(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best camping showers

Okay, cool. A few things to start off with:

• first and foremost, read the FAQs. Good primer in there, and search/read the subreddit itself for more specific stuff. We've covered a lot around here, and multiple times. Soak it in, digest it a bit, then apply the best option to suit your situation.
  
  
• good job coming back around to reply directly to my and Independent's comments; that gives us a notification on our next login, so we know you were talking back, and links us back here to read and reply. You have no idea how many people new to this site don't figure that out for months, and it displays that you have the initiative and problem solving skills to get by. Breathe a bit easier, you're not doin' too bad.
  
  
• Your back/neck issues probably aren't as restrictive as you (we?) may have thought; I'm missing some small portions of my back (with no idea where they went), I have nerve damage in my neck, back, and arms, and several other vertebrae/disks are generally pretty pissed off about what I've done to them. I get around pretty well, though I'm a bit vocal when I do it, grunting and groaning my way about most days. There's plenty more like us, too, and it's good fortune that your physical issues aren't as oppressive as they could be. That'll come in handy later as well.
  
  
• You may well be able to skip out on a roof fan. I've never had a roof fan in any of my own vans (though a couple had unpowered vents), and have gotten along fine. I historically buy the $13 clip-on 12v fan from WalMart once or twice a year (they wear out, but are cheap enough to consider disposable), and run them off an extra battery I install. Times are changing, though, and I've recently found USB-rechargeable battery-operated fans by Holmes at Target - $15, but claims a 6-hour battery life on low. One fan blowing in and on you will help you feel cool enough to sleep, while cycling out air to remove the moisture you put off, so you don't have condensation forming and leading to hidden mold issues. You can recharge these, little USB power-packs, and some other key items while running the van through regular course, then unplug them for use during van-off time, so you don't drain your starter battery. I'm not a fan of those O2Breeze guys, because I hate swapping batteries constantly, which would be a considerable expenditure for a full-timer.
  
  
• For showering, I'll suggest first that you look into Planet Fitness Black Card. It's $20/month, and gives you unlimited showers, filtered water, massage chairs, WiFi, restrooms, and some other minor perks at any of their locations. If you'll be near any major metro area, this covers daily hygeine. When I stuck more around-town, I'd often visit twice per day - once for hygeine needs, and again just to relax, use the wifi, and work on me. If you can find some secluded enough spots to do it, you can clip your tarp to your opened van door(s) to make a temporary shower stall, then use something like a pump-pressure garden sprayer to hose yourself down and wash up. For a bit less workout to accomplish that, you can also score a rechargeable shower pump that simply drops into a jug with a wide-enough mouth. My similar model does ~20 showers per charge.
  
  
• Cooking is its own can of worms, but I'm a cheap bastard thrifty individual, and have built a poor-man's portable kitchen setup a few times over. I usually start with some basics from Dollar Tree to get me started - tongs, a grill grate, paperware, food containers, etc can get you by until you can "spend" on something better, and most of their food doesn't need refrigeration. Here's what my current everyday-use kitchen setup consists of:
  
  

1. Gerber ComplEAT - this really has everything you need-need except a knife, and I just use my everyday-carry pocket knife most often to complement it. Long-handled fork and spoon, spatula, veggie peeler, package/can/bottle opener, and tongs all in one very-portable set. I mostly use it just for cooking. Again, I'm cheap, so I eyed it for a long time before splurging on it (the $20-something version), and I can't complain.
   
   
2. Backpacker pot/stove kit - half the cost of my previous 3-pot kit, and comes with the stove! Perfect size for soloers, and under $25. The stove, can of gas, a couple paper towel layers between to avoid scratches and rattling, and another small item or two all fit inside the can. It comes with a mesh bag, and the Gerber set slides down in alongside it, just barely poking out the top. The $5 can of gas lasts me a whole month, at one or two uses per day, often just to boil water or warm something up.
   
