Do You Use The Shower?

[Ziggy]

Love the shower. We camp without hookups and our system is:

Fill the sink half full with warm water and a dash of soap.

Clean up with a washcloth dipped in the sink. It's amazing how far that half sink of water goes.

Rinse with the shower head.

We use about 3/4 of a gallon per shower if we are careful. Whenever weather and privacy permit we use the outdoor shower. I like this stuff Amazon.com : Herbal Bath Oil 4 Ounces : Bath Oils : Beauty in the sink. It cleans well, smells good and it's not even necessary to rinse it off. If we are at a campground that has showers and they don't look too groady, we will occasionally treat ourselves to a LONG hot shower ant it's a treat!

[Roger C H]

We use commercial RV park showers. We check them out shortly after arrival and skip showering if not attractive. Showering every day is a recent "need" as once a week was fine for our parents and for us. Besides, it dries your skin.

We avoid the "stinky slinky" by using a porta-potty for night time use and emptying it every morning. I found that letting it set even one day adds considerably to the aroma factor even with treatment. In five years, we have not had to use it for solids.

We will do dishes in Homelet. I have a large pot that I heat water in, pour some in the sink with detergent, wash the dishes in the sink, rinse in the pot. Our grey water tank is a 5 gallon bucket with a lid and a hole cut for the drain hose. The lid keeps the little critters out. This, also, being emptied soon after use, keeps the aroma down.

I could never see the sense in storing waste.

[Ron Merritt]

Love the shower in my Oliver. Easy to cleanup when done. I just spray it down with hot water after each use. Spray down and around the commode too. Once a week spray with a little cleaner with bleach and wipe it down. Really, couldn't be easier.

[WaltP]

As you can see there is a huge range of attitudes about the shower. Personally I love the convenience and use it regularly. I don't mind taking "navy showers" though, unlike some.

Walt

[steve dunham]

In the 5 years of owning a Scamp and a Casita both with an onboard shower ,we have never showered in our trailer. We use the CG or our outside shower. I have used gang showers at work for over 40 years so using the CG' s shower is a non issue for me as it is for others.

[Franswa]

recent "need" ??? more like recent luxury...and it feels good, cools you down after a hot day....what's not to like?

You avoid the "stinky slinky"...but don't mind dragging the potty tank out of the coach and taking it somewhere to dump it (????)....and where would that be? in one of those "groady" toilets maybe?? I'll take the slinky any day of the week compared to the stress of emptying a potty without splashes! Now there's an acquired talent!

a porta-potty is not vented....so yeah, it's a challenge to keep inside in hot weather alright

I don't mind travelling with waste...don't understand the "problem"

[slowpat]

I call it glamping. If I'm hooked up to water and power, I use the shower, toilet, and stove because I can. I haven't boondocked in this trailer yet. I've only had it a couple of months but have had 3 trips in it. The shower is good and gets me clean and I sleep better.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Franswa

I don't mind travelling with waste...don't understand the "problem"

Is there a problem? I missed it, if there is.

What we have here is a collection of different folks with different requirements for their own personal styles. No one style is wrong, and as long as folks are getting out camping, AND finding enjoyment with it, that is all that really matters.

For me, the trailer is just a piece of equipment to be used as best fits our needs and desires. These needs an desires are to use it as little as possible, in that it means we are using our 'living room', being the great outdoors, more.

As mentioned before, most folks shower WAY too much anyway. Some just so they can fix their hair. As someone mentioned above, baths were a weekly thing, and this was in farming families that worked hard. They survived great, so could we. Not saying we should go to those extremes at all, just that we could go way longer. I have been on 2 week backcountry trips, with no shower facilities within days of travel, and survived just fine.

BUT....... To each, their own. None of us is wrong.

[Cathy P.]

My intention, since we don't have a molded trailer yet, was to see if there were a majority of people not using the shower since we would use it every day and if it isn't something we would want to use, then I am in wrong place.

I can't remember whether it was here or not but I remember someone saying that when they washed up, they used Dr. Bronner's Peppermint soap and that it was very refreshing. We get itchy from a lot of soaps and that sounded like a good choice in a pinch.

Kansas is hot, humid, dusty and buggie so a shower when camping in heavenly.

[68dave]

My wife and I use the shower in our casita everyday during a camping trip, and i'm a big guy. It's funny, i just returned this evening from a week of camping in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. and the campground, named "Up the Creek", did not have a shower house. We had the smallest camper there and all the other campers in their XXL motorhomes & 5th wheels were lookin' at my wife and I funny. We think that they thought because of the size of our egg that it wasn't equipped with a shower, lol.

[David B.]

Originally Posted by Gail H

David B and Jennykatz, just wondering what kind of hassle---if at all---it is emptying the cassette toilet? Are there benefits over the flushable kind with actual plumbing? Asking these LilSnoozy owners, because we have considered buying one.

Gail, we purposely did NOT order the cassette toilet. It was a $500.00 option that people were having problems with, because of an easily fractured "blue" colored hose (in a very difficult area to get at), that Theadford uses, and what they continued to use as the official hose for their warranty work. People started replacing the hose with gasline and never had anymore problems with it. The Theadford portable potty empties exactly like their cassette toilet except we have to separate the top from the bottom. I also did not want the casssett as when I easily remove the portable potty from the shower, we have double the floor space for showering. I prefer to be able to empty the bottom half of the portable potty in any toilet (about every 4 days), than having only option of needing a dump station.
Good luck with your choices.
Dave & Paula

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

Is there a problem? I missed it, if there is.

