Outdoor shower worth it?

[Outnabout]

Getting ready to order a new camper. How do people with the outdoor shower option feel about? Worth it?

thanks

 

[jha6av8r]

It's not just for showers. We think it was worth it.

 

[PaulT]

Just be sure to acquire a shower cabana or rig up a tarp that can reduce the breeze. It's amazing the rate at which you can lose body heat when wet and and the wind comes up. Plan ahead. Not like I did the first time I used mine.

Paul

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I'll be the contrarian. It's easy to heat liter of water on the stove, then take a sponge bath with a small plastic tub. Same for heating water for dishes. You gain storage without the water heater, plus keep cost and weight down.

That said, I miss my daily shower hour when out in the camper. I've considered buying a Zodi portable shower in lieu of the built in.

 

[ntsqd]

Our first iteration of an outdoor enclosure was a failure. It free hung off a boom at a rear corner of the camper. Even with a low hoop to maintain shape a light breeze made it a last ditch resort. Next one will attach to the side of the rig.

 

[Lighthawk]

I've considered buying a Zodi portable shower in lieu of the built in.

We went the Zodi route, and it works for us. I found I can use the iron ring sans legs and put the tank on the stove burner to heat water. We've even taken "bob" in the hot spring with us to spritz off with soap and fresh water afterwards.

 

[craig333]

I like mine and like Kilroy, if you can't find five minutes of privacy you're camped in the wrong area.

 

[Ramblinman]

I REALLY like my outdoor shower. My girlfriend who is fussy prefers the outdoor shower to campground showers. A big reason I got my FWC is to improve my comfort during my adventures. I have tented or slept in the back of my truck for the better part of 20 years and I found that I was not as excited to get outdoors anymore.

I am very pleased with my outdoor shower. I use it to shower, do dishes, wash stuff, and wash my dog. It is very convenient. Just activate the pump and water heater and you are off to the races. No messin around. What makes me a little nervous it is just one more thing to winterize and one more thing to go wrong.

Without having used them, I suspect that the other showers which I believe would be more reliable and less prone to breakage and less hassle when they break - might be more cumbersome to get going at the end of a long day - I will leave it to those who use them to comment.

If in a busy campground - which I don't like to be, but sometimes it happens - We wear a swim suit to shower and suffer the wind (BTW my hunting partner says I sound like a wounded grizzly bear when its cold). I prefer to shower right before bed. The great thing about the Outdoor shower is it is all built in ready to go. Just gear down, turn on the furnace, shower, and towel off inside in front of the heater and then straight to bed.

I think about the outdoor shower option often, If it never breaks - It is the ONLY way to go. If it gives me hassles then a NEO or Zodi might be a better bet.

After 100 nights - my vote is for the outdoor shower - I reserve the right to change my opinion at any time!!!

 

[Alley-Kat]

Zodi extreme outside with a modified long hose going inside. Inside (warm/private/no wind chill factor) a modified Zodi shower curtain, large at top, small at bottom, hanging from the ceiling, a cut down plastic utility sink with cut down legs and a drain hose going outside, bottom of Zodi shower curtain velcro-ed to the inside of the utility sink. Everything stows away, out of the way, when not showering. Filtered water from any water source if not in a campground with potable water which is the wife unit's choice.

ATC Bobcat Shell - Owner Interior Build, Message #16

 

[Taku]

We use the Helios shower, since it can go or not go depending on the time of year. Once we get old (not sure when that is however) is when I have penciled in to go the next step of maybe having a better shower!

 

[Espresso]

I have a portable shower and what a hassle. Setup, tear-down, stowage. I think it takes more room than a built-in unit. No question my next camper will have an outdoor shower.

 

[Cayuse]

I'm happy with my 5 gallon solar shower and baby wipes with the occasional night in a state park campground for a real shower so having the water heater and outdoor shower would be sacrificing too much storage but that is probably the dirtbag climber in me coming out.

 

[ntsqd]

I'm good for a week at a time, at least, in the back-country before I want a shower. Note I say "want", not "need". I'm sure "need" happens sooner, but I have a terrible sense of smell.

My wife OTOH.......... 3 days, tops. It is for her that we built the first enclosure and will be working on a better one. Were I/we willing to stake down our current design I believe it to be very functional. What gives me pause was our experience camped at Toroweep where you could not stake down anything because the of the surface level hard-pan. I see a stake-less design as a must.

 

[alano]

Big fan of the outdoor shower here. We use it for dishes every night and showers when other options unavailable. I made a shower curtain rig out of PVC pipe and fittings that I attach to the holes in the jack mounts. Clip a tarp to it and ready to go by the time the water's hot. We've done the swimsuit thing as well. National Park CGs and more remote State Park CGs rarely have showers.

Alan

 

[rotti]

My solution was a bug spray solar shower and a pop up shower tent.
Works fine.....simple and cheap.

 

[PaulT]

Perhaps a woven curtain with some weights clipped on the bottom would suffice to reduce the cooling effect of wind without requiring a sledge maul to sink stakes in hard surface. If the wind is too bad for that, then a sponge bath inside or waiting for better conditions is in order. Washing hair is the only difficult thing without the shower for those without perfect heads.

Paul

 

[Otis]

We debated and discussed having the shower retrofitted, but finally chose to keep our storage; a 6 gallon tank and associated hardware for the shower and heater would have consumed about half of our cabinet space.
We use a solar shower or a Zodi. The Zodi has worked well, fairly quick and the water gets hot - the solar shower can be less than warm on a cloudy day, but my wife reminded us that "we are camping" -

 

[buckland]

I second the solar shower...don't camp near people so who cares? The solar heats up fine and if not a quart of stove heated water mixed with cooler water does great. Less worry. More room for beer.

 

[ntsqd]

FWIW our first design enclosure had a rigid hoop top and bottom. A slight wind just blows the whole thing sideways.

Actually, this is the second iteration. The first was a shower/potty tent. The winds at Toroweep broke one of it's plastic pole connectors. Even though it was free standing, it needed staked down in the wind too.

 

[esimmers]

Trying to decide on the hot water/shower option? Here are some questions to ask yourself:

Would I use the hot water for anything other than the shower?

Can I use the extra 6 gallons of water that the hot water heater holds?

Everyone's situation is different. My wife and I fix meals inside the Hawk where we're on the road rather than eating at restaurants. It's sure nice to have that hot water for cooking and cleaning up. If we're in a rest stop of parking lot when we stop, we don't want to be heating water outside. So the hot water heater is worth it for us and the outside shower is a no-cost included bonus.

We also frequently camp with friends and family, most of whom have tents. We use our Hawk sort of as the group Mother Ship with an outside table below the shower port for hand washing and dish washing. I've replaced the hose and shower faucet with a coiled hose and adjustable garden sprayer. Check out <http://www.dwincorp....s/14/Spray-Away> for hoses, adapter fitting and other items that are compatible with the quick-release hose fitting.

On the newer campers there are valves that let you drain the hot water heater tank back into your big water tank for reuse. No one likes to run out of water so that's another plus.

So figure out which one of us who replied to your original post is most like you. Then you'll be good to go.

Thanks for asking.