Simple Shower

[JeanInaBox]

If you search “camp shower” on Amazon, there is something very similar for I think it was $5. I’ll look to be sure.

 

[JeanInaBox]

Nope... correction .. a little over 11 dollars.

“Kurgo”

 

[jacqueg]

Thank you for posting about this ingenious, inexpensive shower head device which is about as good as it get's!

Small, lightweight, inexpensive shower devices for multiple applications are something we can all benefit from.

Paracord or 1 inch webbing strap can be made to form a support to hold a 1/2/3 litre bottle inverted snd hung up.

 Or dredge up your macrame skills from 1973...

 

[Joolca]

Hey, it's Marisa from Joolca. I noticed you had a conversation going about the portable showers so I thought I'd chime in. We're the team behind the HOTTAP and just launched in the US. If you have any questions about our gear feel free to message here!

 

[maki2]

The simple shower is not going to work well for someone who has arthritis in their hands, arms and shoulders. Too much weight to hold overhead for that length of time.

It is a nice gadget for someone who can handle it, small and easy to pack if you are living in a car.

 

[rokguy]

Hey, it's Marisa from Joolca. I noticed you had a conversation going about the portable showers so I thought I'd chime in. We're the team behind the HOTTAP and just launched in the US. If you have any questions about our gear feel free to message here!

I just bought one of these and it works beautifully. Good to see an Aussie company selling it now in the US.

 

[WanderingRose]

I like that this item can be used with a one or two liter bottle, also the platypus collapsible.

I carry a 2 1/2 gallon solar shower, which works very well for washing my long hair when a shower is not available.

I hang it from a tree or a side mirror on my van.

You can take a very satisfactory shower with a liter of water, if you soap lightly first and then just rinse. It’s the bit of running water over you that is so much nicer than a sponge bath.

I carry those premoistened, washcloth type wipes meant for people who are bedridden for this kind of bathing, because you don’t have to rinse them.

Squirt a little body wash on one, wash yourself, and throw them away rather than using up a lot of water rinsing out the soap from a washcloth.

 

[Roobah]

I do an alcohol wipe (70% is best) or witch hazel (not as effective, but skin safe), over the dirtiest parts of my body, then microwave water until hot in a plastic oversize bowl, mix with cold water to right temp for a hot wash with a washcloth (minimal liquid soap). I rinse my hair with spray bottles and sponge rinse in the water. I have extremely dry hair (a huge plus for nomads lifestyle) and extremely dry skin, so the less I soap my hair and skin, the better. I often use a leave-in conditioner instead, and use vitamin E gel to moisturize the oil stripped out by using alcohol. When boondocking, I wash outside, but can do this inside, too, if needed. Can completely wash up with about 4 cups of water. A learned skill, doable, it just takes quite a bit of time to do (about 45 min). I normally would only take a 5 minute shower in any setting. I am not one to miss soaking in a tub, nor do I ever take long showers even when available.

 

[NomadicFoodie]

I grew up in a place where water was not always available so learned to bathe using a couple of cups of warm water and a washcloth.
The order in which you bathe matters. Start with your hands, face, using as little water as possible, keeping the sudsy water. Scrub all over with sudsy water. Reuse sudsy water for short hair then, armpits, feet & genitals. Rinse, scrub with the other cup of clean water. You can reuse the sudsy water for laundry or cleaning.
Google "bucket bath"

We left our cutlery and dishes out by ant hills for the day. They were perfectly clean by the time we retrieved them. We wiped them down with a cloth with a cup of super hot water. No drying. The heat took care of that.
Naiive question maybe - I have never been on BLM lands camping as I live in the Northeast. Are there ants there? Somehow I think not, and I think that leaving dishes out will attract the wrong sort of natural cleaners and this method for cleaning dishes may not work. I actually don't care what people think about the efficacy of this dishcleaning method but I do care about what kinds of ants are there, and if they eat carrion. My kinda ants,

 

[highdesertranger]

well, yes, yes we do have ants. as to what type I have no idea. I am not an ant expert. but I can tell you that once I got bit in an unmentionable place. hurt like hell at the time. I had to drop my pants and shorts in front of a bunch of cowboys. boy was I the talk of the day for the next 2 weeks. I look back and now it's pretty funny. highdesertranger

 

[desert_sailing]

I have never been on BLM lands camping as I live in the Northeast. Are there ants there? Somehow I think not,

Yes, there are many types of ants in the Western USA...some that give a pretty good sting!

