Musings on Campsite Showers (1 Viewer)

[Tincataylor]

It never ceases to amaze me how much variety there is between camp sites as we travel around and it is little wonder that what suits one person is the very opposite to another’s requirements . Flat, terraced, neat, scruffy, shaded, sunny the list goes on and on and therefore there are endless permutations. However I would humbly suggest that the greatest variation is in the shower block design which can vary from better than we’ve got at home to the most likely source of the next outbreak of Ebola virus.

So, as a guide to the less experienced camper here are a few tongue-in-cheek tips to ensure you get clean and fluffy with the minimum of trauma.

1. Make sure there is actually some hot water available before choosing a shower cubicle. It’s too late when you are buck naked under a freezing cold spray shrivelling the very bits you wish to get clean.

2. Make sure it has hooks to hang your wash bag. It makes no difference if the cubicle has a separate “dry area” for dressing as it will all get sopping by the time you are finished.

3. Do not hang your towel over the door - it’s just too tempting for practical jokers.

4. Examine the shower head closely. Do not be fooled by the circular arrangement of holes into thinking this is where the water will come out, it’s just as likely to emerge at right angles from the screw thread thus turning the promised “dry area” above into the aforementioned sopping wet area.

5. If it is the push button type make sure it allows at least 15 seconds of flow before having to be pushed again. Some site owners have now reduced the time to 3.7 nano seconds in the interests of saving the planet.

6. It is better to use shower gel rather than soap. I used to use soap until one evening while showering I dropped the soap that skittered under the door and came to rest in the public area between the cubicles. As the shower block was empty I took the risk of retrieving it and all was going well until a camper from the Netherlands entered just as I was bent over the offending bar of soap. It’s at times like these that one wishes one could say “Do not be alarmed, I am not a homosexual” in fluent Dutch.

7. Wear plastic shoes at all times unless you want a dose of trench foot.

8. Wear shorts to the shower. At some time during the post shower dressing operation you will be required to hop all over the place while trying to get one of your legs into the correct hole. This is relatively easy in shorts but in chino’s it involves dragging the empty leg through the afore mentioned sopping wet “dry area”.

The Tincas

 

[Lenny HB]

Why bother, far easier to use the shower in your van.

 

[maxi77]

You missed the bit about the unisex ones

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[EX51SSS]

Good job you knew the word NOT in fluent Dutch

 

[motorhomer]

Very good, and very true! Also, on a site in Morocco a friend (female) had a problem in the showers, which opened to the outside. She was tall and the doors were short. They failed to cover all of her naughty bits!
As lenny said - why bother, we always use our van shower.

 

[Hils and Glenns]

If there is a bench or seat in the shower wipe it with a disinfectant wipe. A bare bottom may have sat on it

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[jdk62]

Very good, and very true! Also, on a site in Morocco a friend (female) had a problem in the showers, which opened to the outside. She was tall and the doors were short. They failed to cover all of her naughty bits!
As lenny said - why bother, we always use our van shower.

Do you have the address for the site?????

 

[scotjimland]

tales from the shower room by.. a small Scottish boy

many years ago camping with my mum and dad in Devon, I think it was in Brixham, we were in a tent, no luxurious motorhome or caravan, a Blacks Niger tent with big wooden poles.

I will never forget this, the site showers had a coin meter outside the cubical door.. you put a shilling in the meter and rushed inside to have a wash before the time ran out and the water went off.. no tap or push button.. it was on from the second you put the money in the meter, no time to waste here.. about 3 mins to get stripped and showered..

There was always a queue, so I waited my turn, looking forward to a nice warm shower. My turn came, excitedly I put the shilling in the meter and dashed inside, stripped off fast as possible and started to get wet.. reached down to the shower bag ...and oh no, no soap !! I didn't want to wait in the queue again, nor have to ask dad for another shilling .. can just imagine what he would say or do to me

.. .. So had an idea, used the only thing in the wash bag.. a tube of toothpaste.. started to squirt it all over me, but before I had time to rinse it all off the shower went off.., left standing covered in white toothpaste ..

You can imagine the howls of laughter from the men waiting.. I ran back back to the tent, but no sympathy from dad.. "you stupid boy" was all he could mutter..

could write a book on this subject..

 

[Foxy1956]

Great post, in disability showers we would add a carers chair for me to sit whilst I shower Sue, a screen to lean over so as not to get wet, a place to put shower soap etc, and room enough for a small disability scooter. We have found one or too perfect shower rooms which we always give favourable comments to the owners and some awful ones too where we make tactful suggestions.

I have now adapted our moho wet room into an accessible room for Sue. It's tight, but with a douche fitted instead of a shower head it works well and we have hinged the whole door and wall so it swings right out. It's a mid shower in a 6 metre van. Happy camping.

