How do you shower/bathe when you stay in tent camp sites?

[teddybear8]

My fiance and a few friends and I have the Coleman Hot Water-On-Demand Portable Water Heater with a shower tent (i know fancy.. too fancy). My fiance and I are planning to go camping just the two of us in the future and we don't want to haul one of these fancy machines, so I'm wondering how most of you guys go about taking showers if you camp in camp grounds that are filled with other campers around but no shower area.

I know this is a pretty basic question, but just curious how people's set ups are like so I can get some ideas.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: How do you shower/bathe when you stay in tent camp sites?

Years (nay decades)ago I used a sun shower which was basically a plastic bag that was warmed by the heat of the sun. We took tent poles and clothespinned towels and sheets to 'em on three sides. The last side remained open to jump into the tent. The only regular camp I went to w/o cleaning facilities was (and still is) located @ the National Seashore on Fire Island, NY and then another one upstate that was only accessible by boat.

HTH!

[tplife]

Re: How do you shower/bathe when you stay in tent camp sites?

Big fans of the sunshower, light, collapsible, works great, etc. Not the Coleman unit, bulky, heavy, etc. But I am admiring this device:

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...umber=11015385#

Here is a video link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_hxoONCWs8

[05Kingquad700]

Re: How do you shower/bathe when you stay in tent camp sites?

if is just the two of you and you don't want to carry a bulky item, I would suggest baby wipes and some waterless hair shampoo.

[TNONMYMIND]

Re: How do you shower/bathe when you stay in tent camp sites?

have been camping regularly for the last two months...
In the campgrounds we just heat some water, pour into a large bowl, add enough cold water to
make a comfortable temp. then sponge bathe in the privacy of our own tent...
when we leave the campground to move to another location, we usually spend one night or more
in a motel and shower there...

[sarahspins]

Re: How do you shower/bathe when you stay in tent camp sites?

Warm water (or even cold water if you are camping somewhere hot) and a washcloth can get quite a lot off... you'd be amazed at how much cleaner you feel after that You don't need much water to wash your hair either... you'd be surprised at how little you can get away with using if you try. In fact my boys can pretty much clean their hair fairly well by just rubbing their head with a damp washcloth, and maybe rinsing and repeating. I can wet my hair that way and shampoo with a small amount of biodegradable shampoo and rinse it in a similar fashion - no "pouring" of water is required. I am not a fan of the waterless shampoos - I found that they left my hair feeling really weird, and not exactly clean.

I caution against extensive use of baby wipes - while they are great for quick hand/face/armpit washing, many people are sensitive to the chemicals in them and you can actually develop a pretty severe case of contact dermatitis from extensive use.

It really does seem like more and more developed campgrounds have showers these days though... and you can go longer than you'd think without a "real" shower while staying reasonably clean.

[teddybear8]

Re: How do you shower/bathe when you stay in tent camp sites?

Thanks for the tips guys! I like the simple idea of a sponge bath and then perhaps washing my hair in a bucket. And I agree, waterless shampoos such as the powdered stuff that is suppose to absorb oil just makes my hair feel even dirtier.

[Mal the Wolf]

Re: How do you shower/bathe when you stay in tent camp sites?

Could you use swim trunks with the solar shower to eliminate the need for the privacy?

[NYCgrrl]

Re: How do you shower/bathe when you stay in tent camp sites?

Could you use swim trunks with the solar shower to eliminate the need for the privacy?

Sure why not? Then no need to gerrymander a screen.

[tplife]

Re: How do you shower/bathe when you stay in tent camp sites?

Could you use swim trunks with the solar shower to eliminate the need for the privacy?

I have a pair that don't have a lining, basically nylon shorts with a drawstring - perfect for a SolarShower! I put the girls in bikinis for the same reason (obviously)!

[Bigdog57]

Re: How do you shower/bathe when you stay in tent camp sites?

I keep it simple, as I usually have little room to spare for luxuries. A simple sponge-off or wipe-off with a washcloth, and some biodegradable camp soap. I can usually find some big object (tree, bush, whatever) to slip behind to do the more private areas, unless I am alone and dispersed - then just do it! If there's a swimming area, a simple wipe-off in the water gets the sweat and crud off. Just keep a watch out for the gators......

[teddybear8]

Re: How do you shower/bathe when you stay in tent camp sites?

Haha, I usually camp in Yosemite so no gators there... gotta watch out for them bears and other fuzzy creatures though.

[Coastie]

Re: How do you shower/bathe when you stay in tent camp sites?

My last trip to Andrew Cove this last week If I was smart I could have taken a full shower. But I wanted to do it at night but each time someone showed up for the night, but was gone early AM the next day. But I had the place to my self for the most part other than the tourist

[Logtec]

Re: How do you shower/bathe when you stay in tent camp sites?

Provincial Parks in Ontario(for drive up camping), usually have comfort stations(toilet, sink/shower with hot and cold water- sometimes laundry machines) along with outhouses or flush toilets and sinks(with cold water). Private campgrounds- its a crap shoot, I don't camp at them so I don't know.

Backpacking is a dif story- a daily dip in the lake or river for a few minutes is good enough to clean off the dirt and stank..
We regularly backpack/hike to an abandon prison and camp out at the prison. There is no easy way to clean yourself at the prison. the near by river, ponds and beaver dam have stinky stagnant water that is infested with (monstrous) leeches. So at that point, personal hygiene is basically brushing your teeth, washing your hands and face with filtered water and using baby wipes.