Puting a camp shower in (or off) you van?

[Blue]

Hi all

Got a great deal a few months ago on one of those propane water heaters (ya attach it to a hose and go) but I want to 1) use it without a garden hose (I plan on getting a 12 volt jacuzzi fluid pump... should work well) and 2) have an extendable shower of some kind that comes off the passenger side sliding door of my minivan...

so I'm looking at building something... I was thinking I could have a shower floor that sits between my bed and the door itself. the shower floor could double as a gray water tank (*when its not in use, and gray water I plan to street dump most of the time anyway) but how to set up the outisde shower itself.

I've seen some of the mini side tents but most of them require tent lines and thats not what I want to get into. I want something I can push out the side of my van, raise up, use for 10 minutes, then lower, pull back in, and drive away, speed is important here.

I've also seen the pilon like camping shower tents but the tilt factor away from the door isnt something I like, dont want to have that gap between the van and the shower, and folding the damn thing up again would be a hassle.

here are some links for some ideas I had...

this old guy looks about right but man is that guy thin... not sure if I could fit in something that small.

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/folding-shower-baths/

I like the design of this... catapillar version and might do something similar, this would definately be easy to raise up use and drop...

http://www.tuvie.com/my-rups-folding-shower-concept-for-limited-bathroom-space/

Something like this could work, but I dont wanna huff and puff and these darn things are always seem to be made for tiny asian people...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...inkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B000NV8ACQ

I also kind of remember seeing a big plastic disk sort of like a clamshell where the bottom became the floor/drain, top became he part you hang from something, and the middle was like a laytex/plastic/rubber shower curtan (that sorta streched once you got in it... I cant find it again and it sounds... embarassing...

any other ideas? comments?

 

[Lucky mike]

I used to use a hula-hoop with 2 shower curtains attached.....I boondock so inner city wasnt an issue , used to toss a rope over a tree limb and raise it ....done deal.

Had a friend take PVC pipes and made a collapsible stall it packed away tight....

hope this gives you a few Ideas to work off of....

 

[Blue]

It does... humm... hullahoops... I'm sure you could do something slightly larger with PVC...

here was that disk shower thing I was talking about... lol 430 bucks, and comes with a heating element and a 12 volt pump... totally non-refundable as well...

 

[Lucky mike]

you can buy a cheap 12volt shower pump for under 50 bucks.....a black bucket for solar or boil water on your stove to mix it down....dump it in the bucket and have at it!!...

 

[jeanontheroad]

Years ago, we used a product called Sun Shower with our van. A plastic hoop with a curtain was an available option. It held enough water for a quick shower. It could be filled with water heated with a kettle or heated for free by the sun. Very little trouble to set up and nothing to corrode or go bad. Sometimes low tech works just fine and is actually more convenient.

---

PS, if one water bag is too small for you, buy two. They are only a few bucks each.

 

[Patrick46]

Ooooo....I really like that Rups design. Very clever!!

but yeah, I'd just use PVC pipes and elbos to build my own framework, hang a cheap (opaque) shower curtain (or blue tarp) offa it, and let 'er go.

done in under $20.


doesn't your water heater draw the water IN? We saw one at a teardrop gathering that the people were using a 5 gallon bucket as their source. Fell in love with that one!

 

[flying kurbmaster]

you might want to look at marine stores for 12 volt bilge pumps. All you would need is a bucket to submerge it into a hose to your propane heater. I have been thinking about this kind of shower curtain as I use an outdoor shower which is made up of a black bucket warmed in the sun or from a kettle of boiled water, the shower itself consists of a bilge pump with a hose and a nozzle that I hook on the van, an in line switch on a wire that goes into a cigarette lighter, I was thinking of engineering or finding a couple of holders that can attach to the drip rail where a fiberglass tent pole would loop in a half circle from and a line that tied back to the drip rail from the outside of the 1/2 hoop, with a curtain attached.

 

[Malibusurfer]

Anyone have any experience with the 12 volt immersion water heater elements??? SES wind and solar has one for about $50 and only uses 200 watts... There is a 500 watter too... Does this actually work and heat more than about a gallon????

 

[Willy]

I have a propane 'instant on' portable hot water heater I plan to use as a shower. Mine doesn't have a pump, but works with gravity fed or pressurized water. Had one of those 'shower bag' solar showers but, here in the Okanagan during the summer, it got so hot as to cook the first few layers of skin. ..Willy.

 

[Reducto]

Here's what I use when I'm far enough away from other people:

Popup shower enclosure:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AZ0ZO56/
I got mine from Ebay, they sell under a bunch of different names. Stores very small and is easy to fold up once you get the hang of it. I leave the zipper open a little so I can reach into my van for my towel and such - nobody would be able to see in unless they were right on top of me. I have some leftover reflectix I use to stand on. As long as it isn't too windy I don't stake it down - just pop it open, shower, then collapse it.