   
3. Magellan Camp Cooking Knife - $8, and this is what I use as my tableware. TWO of these will fit inside the above pot/stove kit, with the stove, gas, and paper towel layers between.
   
   
4. A bag of charcoal - This and those dollar-store tongs enables you to utilize any park or campsite grill you come across, which you can totally use the linked pot kit on while grilling food, adding flavor, and enjoying the outdoors. I try to do dinner most days like this, weather-permitting.
   
   
5. Cheap camp shovel and/or machete - either can be used to dig a Dakota Fire Pit (if your back can handle it; it's pretty minor labor), which observes Leave No Trace rules, is low-key, and super-efficient. The main hole can be a single shovel-head wide, and the air hole needn't be wider than the shovel handle. Ignore the "direction of wind" arrow in the linked diagram; it makes its own draft by design. Another excellent application of the above pot kit, and the fuel is free.
   
   
6. Stainless steel camp mugs - I have an older Marlboro branded set that was given to me, but these can be had for as little as $2 each. They serve as my own cups/bowls, and my dog's water dish.
   
   
7. THE DOG! - I've yet to find a better dishwasher. Especially with stainless or anodized aluminum, this cuts cleanup down to sanitization, and they're happy to do it. My dog is quite small, and so I just chuck a handful of kibble into a recently-dirtied pot, and set 'er down.
   
   
8. Wilderness Wash - This is actually my everything-soap. I use it to wash dishes, my belongings, and myself. Rinses clean, is as environmentally-safe as it gets (though still don't put it on the ground within a few hundred feet of a water source or rain gutter) and super-portable, and is the only product I've found yet that can cut diesel grime (from my day job), yet doesn't make my skin break out. A dime-sized drop does all the dishes, quarter-size does me, and a 3oz bottle lasts me all month.
   
   
9. Viva brand paper towels - another one-product wonder. They're really similar to the blue "shop towels" you find at the auto parts store, but are white, soft, super-sturdy, and hella-absorbent. They're a little expensive as paper towels go, but I use them as paper plates, automotive rags, for cleaning, sweat towels, and even toilet paper (when the toilet isn't of the flush variety).
   
   All this (except the dog) fits in a 5-gallon bucket if you put it all together, but I keep the machete, shovel, grill grate, charcoal, and a small BBQ in the back, and the kitchen-y stuff altogether amidships where I usually am.

Copied and pasted from my reply in a related thread a few weeks ago about camping showers. This is a bit more involved than most people probably use, but it doubles as a both a camping shower and a misting setup for your canopy to provide cooling all weekend.

 

>We buy gallon jugs and a flat of water bottles for drinking, but our "utility" water comes from the water fill stations, or melted ice, depending on the use.

>Our shower is different than most camping showers you'll see people bring. We use a pump action garden sprayer like this one connected to a misting hose like this one that is clipped around our EZ-Up for general cooling purposes. When someone wants to shower, they disconnect the pump tank from misting hose and take it in to a small camping shower enclosure like this one to take a quick wash with the sprayer. The enclosure is lightweight and pops up so it's very quick to throw out and fold down as needed. It's a great combination system to get clean without the wait/walk, and also to keep your campsite refreshingly cool with the misting hose. Neighbors are generally impressed by the mist.

>More commonly, you will see people use bag showers like this one hung within something like this. Take down and set up as needed, or leave it up all weekend if you find yourself with a corner spot. Enclosures that are stable enough to hold the water bag can be expensive, though, so that's why I think our system is a little better and more versatile.

My personal recommendation would be to skip the showers and have your group invest in a portable shower. We’ve had ours for a few fests now. You can shower any time of day. Super convenient and private.

