High cost of showers on the road

66788 · Dec 5, 2019

I love my Dodge high top van, but not having a comfortable way to shower when needed was a deal breaker for me.

A real one piece fiberglass shower with hot water was the centerpiece of my step van build design. Now after living in the step van for almost a year I realize just how much money I would have paid had I showered commercially, not to mention the convenience of showering at will and not going to bed grungy and looking for a shower the next day.

Not having a shower is akin to still using ice as opposed to a 12vdc compressor fridge. It works but costs a lot of money.

I highly recommend some form of year round showering system for not only convenience, but as a way of lessening one's expenses.

MrNoodly · Dec 5, 2019

The need for showers varies greatly person to person, and sometimes it's not about actual cleanliness. I feel fine with a weekly shower and sponge baths in between.

Almost There · Dec 5, 2019

Me too!

And I judge the cost of showers in the overall cost of living full-time on the road as compared to paying rent/mortgage/utilities etc etc etc for a S&B and come out way to the good.

I also keep in mind that instead of paying for a shower somewhere ($3.00 to $8.00 is all I've ever paid) as opposed to paying for buying the water and then having to have a holding tank installed and the ongoing dump station fees to discharge the water, I'm getting off really cheap!!

crofter · Dec 5, 2019

Free showers can be had as a side benefit of an activity, like going to the gym or pool, and does not get any moisture in the van. Memberships are usually under $25 and many are portable. Works for urban dwellers, not so much for boondockers in the wilderness.

In the boonies you can avail yourself of a shower tent for about $50 and not get the moisture in the van. This method while widely practiced, may not be ecologically sound due to the water goes on the ground through all those holes around the floor. If you are working in the boonies (forest service, etc.), a shower tent will probably be your only safety shower. ~crofter

bullfrog · Dec 5, 2019

Showers and air conditioning seem to be the main concerns of many trying out this lifestyle. Many get RV's and boondock buying water and dumping tanks once every week or so but even those that take this route need to conserve water unlike in a sticks and bricks. I have seen a few really smart vandwellers and RVers that use National Parks like ours that have free or low cost showers,water and dump stations that visit during the day and sleep on the nearby BLM land at night. They have good local knowledge of the area and usually stay in areas with bodies of water so they can swim and stay cool during the day eating at the shaded picnic areas dumping their trash maybe sit in the AC at the lodge and use the free wifi to watch a movie then drive or bike a short distance to the BLM land and camp or use a senior pass and camp primitive in the park for half price. Most here come spring and fall avoiding the extreme temps but most likely do the same in parks at higher or lower elevations during summer and winter. A lifetime senior pass is I believe is the same as an annual pass for those younger folks at $80. With the number of parks and BLM land in the western states it is easy to plan a seasonal loop.

66788 · Dec 5, 2019

All good ideas. I often spend a month or more in RV parks, so a shower on city water is the norm.

While boondocking it's nice to take a shower whenever and where ever I want to. It takes 3-4 gallons to do a Navy shower, including washing my hair twice.

My fresh water tank is 34 gallons and I usually fill it for free with a hose from various faucets.

There are some things I refuse to give up. Showers in my rig is top of my list after showering at the YMCA during my build.

I'm not knocking primitive methods, just not my thing.

ckelly78z · Dec 5, 2019

On a van build, I don't know that I would want to occupy 9 sq ft of floor space for a dedicated shower. I realize many use it as a place to put a toilet, and a hanging closet as well, but I think a portable shower tent would serve my purposes well, as long as I had warm water, and a thick towel.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-Shower-Utility-Tent/142993875

crofter · Dec 5, 2019

Downside of a shower tent is that most of them are see through, so you have to put up a tarp as well. Some are now being made with black out fabric which may fix that small privacy problem. ~crofter

bullfrog · Dec 5, 2019

Almost any tent that you have a light source in will show shadows. We never had any problems taking showers during the day but we did set it up next to the camper on the sunny side. The biggest problem we had were the zippers after a few hundred uses.

highdesertranger · Dec 5, 2019

while everybody's needs are different, for me a shower is a top priority. I understand with a van a permanent shower is really not practical. but if you play in dirt and mud all day like I do you would understand how important a shower is.

