Raised shower stall in regular top cargo van

[Krenov72]

Hello everyone. New to the forum. I have yet to get a Van/rv, and am deciding which route to go. I'm leaning heavily towards a box truck conversion. I am a cabinetmaker, and have some pretty great ideas for outfitting one. For its own reasons, standard cargo vans have a lot of pluses.
Anyway, I had an idea for a shower in a regular height roof van. It is basically a two foot square( approx ) shower enclosure. The problem is a regular van is only about 4 feet high. My idea is to cut a hole in the roof, and have a smaller box inside the main enclosure, that would pop up , giving about 6'6" height ( I'm 6'3"). The top would be an overhanging cap, looking similar to a roof vent. It would need to lock in the top and bottom position, and be able to slide out easily for regular cleaning . You would want to make sure it couldn't come out if you forgot to lower it before driving. It may look funny to have a little 2 foot cube on your van for a 5 minute shower, but otherwise pretty low key, especially with a roof rack. My plan as it stands is to have the shower stall behind the drivers seat against the wall, with a fabric/curtain door( can be slid open to dry out and not be in the way like a hinged door, with a shower curtain inside. To enter the shower, you would lift the inside box up into position, then you would have room to kind of crawl in, but you could stand up once in. Lots of kinks to workout I'm sure, but have not seen or heard of this before.. And I looked.
Maybe I will do up a drawing or 2 if my idea isn't clear. Any thoughts on this are appreciated.
There is the matter of drainage, depending on the grey water tank location, making by sure there is a good flashing/seal on the roof... Ease of raising lowering, and staying up or down with no surprises etc. but I think it could work very well.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

It is an interesting idea, that little astro pop top camper that someone was looking at recently had a shower in the corner, when lifted the curtain came with it, you can buy X spring loaded hinges in 3 foot lengths that some of the older pop tops on VW used. two of those a couple of those ball bungy clamps to hold it down, a 3x3 square lid release the bungies balls and up it goes, I reckon a bit of angle around the hole well sealed, and a top that is proud of the hole on all sides, a pan at the bottom and a drain out the floor, shower head stuck to lid with a line from pump to tank, done, Some people make that happen on the outside of the van between the doors, can't wait to see what you come up with.

 

[Krenov72]

Thanks for the input. I was envisioning something light enough to raise by hand, figuring springs or counterweights would eat up room. Alternatively, the roof cap could sit on four rods, with a fabric shower curtain( shortened) attached to act as the box, with another four foot shower curtain to cover the door opening while in use.. Be very light.. The rods could stay up or down with bullet catches ( spring loaded ball bearing in the rod) I would want the shower curtains to hang at full length in either position so they are not crumpled up at the bottom if still damp in the stored position . Was thinking magnets for the door covering. The door curtain ( about four feet long) would sit up near the cap in storage, so it could fully hang, and once inside the shower, you move it to a lower position to cover the lower part. The upper curtain would stay attached to the cap, being only 3 or so feet long, maybe a bit less. I would also store my poop bucket in the shower when not in use. The top would ideally be shaped to match the roof curve, as to maintain a low profile.

 

[Krenov72]

The more I think about it, the more I like this idea. Much lighter. The top around the cutout would need a well sealed raised flashing, with a rubber top rim. The overhanging " vent" style lid would have slight tension against the rubber in the stored position, so it didn't rattle during transit. I was thinks my of pvc pipe for the rods, probably filled with epoxy or Fiberglas resin to stiffen them. That way, you could use 1/2" . The rods would fit in 12" to 18" sleeves, also pvc, with a single hole in the sleeve, and two holes in the rods. One for open, one for closed. Held by stainless pins. They have a ball catch mechanism on one side, and a small head or ring on the other. I would probably attach them with small chains to the sleeves so they wouldn't fall down the drain. So to use, pull the pins, push the lid up( probably mark the position on the rods, with slightly oversize holes for ease of pin placement) pop the pins in.. Shower away.
When in the down position, the holes would be tighter tolerance, so there is a little pressure on the rubber lip, again, to avoid rattling . The hardest part would be the roof gasket, as my design is for a shower against the wall, and would have a curve to deal with. A pretty workable way to have a stand up shower in a reg height van for not too much money, really. Most important is non rusting/ molding materials, and the whole thing can be taken out easily for a thorough cleaning if needed.

 

[akrvbob]

Showers are no big deal to me so it wouldn't be worth all the effort. If you will boondock, a far easier shower is to open the back doors, put a rod the right length between them and a bungee cord to pull the doors together. Hang a shower curtain from the rod and instant shower.

But if I were going to do what you are doing, I would go both directions. It would be easy to find a place where you could cut out the floor and build a box 6-12 inches that you stand in. That would reduce the height and weight of the box on top which means better stealth, easier to raise and less chance of failure.
Bob

 

[Krenov72]

Ya, it's just an idea that I thought would be cool. I would like a real shower if possible because I'm planning on working and traveling.. Construction gigs and cooking if need be( I was a chef for a number of years). Going to bed after working in a kitchen without showering is pretty gross haha. A box truck is a thought, but for distance traveling, a van might be better.