What we have here is a collection of different folks with different requirements for their own personal styles. No one style is wrong, and as long as folks are getting out camping, AND finding enjoyment with it, that is all that really matters.

For me, the trailer is just a piece of equipment to be used as best fits our needs and desires. These needs an desires are to use it as little as possible, in that it means we are using our 'living room', being the great outdoors, more.
BUT....... To each, their own. None of us is wrong.

Good post Jim, think this is pretty much the answer to the question asked.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Cathy P.

.... we don't have a molded trailer yet,...

Cathy, neither do I.. I have ordered one, but I choose a toilet WITHOUT a shower and water heater to save both weight and money. Also maintenance of the water heater would be more trouble, and a shower without hot water seems pretty pointless.

I based that decision on my meager RV experience in which I found the campground showers always available and usually pretty nice. Sometimes the water was not very hot, or they were not as clean as I would have liked, but they were not bad and a good trade off for not having to pay more for my trailer, haul more water, maintain a water heater, etc. Of course, as a necessity, an RV shower almost always needs to be minimal compared to a shower with regular city water and plumbing. Note that I didn't bookdock.

Having said that, I am reconsidering. Just because you have a shower in the trailer does not mean you have to use it.. ever. But if you do want to use and if don't have it, the options left might be a navy shower at best. So maybe, just maybe, its better to have it available even if you don't use it.

The added weight and cost of the shower will probably not bother me.. I have never had a hot water heater so I need to look into that and see if I think the cost, maintenance, etc. of the heater is worth it. To me, that becomes the main issue (not the shower per se).

If it were me, and I was shopping used, I would be happy with or without the shower (but I will always want the toilet a I am getting close to the "up every night age"). For new trailers, I am still leaning toward keeping it slim and forgoing the shower, but I am reconsidering.

[Donna D.]

I have friends that purchased a 1999 16' Scamp brand new from the factory. They've never used the toilet or the shower. They use the shower room as a storage closet. They purchased it FSC to have options. So far, haven't needed either. But no one has a crystal ball and can't see into that "needed" future.

Gordon, a hot water heater isn't a huge maintenance issue, honest. The value it brings to comfort is worth it. YMMV

[jennykatz]

We have a twin bed Lil Snoozy with a cassette toilet . We use the shower every time we take her out .The Cassette toilet bowl will rotate out of the way so there is more room in the wet bath area . We bought the Snoozy used so Cassette toilet was in there . I like it better then a porta potti that we have on our boat .
The Cassette pulls out from the back of the Lil Snoozy it's 4-5 gallons so maybe every 2-3 days to empty ? I like the fact that there is no slinky stincky to worry about .You just take the cassette part and flush the proceeds down toilet . If one is staying for weeks or fulltiming then the slincky would work better but for weekend use or for a long drive the Cassette toilet works great .look up Cassette Toilet on YouTube for a better desciption . Jim

[steve dunham]

As mentioned before, most folks shower WAY too much anyway. Some just so they can fix their hair. As someone mentioned above, baths were a weekly thing, and this was in farming families that worked hard. They survived great, so could we. Not saying we should go to those extremes at all, just that we could go way longer. I have been on 2 week backcountry trips, with no shower facilities within days of travel, and survived just fine.

BUT....... To each, their own. None of us is wrong. [/QUOTE]

We have friends who will not camp without full hookups . They both shower twice a day and they need to drain their 80 gallon grey tank daily. I don,t know what activities would make one need to shower twice a day ,everyday but if you go to the forums for the larger trailer owners it is a common phenomenon. We are headed to Canada next week for our annual fishing trip .Cleanup will consist of a dunk in the lake , good enough for me.

[Bob Miller]

Quote: "As mentioned before, most folks shower WAY too much anyway."


I don't think that it is appropriate to be critical of others personal hygiene beliefs and practices. Unless there is a severe water shortage, how often one wants to bath is, basically, no one else business.....


The question was asking about FGRV shower use, not evaluating personal habits.....

[David & Terry]

We do occasionally use shower. We also take advantage of CG baths. We otherwise use the ReadiBath towelets that are used in hospitals for bathing patients in place of sponge bath. One reason I want a private bathroom is for privacy! when cleaning up! People inevitably come by for a tour of our UNIK when I'm in a compromising position! But we love the company

[Darral T.]

Add us to the "Shower". I agree...if people want to take a shower everyday.... for God's sake...it's American freedom...sheesh.

But we have one in our Scamp and wouldnt be without it. My wife and I fall in the category that if we're staying somewhere with nice showers/rest room facilities...then we use those. But it is VERY nice having our Scamp fully self-contained so if we want- especially if it's pouring rain- we never have to leave to go out in the elements.

Having both wake up and go out at 3 in the morning?? That's enjoyable?

To each his own. We enjoy our fully-loaded Scamp. I wouldnt want or have any less.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by Darral T.

Add us to the "Shower". I agree...if people want to take a shower everyday.... for God's sake...it's American freedom...sheesh.

The right to bare arms, right?