Privacy tent: GigaTent Pop Up Pod Changing Room Privacy Tent - Instant Portable Outdoor Shower Tent, Camp Toilet, Rain Shelter for Camping & Beach - Lightweight & Sturdy, Easy Set Up, Foldable - with Carry Bag https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CP8SJVW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_qZYwDbHR4Z3M5

Portable shower: Solar Shower Bag Portable Heating Camping Shower Bag with Upgraded Removable Hose and On-Off Switchable Shower Head for Summer Camping Beach Swimming Outdoor Traveling Hiking-20L/5 Gallon (Army Green) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RD5W43W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_4ZYwDb80BFW6N

> showers

My friend recommends bringing a personal shower to camping festivals: http://www.amazon.com/Premium-5-gallon-Includes-Removable-Switchable/dp/B0147AZT1S/ref=zg_bs_3401561_8

It's simple really. Our camp brings a plastic kiddie pool, we put up 4 poles and wrap a tarp around them. Hang a shower bag from the top (connect two of the top pieces for hanging ability) with about 1 gallon of water and go to town. Dump the kiddie pool in the grey water pool when done (place it next to the shower), or pump it out into a barrel. You can make something like this for like 20 bucks.

If you are super nervous about people seeing you in the buff, derobe and change within the tarp.

Edit: Want to spend more? Try this: http://www.amazon.com/Texsport-Privacy-Shelter-w-Shower/dp/B000ITX460/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1347227378&sr=8-10&keywords=camp+shower

Option: you can also get a solar camp shower, they cost from $15 to $30 for a good one (5 gal or more), heat up all day in the sun, and allow you to shower in your campground (in a bathing suit, and if you bring a way to elevate it. If you are shy you can also get/make a shower tent or screening.) It's reusable for any festival or camping situation.

This one seems serviceable for $13.

We had a shower tent, and a 5 volt shower pump. They worked pretty well.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002L9A4BI/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1463853622&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=battery+camp+shower&dpPl=1&dpID=412FoyR8XiL&ref=plSrch

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B013HP8NTY/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1463853661&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=pop+up+shower+tent

Fill a 5 gallon bucket with water. Take it into the privacy tent. Throw the pump into the water. And there it is. if everyone in the group throws in, it's super cheap.

Did this last year and took full on, legit showers. Even came back at night and heated water on the camp stove and took a hot shower before sleeping. Absolute game changer.

yea this one holds five gallons. 40 bucks and you have more water than this build, with zero maintenance. maybe OP has an issue hanging the bags though, and in that case I bet this would be awesome.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01L3N2U3M/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1481680318&sr=8-3&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=portable+shower&dpPl=1&dpID=41aEvhOV2wL&ref=plSrch


We bought one of these and it was perfect.

It’s not downtown, but The Bikery (http://www.thebikery.org) has community service / tool area.

As for washing might look into a cheap portable water solution and find a decent place outside your apt to soap and wash down.

Solar Shower Bag Camp Shower with Removable Hose and On-Off Switchable Shower Head for Camping Beach Swimming Outdoor Traveling (Army Green) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VB6SMCR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_wUwEDbQ07R59N

Nemo Helio Pressure Shower (Grey) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008BXPI1E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ipwuybN4A2MHM

I bought one of those and haven't looked back. Unless you get there first thing you're going to get stuck in a line in the hot hot sun. The water will be ice cold and the pressure will suck. Like turning on a garden hose a half turn. And after a day or two the stalls get downright nasty.

The advantage of the Helio (or similar) over the basic solar bags is that it is pressurized. With the bags you have to find a way to hang them. They are heavy and awkward.

This thing you just put on the ground and it has a sink sprayer. Pump it a few times to regain pressure. There are people who hack those garden sprayers for a similar effect for much cheaper, but they take up a lot more space in the car and not everyone is as handy.

I can't imagine not showering. Even when I was your age and festivals didn't have showers or even clean portolets, I would put a 2.5 gallon water jug with a spout on my tailgate and squat under it to bathe. That's a real cheap option actually if you have room for it, just don't let them leak.

Reliance Products Flow Pro Pressurized Portable Showever, 2 Gallon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MY6CZ6J/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_adc8CbN6FXWR7

This thing is awesome for car camping.