Here is a list of some  in Az.
https://www.westernexterminator.com/blog/6-types-ants-arizona/

 

[NomadicFoodie]

The Pavement ant seems the best bet but I'm sad that the site is about pest control and with so many descriptions of how they smell when crushed. The Pavement ant seems to need a nearby water source.
Are there ant hills in the BLM lands?If you drop food, do ants clean it up within minutes/hours/ days?
I grew up on a farm in a semi-wild place and if an animal died. after the carrion eaters were done, ants cleaned the rest up, if a cow dropped a calf in the wrong spot the calf was dead in a couple of hours from ants alone, and the skeleton cleaned by ants in a week.No vultures needed!
Forgive my ignorance and culture gap but Georgia O'Keefe painted lots of skeletons in the desert, all I think is ants! :thumbsup:
I have been bitten by fire ants in FL but they are more stingers than eaters ... if you get my drift.

 

[B and C]

I've never had trouble with ants in the desert, knock on wood.

 

[VanFan]

I have sea sponges. They hold a lot of water. Well I bought a battery operated shower you put in a bucket. Amazon deal . I took about 5 showers. Im back to sponges...

Tried this today in the S&B for my long hair, which usually takes a lot of water to wash.  Surprise!  It worked incredibly well, with a small amount of water.  Very easy, effective, and compact.  (I have no problem staying clean without a shower, except for my hair, and although I liked it, I gave up on a battery operated shower after the second one broke.)

Many thanks!

 

[WanderingRose]

I am currently traveling, and the Simple Shower I ordered hadn’t arrived when I left a couple of weeks ago.

I wanted to try out the concept, tho, and so tried a one liter bottle of sun warmed water, which is spartan to the point of inadequate in hot weather when one sweats.

2 liters, however, is a really satisfying wash.

The sun warms the water very nicely. What’s not to love?

I am looking forward to the shower nozzle feature of this item, and feel it is going to be standard usage for me when dry camping.

 

[barleyguy]

Nope... correction .. a little over 11 dollars.

“Kurgo”

It looks like all of the portable showers on Amazon have gone way up in price. The electric water pumps that used to be $20 are now $50. The Helio shower that used to be $90 is now $150. And the $9 bag showers are now around $15.

I have a rechargeable lamp I bought for $30. I wanted another one, and it's now $50. So I'm going to wait until the price goes back down to get a second one.

I guess either preppers or campers have driven up demand and the price has gone up accordingly.

 

[JerryJ]

Summer is camping season, and with covid keeping many resorts closed or limited, camping is the #1 vacation this year. When demand rises, so do prices, so if you can, wait it out!

 

[VanFan]

We've been camping in developed campgrounds the last few years and using campground showers.  Before that, we boondocked more and used either a weed sprayer or a 12 volt shower.  I used to carry a masonry tub and privacy shelter, too for the "full experience".  Loved the 12 volters, but the pumps failed on two and I won't pay what is now twice the price for the same inferior product again.  With our current layout, there is no room for the tub, and the weed sprayer and shelter are on probation since I haven't used them in a long time.

Going forward, I expect we'll be in more remote areas again.  The low-tech option is now a sea sponge and bucket.  For "deluxe" showers, I've ordered a bilge pump that I hope will hold up better to use with components (switch, plug, hose, shower head) from the failed unit(s).  Our tarp and spring clamps should be fine for privacy.  I am considering a foldable dog pool for a shower pan, but again, durability is a concern.  Standing in a Sterlite has worked okay before, but I wouldn't mind sitting on a stool Korean bathhouse style in something a bit larger.

 

[TMooney]

Sea sponge is all you need. Its actually better than pumps. No fuss . Heat your water and take a nice bath in 5 minutes.

 

[highdesertranger]

the bilge pumps have very low pressure and head. they are not meant to pressurize anything. highdesertranger