Shower & empty tanks for $5.00

[frickinducky]

Planet fitness is awesome, but more often then not, I navy shower with my 3 gallon solar shower. Not going to loosen up stiff joints, buts saves my holding tank and keeps me from getting ultra funky. I set her up outside if space allows or hang it inside the actual shower if decency demands. Also, baking soda is a great dry shampoo.

 

[owl]

&nbsp;&nbsp; Carwash, ask the person next stall over to spray you down<IMG class="emoticon bbc_img" src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif">

 

[vantexan]

Once read on the Sportsmobile Yahoo Group that extra large wet wipes heated for a bit in a microwave do a great job of cleaning you.

 

[ontheroadagain]

vagari said: Anytime fitness is only $10 per month?&nbsp;<br><br>Before joining Anytime Fitness I was a member of another gym called Access Fitness. This gym although very&nbsp;similar&nbsp;to Anytime was&nbsp;different&nbsp;in a few key&nbsp;area's.&nbsp;<br><br>The biggest and the main reason for (ME) joining the gym is to be able to use there shower&nbsp;facilities. <span style="color: #ff6600;">This is were Anytime shines.</span> They provide a&nbsp;private room that has a shower, sink/mirror, and toilet. They are also keep very&nbsp;clean.&nbsp;<br><br>One the other hand Anytime Fitness's shower room were anything but&nbsp;private. The shower was inside the main bathroom and there was&nbsp;absolutely&nbsp;no&nbsp;privacy.&nbsp;Plus the bathroom was always dirty/smelly. I think the reason was&nbsp;because&nbsp;of the&nbsp;increased&nbsp;traffic.

<br><br>Hey Rollin, I was thinking to join Anytime fitness soon. Can I assume you meant "Access fitness shines" in the red words quoted above??<br><br>I also saw it was $10/month online.

 

[Blue]

Just saw this, just read the first page. If you have the disabled access card it's less than five bucks and likely free in California.

 

[dvdchris]

I had the same idea as the OP about using state park showers during the day without paying for the overnight camping. Of course, not every state park has a campground or showers.

 

[Lucky mike]

I do the state park thing alot!!!......it saves holding tank space and the long hot or luke warm shower is better than the navy shower by a mile.......and your right....the disability card give free daytime use in almost every state....I just pull in in the morning and pull out before sunset....makes for a 2 shower day and alot of relaxation!!!!!1

 

[Donedirtcheap]

I wonder if the day will come that they change the rules and maybe everyone would have to pay full price because of people doing this. Then people will be on here complaining about the government being against people who live in their vehicles and we should all band together and raise hell. No such thing as a free lunch, least that's what I heard. I know, I know I'm a prick for saying it but is it true or not? Well? Keep up the good job of giving cheaprvdwellers a positive image.

 

[Lucky mike]

Nope .......Not True .........of course I say this knowing Im truly Disabled and dont just jump out and run over there.....I can honestly say I bought paid and earned my disability benefits and I would trade them back anytime to be part of the "Normal working class".....but its not going to happen in the near future....some might consider it abuse but they have no clue as to what being disabled is...NONE.

I judged prior to what happened to me.....I got to learn the lesson first hand...most disabilities are hidden from your eyes.....never judge what you dont understand....Try knowing that you can only walk maybe 100 yards before your body will no longer hold you up or maybe your heart is now fighting to pump...or you struggle to put air in your lungs...look thru someones eyes who's best vision doesnt allow them to read letters a foot tall....learn to eat with no hands or rely on a wheelchair as your means to move about.....

yup.....your being a prick because your mind thinks its abuse of the system because it has no clue as to what its like to walk in someone elses shoes......the sad part is some of those shoes will never know what it is to be walked in......

 

[Donedirtcheap]

Nope .......Not True .........of course I say this knowing Im truly Disabled and dont just jump out and run over there.....I can honestly say I bought paid and earned my disability benefits and I would trade them back anytime to be part of the "Normal working class".....but its not going to happen in the near future....some might consider it abuse but they have no clue as to what being disabled is...NONE.

