premise. The wet bath in our Scamp is dry and ready to use the toilet almost immediately after a shower. It takes less than a minute to wipe down the area with a washcloth and then wring it out into the toilet. The whole room can be dry and clean in just a couple of minutes after a shower.
In fact it may be superior to a "dry bath" in that the external toilet area is kept clean in an ongoing manner.
There is a learning curve involved though, which involves how to shake and stow the shower curtain and how to use the showerhead effectively.

I don't see the point, but some folks have devised a shower curtain which simply isolates the toilet while the shower is being used.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by RogerDat

It is actually sort of nice to have a place to sit when washing ones hair. But then I'm a touch over 6 ft. so sitting and using hose is less hassle than trying to get head under shower while holding it between my head and the ceiling....

Adding an additional wall holder at about waist level makes the use of the wet shower much easier. It makes showering easier by reducing the need to get further away from the showerhead to wash the below the waist and also facilitates washing your hair from the sitting position.

[JHayter]

I am trading in the 13ft Scamp for a 16 ft Scout and I am supper excited as it is being redone to suit me needs, colors etc. There is a closet that we will be turning into a bathroom/wash room. Any ideas on what toilet to use, is there a little sink that doesn't have to be hooked up to water? If we do put in the shower/toilet combo do you then have to hook up to water, or will the holding tank suffice? I am very new to the entire camping worked and I am just not sure how the shower etc work if you are not hooked up to water, which we usually are not. Thanks!

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Robert Partee is part of the Oliver trailer manufacturing group.

Robert, I appreciate the fact you come here to FiberglassRV and ask OUR opinions! Truly!!! It's refreshing that a trailer manufacturer wants to know what folks think, before it's done. You have joined a SMALL group of manufacturers that do that here.

I don't need a dry bath. Every inch put into a bathroom of any type has to be taken from someplace else... in this case the closet. My closet is my pantry/cooking implement/coffee maker storage. Wouldn't want to lose that!

[Hazel in Sk]

I think I finally understand the difference between a wet shower and a dry shower. The terms seemed a bit weird to me as showers are made with water - which is wet.


Our wee home on wheels has a porta potti. For personal washing we either use the campground facilities or go in the lake for a swim or use my Nana's system for cleanliness. Nana removed the clothes from her top half and used a slightly damp facecloth (that she called a flannel) to wipe her face, arms, and what she could reach of her torso as far down as possible. Then her clothes (or clean ones) went back on. The clothes from her bottom half came off and she wiped her legs, feet and torso as far as possible. Finally she washed 'possible' and got dressed again.

[Nathan_h]

Well we finally did rent a unit with a wet bath and yep, it turned into a deal breaker. Will give it one more try at some point.

[Glenn Baglo]

I'd look into a Hilton or Westin hotel myself.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Nathan_h

Well we finally did rent a unit with a wet bath and yep, it turned into a deal breaker. Will give it one more try at some point.

Some of us put down a wooden bamboo or teak floor in our wet bath, turning it into a dry bath. Any water on the floor stays off your feet.

[Nathan_h]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Some of us put down a wooden bamboo or teak floor in our wet bath, turning it into a dry bath. Any water on the floor stays off your feet.

Thanks, yes, I need to plan well to sell the concept better.