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[EX51SSS]

tales from the shower room by.. a small Scottish boy

many years ago camping with my mum and dad in Devon, I think it was in Brixham, we were in a tent, no luxurious motorhome or caravan, a Blacks Niger tent with big wooden poles.

I will never forget this, the site showers had a coin meter outside the cubical door.. you put a shilling in the meter and rushed inside to have a wash before the time ran out and the water went off.. no tap or push button.. it was on from the second you put the money in the meter, no time to waste here.. about 3 mins to get stripped and showered..

There was always a queue, so I waited my turn, looking forward to a nice warm shower. My turn came, excitedly I put the shilling in the meter and dashed inside, stripped off fast as possible and started to get wet.. reached down to the shower bag ...and oh no, no soap !! I didn't want to wait in the queue again, nor have to ask dad for another shilling .. can just imagine what he would say or do to me

.. .. So had an idea, used the only thing in the wash bag.. a tube of toothpaste.. started to squirt it all over me, but before I had time to rinse it all off the shower went off.., left standing covered in white toothpaste ..

You can imagine the howls of laughter from the men waiting.. I ran back back to the tent, but no sympathy from dad.. "you stupid boy" was all he could mutter..

could write a book on this subject..

 

[Popeye]

Crackerjack of a thread Tincas. This last Spanish trip if I was on site for a few days I might occasionally use the site-showers just to avoid emptying the Van shower of long dresses and laundry baskets but in most cases where any of your list apply I come back to the van for my own immaculately clean shower.

 

[The Nomad]

We always use the shower in the MH.
It's perfect for us.
It's sort of why we bought a MH with a shower room.

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[Clarky]

Ahh! The joys of campsite showers.
That very eloquent description by @Tincataylor of the hazards might just be one of the many reasons that I haven't used one since about 1975.
Most modern vans have toilets and showers so why anyone would want to share with the rest of humanity escapes me.

Richard.
PS. I did say "campsite showers". Other showers have been used occasionally since 1975.

 

[Sandancers]

Many true points Tincas !!

But I'm confused with so many people preferring to use the MH showers, yes we do if at a Festival where the showers are worse than the toilet cubicles, but on a decent campsite it's much easier to use the site showers than use the MH one. Especially if your staying put for a few days else the grey waste tank will be full every couple of days then you have to move off the pitch to empty it down the approved location.

 

[Foxy1956]

When we were on a cruise to Norway our table companions included a lady with a prosthetic leg. When she came out of the shower she found a very confused cabin boy staring in horror at the mislaid limb.

Last year in The Netherlands I was surprised to find young female spouses walking into the gents showers and conversing with their partners completely oblivious to the rest of us. Quite refreshing.

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[EX51SSS]

When we were on a cruise to Norway our table companions included a lady with a prosthetic leg. When she came out of the shower she found a very confused cabin boy staring in horror at the mislaid limb.

Last year in The Netherlands I was surprised to find young female spouses walking into the gents showers and conversing with their partners completely oblivious to the rest of us. Quite refreshing.

 

[peterc10]

It is because of all the problems @Tincataylor lists that we never use campsite showers. The van's shower is always much easier, cleaner, warmer, safer, more convenient and quicker. And it does not take long to top up the water for it either.

 

[scotjimland]

if we are on a site with showers.. or even some aires have them.. we use.. and why not.. ?

a pair of wellies and you're sorted

PS

CMC showers are 5 star .. better than my house

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[Reallyretired]

There is only one site I have found on where I will use the site shower instead of the MH one. This particular site is in Spain but run by Germans with Teutonic efficiency. The shower rooms are quite spacious with a separate dressing area which doesn't get wet and are cleaned more or less continuously in rotation so you can always get one that has just been cleaned. This particular site also has rather narrow and inconvenient access to the emptying point.

A slightly negative point is that this site is more than a bit expensive at peak times but good value on ACSI off peak.

SWMBO will always use site showers if available regardless of how awful they may be. Each to their own.

 

[william morgan]

we have just bought a MH, we had a tugger with an end bathroom, that was an essential for the MH,we never use site showers, preferring our privacy.

 

[Foxy1956]

we have just bought a MH, we had a tugger with an end bathroom, that was an essential for the MH,we never use site showers, preferring our privacy.

Great choice. Enjoy.

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[EX51SSS]

we have just bought a MH, we had a tugger with an end bathroom, that was an essential for the MH,we never use site showers, preferring our privacy.