I saw 66788's step van and it's a great set up. there is nothing like a real shower those puny RV showers are only slightly better than nothing. shower tents work in the summer but in the winter Brrrrrr. also those el cheapo shower tents aren't worth a dime if you paid more than that you got taken. the first one a bought didn't even last 2 weeks.

people who are complain that buying water to shower with is to expensive are buying water at the wrong places.

highdesertranger

crofter · Dec 5, 2019

highdesertranger said:
while everybody's needs are different, for me a shower is a top priority.

It looks like quite a lovely shower if you have the space and don't mind the moisture. I have a thing about black mold, and want to keep it out of the van as long as possible. To beat the cold, I have a knit wrap used as a bathrobe and then use heated water when it is cold in the shower tent (the heated water heats the shower tent for a short period of time).
Do you know if it is legal to build a sweat lodge on public land? ~crofter

Van-Tramp · Dec 5, 2019

Just got to get out of the [bad] habit of showering every day and the costs are not so bad at all. Our bodies are not intended to be washed with soap every day. It is bad for you in so many ways. The reason why we humans stink after just a few hours after a shower is because we keep washing away all the good bacteria and oils that our skin naturally produces. It then ramps into overtime to try to replace them, causing the stink.

Give it a try. Shower only once per week. In a few weeks you will notice the difference.

Qxxx · Dec 5, 2019

I also use the noodles method when in the desert. Washdown at night out of the wash basin, very little soap, and real shower once a week.

LoupGarou · Dec 6, 2019

An enamel wash basin placed on a single burner butane stove, to heat the water, has worked well for me on my trips across the USA and down into Mexico.

kygreg · Dec 6, 2019

Van-Tramp said:
Just got to get out of the [bad] habit of showering every day and the costs are not so bad at all. Our bodies are not intended to be washed with soap every day. It is bad for you in so many ways. The reason why we humans stink after just a few hours after a shower is because we keep washing away all the good bacteria and oils that our skin naturally produces. It then ramps into overtime to try to replace them, causing the stink.

Give it a try. Shower only once per week. In a few weeks you will notice the difference.

I agree, also being in good physical shape also helps. I walk 5+ miles everyday and still only need a shower once a week.

wagoneer · Dec 6, 2019

Include a healthy diet less meat more fruits and greens. I am not a veggie guy. I will buy a premium cut of meat. Plus traveling alone.

66788 · Dec 6, 2019

highdesertranger said:
people who are complain that buying water to shower with is to expensive are buying water at the wrong places.

highdesertranger

I just filled my 33 gallon fresh water tank at RV Pit Stop in Q with deep well water, 5 gallons for 25 cents. Basically $1.25 to fill. About 6 showers worth.

How cheap is that?

Dingfelder · Dec 7, 2019

Van-Tramp said:
Just got to get out of the [bad] habit of showering every day and the costs are not so bad at all. Our bodies are not intended to be washed with soap every day. It is bad for you in so many ways. The reason why we humans stink after just a few hours after a shower is because we keep washing away all the good bacteria and oils that our skin naturally produces. It then ramps into overtime to try to replace them, causing the stink.

Give it a try. Shower only once per week. In a few weeks you will notice the difference.

I had a Belgian friend who spoke of this admiringly as "the French way." No bathing, only perfume once in a while. She often looked greasy, especially her hair. I have known many women with stinky hair.

People's bacterial colonies vary by a surprising degree. I would not recommend anyone assume they don't smell. Quite the opposite; we tend to get used to our own smells very quickly and they become invisible to us. I'd recommend, instead of surfing on the wave of our own oblivion to our odors, assuming that that our stink is perpetually crashing on the shores of many miffed noses.

hugemoth · Dec 7, 2019

66788 said:
I just filled my 33 gallon fresh water tank at RV Pit Stop in Q with deep well water, 5 gallons for 25 cents. Basically $1.25 to fill. About 6 showers worth.

How cheap is that?

The county park/RV campground in Bouse also has well water for 5 cents per gallon.

WanderingRose · Dec 7, 2019

I have thick hair and a scalp that tends to sweat, so washing my hair to remove odor is more important to me when boondocking than a full shower.

I carry a 2 1/2 gallon solar shower, easily refilled, and wash my hair outside with this hanging on a tree or whatever else may be handy.

Conserves water and holding tank space inside, and a sponge bath for the rest of me works fine for several days at a time.

High cost of showers on the road

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