I judged prior to what happened to me.....I got to learn the lesson first hand...most disabilities are hidden from your eyes.....never judge what you dont understand....Try knowing that you can only walk maybe 100 yards before your body will no longer hold you up or maybe your heart is now fighting to pump...or you struggle to put air in your lungs...look thru someones eyes who's best vision doesnt allow them to read letters a foot tall....learn to eat with no hands or rely on a wheelchair as your means to move about.....

yup.....your being a prick because your mind thinks its abuse of the system because it has no clue as to what its like to walk in someone elses shoes......the sad part is some of those shoes will never know what it is to be walked in......

Then it sounds like you have a free pass to do as you like and the others that posted should be able to do the same. Need something? Just take it. Situational ethics will certainly make things better for all cheaprvdwelllers. If it says because you are disabled you get in free on the day pass to use the days pass stuff then that's what it is. If it says the disabled can camp for $5.00 or whatever, THEN you get to use what campers get. I dont really care and would certainly give you or others like you a hand when needed and have in the past.
Whats amazing is that people come on a public forum and openly advocate breaking the law. YES, just because people dont like it, it is still a law or rule or ordinance. Whats probably even more baffling is that the owner of the site tolerates it. If your going to do it why not just be quiet about it.
So I'm also sure that if someone else feels they are even worse off then you are you wont have a problem with them helping themselves to your stuff from your van. I mean why not.

 

[Lucky mike]

the showers are included in day passes.....I dont advocate anyone in being a thief, one must do that for themselves........but if you think you get looked down on being a vandweller.....try being handicapped....Enough said.

 

[compassrose]

Simple solution. Ask how much they charge for you to just take a shower and/or dump. Sometimes people make things much harder than it needs to be.

Some places charge very little for a tent site, others make little or no difference between RV and tent site prices. NM state parks charge $8 for a primative site. Although one of our favs (Rabun Beach - Chattahoochee Oconee Nat Forest, GA) is under a concessionaire and gets $14 per day for no elec & water. Chau Ram County Park (SC) gets $25 per day for non-residents for their w/e sites (we used to live a couple miles down the road for there.. nice get away). They have decent showers but not as nice as Chester Frost in Chattanooga who charges $16 for non-residents in their tent sites (best showers we have seen yet). Harrison Bay ST (TN across the lake from Chester Frost) gets $8 for their tent sites. Their showers use solar water heaters. Timing is important. We lived in Harrison Bay SP for a while and locals (as in the same neighbourhood) would use the bathhouses in the mornings. One guy said he couldn't get into his bathroom at home becasue he had too many females and not enough bathrooms. The Harrison Bay park rangers said they had a lot of non-campers use their bathhouses. This was in the late 1990's.

---

Use http://freecampsites.net/ to find free and low cost campsites. If you check out or use one of the campgronds listed on thsi site, please leave a review. It will help others.

 

[Drifted_Cowboy]

A few colorado state parks employ pay showers and very aggressive hosts.

 

[Wanderer]

Well, went through this thread and a couple others. The bright side is learning what others found out and using some info for personal use.

Now here in Washington, we don't have a lot of places where you can get showers. There's one nearby, but they want you to have a "Discover" pass and then pay a fee for use of the area. I'd use a local fitness club, but snap fitness is the only one near and they are nasty as they don't have showers.

I just got out of the community center in Vancouver (I work and reside in Ridgefield, about 20+ miles drive) and paid $7 for a shower. Hope that it's the last time I have to...

The bright side (As I said above) was seeing how someone did a PVC shower. I have a shower stall (Ozark trail) and damaged the poles when putting that dang 5 gallon shower bag in place.

Now the question hit me. "Do I buy a new one ($50) or see if I can still use the shelter?" I found out, that I can use it still and for only $45. I'll be cutting (Drilling 2 3/4" holes into the roof of the van, then run 2 5' PVC pipes for the top section, got some velcro straps and will perma-bond them to the shelter and then 2 90 degree elbows lock the whole thing together.

All this from just watching that video of the PVC shower stall. I like hearing how others do it (Showers) and will pass that info onto others. The shower bag? Still to be used, Harbor Freight has a 4 gallon sprayer for less then $30 and so I'll just have to fill the bag (From work) and lay it out in the sun and every other day pour the hot water into it and I get a hot shower after work.