Course, if you get a proper one, you can have a hot tub if you have a slide out

 

[Riverbankannie]

It never ceases to amaze me how much variety there is between camp sites as we travel around and it is little wonder that what suits one person is the very opposite to another’s requirements . Flat, terraced, neat, scruffy, shaded, sunny the list goes on and on and therefore there are endless permutations. However I would humbly suggest that the greatest variation is in the shower block design which can vary from better than we’ve got at home to the most likely source of the next outbreak of Ebola virus.

So, as a guide to the less experienced camper here are a few tongue-in-cheek tips to ensure you get clean and fluffy with the minimum of trauma.

1. Make sure there is actually some hot water available before choosing a shower cubicle. It’s too late when you are buck naked under a freezing cold spray shrivelling the very bits you wish to get clean.

2. Make sure it has hooks to hang your wash bag. It makes no difference if the cubicle has a separate “dry area” for dressing as it will all get sopping by the time you are finished.

3. Do not hang your towel over the door - it’s just too tempting for practical jokers.

4. Examine the shower head closely. Do not be fooled by the circular arrangement of holes into thinking this is where the water will come out, it’s just as likely to emerge at right angles from the screw thread thus turning the promised “dry area” above into the aforementioned sopping wet area.

5. If it is the push button type make sure it allows at least 15 seconds of flow before having to be pushed again. Some site owners have now reduced the time to 3.7 nano seconds in the interests of saving the planet.

6. It is better to use shower gel rather than soap. I used to use soap until one evening while showering I dropped the soap that skittered under the door and came to rest in the public area between the cubicles. As the shower block was empty I took the risk of retrieving it and all was going well until a camper from the Netherlands entered just as I was bent over the offending bar of soap. It’s at times like these that one wishes one could say “Do not be alarmed, I am not a homosexual” in fluent Dutch.

7. Wear plastic shoes at all times unless you want a dose of trench foot.

8. Wear shorts to the shower. At some time during the post shower dressing operation you will be required to hop all over the place while trying to get one of your legs into the correct hole. This is relatively easy in shorts but in chino’s it involves dragging the empty leg through the afore mentioned sopping wet “dry area”.

The Tincas

I do use site showers due to long arms and legs, lots of hair and a camper washroom on the small side.
My washbag contains some cheap overdoor plastic hooks.
I use a spare microfibre towel to cover my stuff whilst showering, that towel then used for a quick dry down and then placed on the floor to stand on whilst finishing off with a small cotton fluffy towel and getting dressed.
The microfibre towel then rinsed off in the hand sinks and hung out to dry and lovely and clean the next day.

 

[DanielFord]

We have owned our motoerhome for a little over three years, prior to that we rented for about 4 years. In that time I have used the campsite showers once. And that was because wife was using the one in the van and we were late to get to our evening venue where we were meeting people.
Much prefer the comfort and privacy of the shower in the van!

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[Dazzlin]

Happy to use van shower but if staying on a site (happens occasionally) we will use the facilities....................every Sunday, whether needed or not!

 

[Deleted member 29692]

We very seldom use campsites and never ever go anywhere near campsite showers. That's why we bought a motorhome - so we wouldn't have to.

I really don't understand why anyone with a shower and toilet in their motorhome would prefer to use facilities shared with who knows how many other people whose personal hygiene habits you know nothing about.

Anyone who complains about the water pressure of their van shower should invest in an Eco Camel shower head.

 

[DBK]

We came across another variant in Italy last year, the Lucky Dip shower. These had a seperate central control system where you inserted a token bought from reception. The unit then indicated which cubicle it had decided you could use and turned the hot water on in it. Great fun.

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[PORKSTER]

If on site I use site showers as long as waters not green or brown saves me becoming a domestic goddess and cleaning our shower to the brides high standard.

 

[simsy56]

With our previous American RV, yes I know they are not the same as a European one, we stayed many weekends on a nice site in Ballaugh, IOM. It's only a few miles from home, but we take the grand kids and have a ball for the weekend. A nice break.

They have very nice facilities, which we never used, but the owner did say once, in a jokingly way, 'I should charge you more for that beast' (no not my wife, the RV) So I put it to him.

'You have had to build your shower/toilet block, you have to maintain it, you have to repair it, you have to clean it, you have to heat it, you have to supply toilet paper, bins, lighting, water and hot water,' etc;

Where as we......

have our own facilities, we paid for our shower and toilet, we maintain it, we repair it, we clean it, we supply the toilet paper, we heat it, and we know who has used it previously. All we want from you is fresh water and the use of the dump station!

He smiled, and we had a beer together.

Craig

 

[Sandancers]

We came across another variant in Italy last year, the Lucky Dip shower. These had a seperate central control system where you inserted a token bought from reception. The unit then indicated which cubicle it had decided you could use and turned the hot water on in it. Great fun.

Bet it would be even more fun if the unit went haywire and put you in a cubicle already being used by some Italian (female hopefully) hottie !!

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