Zodi water heater:
www.amazon.com/dp/B000RYWQP6/
Water heats up in about 15 minutes depending how cold it starts out. I pull the tank into the enclosure with me so I can re-pump to get more pressure. I also put a kitchen sprayer nozzle on the end of the hose to make it easier to conserve water. I use about 1.5 gallons per shower.

The water heater was pricey but seems built well and gets me perfect showers at any time. The only drawback is that it's kind of big and has to be stored upright unless it's empty.

 

[GrayWhale]

How about this:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/HOMZ-Underbed-Storage-56-qt-Clear/25864303

+

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-gallon-tank-sprayer-95690.html

or

http://www.amazon.com/Coghlans-9965...F8&qid=1392074199&sr=1-1&keywords=camp+shower

 

[Blue]

Willy I got the same one you did I think, there's a website I found before where the sell the jacuzzi pump (gets about the same pressure as city water) and hoses and quick connects... they have a great video I'll see if I can find it.

Gray whale lol the harbor freight sprayer "work up a sweat pumping while you spray it off" heh

 

[GrayWhale]

That's true, sweat inside a van at 100+ degrees would be significant. So maybe this electric one: http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Show...F8&qid=1392074199&sr=1-3&keywords=camp+shower

Or hang that bag inside the van. In super hot weather, many quick showers should help a lot.

What's a good spot to drill a hole in the van to funnel out a tube for dirty water?

 

[Blue]

Well, if your lucky enough to have front wheel drive almost anywhere not near the gas tank or firewall, otherwise prolly as far to either side as you can get and away from breaks.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I run my water from my sink out just inside and to the front of the rear wheel on the curb side, I can dump water when parked on the street and nobody notices till I drive off. It also makes an easy place to push a bucket under there and go unnoticed.

 

[SternWake]

I've made my side cargo doors open at 90 degrees, and use a couple clamps to hold up a tarp for some privacy, then throw my sunshower on the roof. But this is more effort than I 'll usually go through.

If you get a sunshower, get one with a screw cap.
http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Elements-gal-Summer-Shower/dp/B005CB7XCK/ref=pd_sim_sg_20
I have one which resides on my reversed front passenger seat.
A big S hook allows me to keep it upright on the chair.

I rest it on a few layers of reflectix.
I have an old 55 watt heating pad, but this takes way too long on its own to heat water to feasibly use as a battery powered water heater. If I plug into the grid it takes about 14 hours to take 58 degree water to the high 90's, and some point at the 24 to 36 hour range the water gets uncomfortably hot. I have no worries keeping water hot on inverter/battery power for a few hours, but getting it hot on battery power is asking too much from the battery

I often use this method for after surfing. I lift the showerbag so it hangs off the sun visor's hinge and still rests on the reversed chair back. I got to get pretty low, for enough of a stream to cover my head, but I have to get the soap the sunscreen off or I develop acne like a teenager.

I've gotten some amused looks standing in a steam cloud when pulling off my wetsuit.

In summer I rest the summershower on the black dashboard and facing some direction toward south. Much faster than the heating pad and free energy.

I also have just heated up water on the stove and keep refilling the pot from the shower nozzle. This is the fastest way by a long shot. I usually try to get the water to 104f minimum. 114f is on the verge of painful, and 118f+, which I have seen after the summershower is on the heating pad for 2+ days, is painful and I've had to add cold water to use it.

I have not used electricity to pump washing water, just gravity. I might have to get one of those pumps so I can stand taller when rinsing off

 

[Blue]

When my water lines burst in Alaska from freezing I tried the stove method, but you gotta remember if you leave water in a hot pot it continues to heat up even after you take it off the stove. Poor some over your head then put the pot down to shampoo and lather up, if you take too long before rinsing when you pour the rest you will scald the living hell out of your scalp and skin....150.00 for an on demand heater is worth not having that happen for me.

 

[SoulRaven]

Greetings!

Get two single bar roof racks, and attach a piece of 1" metal conduit to each one. Next slide 3/4" pieces of conduit into these. All of them should run the full width of your van.

On the passenger side, a couple of inches in, drill a small hole from top to bottom all the way through both pieces of conduit so you can install a large spring type cotter key into each one of them to keep the inner pieces secure while traveling.

Now go to the dollar store and purchase a hula hoop, nylon rope, a couple of opaque shower curtains, and hooks.

With the rope, tie an X across the hula hoop to enable stable hanging, then install your hooks and shower curtain.

Now you can slide out the top bar to suspend your new shower tent from. Since you're outside, I'd just wear flip flops and let the water drain onto the ground. You can also get shower grates to put on the ground if you desire.

The reason I told you to install 2 of the roof racks is so you can extend both of them with a tarp, and now you have an awning.

Cheers!

The CamperVan_Man

 

[David]

The guy in the 1902 example isn't skinny.. That's how people used to look up until the Big Mac made everyone fat..

As for the shower, you could always just make a shower curtain that snaps to the rear hatch if yours swings up.

 

[Blue]

I'm saving the back hatch for a cooking area, I got the stuff to make the shower. Just gotta do it and post the pics...