• Shower
  
  
• Put out your fire
  
  
• Rinse your sweaty/dirty clothes
  
  
• Wash the mud off your dog
  
  You can effectively make your own out of a weed sprayer but the materials will cost you about the same and you won’t have the tote bag/pocket.

Our solution here. We use "Bottle Blasters" for water and a waterproof material strategically draped for a shower pan when showering. We just carefully pick up the edges of the pan and toss in sink or outside. It only takes about 1.5L each of water to rinse off. We pre-wet and lather our wash cloths in a cup. The curtains give us larger than normal potty/changing/shower area than those tiny hard-sided commercial bathrooms.

From my experience, having bathroom/shower facilities are only at sites with designated camping sites (pad/fire ring/etc), and unfortunately those are the ones with the sites right on top of each other.

If you want space, look into "dispersed" or "open space" camping locations (sorry I don't know the Houston area specifically). Then just take a camping shower with you for bathing requirements :)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PRD3T9P/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_A0fyDbHX6QE56

If you get there like ridiculously early to avoid the MENTAL queues, you'd probably be alright as it'll be clean.

I know some people like HAVE to shower but there are alternatives. The one i've done the last few years which have worked decent is towel sized wetwipes + a solar shower - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Milestone-Camping-Solar-Shower-Litres/dp/B00BJGWE6M/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=solar+shower&qid=1570448595&sr=8-7

Portable, low-cost...I like it.

However, for anything approaching a decent shower, you'll be constantly refilling that bottle.

I still prefer one of these. Mine heats up to about 105-110 degrees in about 2 hours of sunlight:

https://www.amazon.com/Gallon-Survival-Camping-Solar-Shower/dp/B01F9HHQV4/ref=sr_1_12?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1469650908&sr=1-12&keywords=solar+shower

This [Helio] (http://www.amazon.com/Nemo-Equipment-HelioPressure-Shower-Capacity/dp/B008BXPI1E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464124711&sr=8-1&keywords=helio+shower) shower packs small. pump with foot. dont have to hang in a tree. put in 1/3 hot water. 2/3 cool

I've thought about this for sometime because i want to build out a van so i can do ski touring, and theirs not always a shower available. Anyways, I've thought maybe a 5 gallon pot with a thermometer, being heated on a burner might work. I don't think it would take long to heat up considering that it only needs to be heated to 39C / 102F or so. You could at this point poor that into a pump sprayer, or use a portable shower head and put the pump right into the pot. As to how to do it in the van, i've thought maybe if you sat on a small bench in a portable plastic tub, or built your own wooden tub to your own dimensions. Then just either pour out the water, or pour into a greywater jug. If you built your own tub, you could even install a little drain into it with a rubber stopper.

You'll need a few items:

Privacy Shelter 1
OR
Privacy Shelter 2

Solar Shower

I'd recommend being conservative with the water use to avoid mud, aside from that, you should be set!

Portable 12V DC Powered Water Pump & Shower Unit https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00EN7N4XG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_dHIGzbG8Y7N09

It's Amazon Canada if you're in the states.

They make caps for squeezable water bottles that you can use as a mini shower.

https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Camping-Shower-Simple/dp/B00DVXXIQQ

or

https://www.amazon.com/Bottle-Blasters-Water-Cap-Accessory/dp/B01J9K8VKM/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_468_lp_tr_t_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=H4PGG3PY5785D2R7Z5BE

Get yourself several 5-gal water jugs, and a camping shower and you should be set for a while.

You can get 12v showerheads which have a pump built in...

https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Powered-Water-Pump-Shower/dp/B00EN7N4XG

My thought was something like this (probably hooked up to a bigger container) and while I fail to find one I know outdoor shower curtains exists that pop up like a tent. A back alley or dirt road isn't hard to find either, but I get the point that it compromises stealth for those who need it.

I use this pump and a random tub/container for water storage. One gallon makes for a decent shower and the pressure it supplies makes a big difference. See ya in the portal 🌀!