In closing, I did sit there and look at my van...I got a little "Depressed" about my situation and then a Plymouth voyager pulled up nearby. The passenger door was roped to the frame. The sliding door window was covered in plastic. (Broken) the back end was nothing but a tarp with a clear section cut out for viewing.

I looked again at my van and was amazed that it suddenly looked so good.

Perceptions can change.

 

[Bela's Mom]

The state parks I go to charge a daily entrance fee to use the state park facilities for the day. I buy an annual pass. The park does not say that a person cannot use certain facilities except for a camping spot. A camping spot has different fees. The restrooms/showers are there for everybody, not just campers. People coming off a day hike or swim in the lake can use the showers also. In fact, there are several restroom/shower facilities in the day use areas. And the hiking trails run through some of the camp site loops and by the restrooms there.

How in the world someone can come up with the idea that that is stealing or "unethical" is ridiculous.

 

[Wanderer]

The state parks I go to charge a daily entrance fee to use the state park facilities for the day. I buy an annual pass. The park does not say that a person cannot use certain facilities except for a camping spot. A camping spot has different fees. The restrooms/showers are there for everybody, not just campers. People coming off a day hike or swim in the lake can use the showers also. In fact, there are several restroom/shower facilities in the day use areas. And the hiking trails run through some of the camp site loops and by the restrooms there.

Thanks for the clarification....I thought it was otherwise. Well, now I have a quandary. Do I build my shower stall anyway, or use the one at the state park?

I have the sprayer....I have the "Holders" I just am short the poles for it to hang from....

 

[Zil]

After rereading this thread I could not find anyone suggesting that some one steal services, or condemning handicap privileges. One poster suggested the national park service would increase the fee or stop the practice of day pass showers as too many take advantage. My opinion is there is no problem using the facilities made available to a day pass. And creating a demand may increase the availability of such services. ie See a need and fill the need.

 

[Bela's Mom]

I would build it anyway. That way you are not limited to having to get a shower someplace else; you may be boondocking in some beautiful place where there are no showers close by! Having your own and not having to depend on finding one can be rewarding in itself.

 

[Wanderer]

I would build it anyway. That way you are not limited to having to get a shower someplace else; you may be boondocking in some beautiful place where there are no showers close by! Having your own and not having to depend on finding one can be rewarding in itself.

After looking the issue over a bit more, I did return several things (Yay for refunds with receipt) but kept a couple as this can be a WIP for my slow hours of the day.

Basically, I still have the poles from the shower stall, so now pondering the set up method to use. I was thinking of tossing them, but see they can still be useful and thus, saves me spending money I don't need to.

 

[Donedirtcheap]

The state parks I go to charge a daily entrance fee to use the state park facilities for the day. I buy an annual pass. The park does not say that a person cannot use certain facilities except for a camping spot. A camping spot has different fees. The restrooms/showers are there for everybody, not just campers. People coming off a day hike or swim in the lake can use the showers also. In fact, there are several restroom/shower facilities in the day use areas. And the hiking trails run through some of the camp site loops and by the restrooms there.

How in the world someone can come up with the idea that that is stealing or "unethical" is ridiculous.

I brought it up because of posts like this:

"Same idea in Iowa... Most of the state and county parks have signs saying that shower facilities are just for campers but you can slip in and out for a shower and nobody is any the wiser. We don't have day fees, either...

I've done it too. You can't beat free!"

I dont know how in the world someone missed that post. Ridiculous.

And as I said I couldn't care less but many parks clearly state what the policy is and it isn't always free use of everything when paying for a day pass. People want to look for ways to scam the system and then whine about it when they crack down. In just one month of travel last year I witnessed two van dwellers do the come in late and scoot early thing without paying. AND YES I know what they did because the office wasn't open and we had to wait till the next morning at 9:00 am. I know, I know they left at 5:00 am for breakfast and will be back "later" to pay. I also camped near 3 different people living out of cars and mini vans who just couldn't walk 75 feet to take a piss in the outhouse, they had to do it right in the camp area. I was walking back to my truck in a rest stop and a guy was standing next to his van pissing, it was about 200 feet to an indoor bathroom with flush toilets, guess he didn't want it in "his" bucket either. All of us should be promoting a positive image. Again my point was dont come back here crying when the man cracks down. People ruin many good things.