 

[LoupGarou]

There's no unwritten rule that says you can't take a shower while sitting on a stool.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

the spring loaded X hinges don't require any counter balance take up no space, are simple light and pop up by themselves when released, you pull them back down with the aid of a handle and latch them, check out an old VW van the round ones with the tops that pop straight up, not the square ones that pop from either the back or front, all that holds them down is either a rubber ball at the end of a stiff bungy or a small threaded rod. very simple light and hassle free essentially you would be doing what poptop makers have been doing for years but only smaller. having a four rod system would require very precise engineering so it wouldn't bind. I am of the mind that this is a cool idea and worth a look but personally, I wouldn't do it. It is possible to stay clean without a shower, a sink full of water and a washcloth works.

 

[SoulRaven]

It seems a lot easier to take a sit down shower and not modify the roof or floor.

I have a low top van with just such a shower arrangement, it is simple. easy, and foolproof, and I use it almost every day.

 

[Krenov72]

I've researched many sit down options. There are many that are viable. I have long legs and would prefer to stand, and minimize the footprint. As well as having a permanent space for it. When not in use, it could easily contain a few Rubbermaid bins and a bucket toilet , easily moved and replaced. I'm planning a design that will pop up in 10 seconds, and has a smooth action, looks good and is not affected by moisture. I am an excellent builder, and want a very well thought out concept, and wow factor execution. So I don't need a pop up shower. But it will be very cool if I made it.
Not familiar with the vw spring system. Might have to check it out.
Thanks.

 

[anewbiewannabe]

It sounds like you have the skills and the height so I'm curious why you are only going for the shower area? I don't have the height, but if I had the skills I'd be looking into some kind of low profile pop top where when it's down it's not noticeable at all. I know it's probably personal preference and that's cool, was just wondering though. I have a fold-up stool for in my s&b shower because I can't stand that long---haven't figured out what I'm going to do in a rolling home yet. Best wishes on your build.

 

[Almost There]

It sounds like you have the skills and the height so I'm curious why you are only going for the shower area? I don't have the height, but if I had the skills I'd be looking into some kind of low profile pop top where when it's down it's not noticeable at all.  I know it's probably personal preference and that's cool, was just wondering though.  I have a fold-up stool for in my s&b shower because I can't stand that long---haven't figured out what I'm going to do in a rolling home yet.  Best wishes on your build.

The last time I had mom on vacation in Florida we escaped my brothers place for a few days and went to a campground...long funny story on our escape...

Anyways, Mom can't stand on her own so I grabbed a folding metal stool I had and put a shower cap over it to keep the seat dry. I got it in W/M in the furniture dept. It was much more compact and lighter than any of the handicap purposed folding bath seats.

In between showers it could double as a seat for company and no one would be the wiser.

Most campground shower buildings have handicapped shower stalls that have seats but I guess you can't always count on them and you'll need something in case you are boondocking it.

 

[anewbiewannabe]

Anyways, Mom can't stand on her own so I grabbed a folding metal stool I had and put a shower cap over it to keep the seat dry. I got it in W/M in the furniture dept. It was much more compact and lighter than any of the handicap purposed folding bath seats.

In between showers it could double as a seat for company and no one would be the wiser.

Most campground shower buildings have handicapped shower stalls that have seats but I guess you can't always count on them and you'll need something in case you are boondocking it.

The stool is the easy part. I already have it and it's comfy and folds up and is light enough to move around if I want to sit while I cook or if I bring my sewing machine. It's the stuff that's going to go around I'm not sure about yet. Reading about what other people do, raising the roof and other solutions, helps me get ideas for where the stool will go for bathing. But thanks for the idea, if I didn't already have one I'd check out other options.

I can't wait to see what Krenov comes up with! It's awesome all the different solutions. Now if only batteries were as easy to figure out as design ideas. I'll wait to delve into that though.

 

[SoulRaven]

If you take a peek at these collapsible crates, the design is very similar to how some of  the older pop tops were made.  Simple, yet efficient.

 

[Seraphim]

+2 on the sit down shower. Our Intervec Falcon van had one, and I prefer it to the wet bath/stand up shower in our TC. Could probably find an old Intervec in a junk yard somewhere and pull the tub.

 

[Seraphim]

Don't forget the vent fan...

 

[Krenov72]

I actually have one of those folding crates haha. Realistically, I will either be getting a small box truck, or a van. Maybe a high top , so this idea may just stay an idea. I will put in a very basic setup at first to see what's really important. I may find a sit down shower more than adequate . I lived in a van for 4 months a few years ago.. Very minimal setup, but had access to a full bathroom whee I parked, so it was a non issue. I have seen some perfect little box trucks around... Maybe a 10 foot box, and not too wide... Could really outfit it well. My goal is to set it up as efficient as the space station haha... But in reality I will probably find many cool things I plan on implementing are cool and fun, and simple solutions work best. I would like a fully contained rig , as I plan on working seasonally, and travelling for blocks of time. So , when I need it, my rig will have it, and if I'm boondocking i will probably live a more camping/simple style. That's the plan anyway. I imagine it will change and evolve haha