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Tips, advice on erecting outdoor shower?

coachellacanuck
Explorer
Explorer
I have a travel trailer that is a bit of a fixer upper, and now I have found a place about an hour from Edmonton, Alberta, in which to place it for use between May and October.

It's called Buzzard Gulch Campground and Fishery (there are fish, but no buzzards as far as I can tell!) and it is new-ish and growing. The sites are huge compared to what I have seen elsewhere, and all the sites have electrical but none have water or sewer. The owners come round to fill your onboard water tank as needed, and there is a "honey wagon" service to empty your waste tanks.

There are no showers/washrooms as yet but they are planned. It's kinda rustic that way.

I am wondering about rigging up some kind of outdoor shower. We are allowed to build out whatever we want on the large site. I am thinking a nice deck, a shed for sure but I have never seen an outdoor shower erected on a site.

Does anyone have any experience with installing a wood-enclosed outdoor shower?

I have seen this type of thing on TV shows about the tiny home lifestyle but can't find any resources yet on how to do it myself.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
11 REPLIES 11

kevden
Explorer
Explorer
I have seen alot of outdoor showers that use privacy fence for a surround. It could be incorporated into the design of your deck, or maybe attached to the shed? I use one of the two room tent style showers prevoiusly mentioned, using a hose attached to the low point drain of the camper.
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ctpres
Explorer
Explorer
Repeated showers will produce a lot of runoff. Where will it go? Ask permission to bury a 55 gal plastic drum with lots of drilled holes bottom and sides. Fill with gravel or small rocks and put 2x4 wood platform on top. Used something like that on our TX ranch - two or three showers a day and it worked great.
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Opie431
Explorer
Explorer
Just remembered seeing an ice shanty used to a shower.

Opie431
Explorer
Explorer
I saw a hula hoop with shower curtains hanging from it used as an outdoor shower.
I hung from a tree and I was not close enough to see any more.

downtheroad
Explorer
Explorer
Not wood, but looks easy to fabricate....

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bgum
Explorer
Explorer
Ivation shower and a 5 gallon bucket with a portable shower enclosure.

coachellacanuck
Explorer
Explorer
These are all great ideas! Thanks so much.

Since my OP I have found this:https://www.apieceofrainbow.com/diy-outdoor-shower/

Now I am having fun designing said outdoor shower with water heated by laying out water hose on top of the trailer where it can soak up heat from the sun and flow as a result of gravity. My sister did this to heat up water to add to her pool.

By the time I am done I will be the envy of my fellow "Gulchers."

kerrlakeRoo
Explorer
Explorer
I made one years ago for my X by taking the fiberglass tent poles from a dome tent and i connected one end to the ladder about 7' above gouond, the other end was wedged into a window opening, causing the pole to make a half circle, you could do the same thing in many ways. you just need something that will keep it horizontal.
then she hung a normal shower curtain on those goofy clips. I dont know why you couldnt do the same.
We had a built in shower on the outside of the trailer, it just didnt have any enclosure.

SpeakEasy
Explorer
Explorer
Yes.

I've done this with a solar shower, and then I upgraded to an outdoor, on-demand propane-fired shower. Like this. All you have to do is bring a supply of water from your TT to the on-demand water heater/shower, and make sure you've got good drainage. If there are more than one or two of you doing daily showers you'll want to put a french drain in for the waste water.

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It's just Mrs. SpeakEasy and me now (empty-nesters). But we can choose from among 7 grandchildren to drag along with us!



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colliehauler
Explorer III
Explorer III
I would just make a frame out of PVC pipe and get a plastic tarp to put around it. Inexpensive and easy to put up and take down when the shower house is complete.

doxiemom11
Explorer II
Explorer II
You might try researching portable showers and then use info from that to building with wood. We had campers next to us that had one. It was like a square tent, decent size that contained a shower and an out dressing area so you could remove clothing in a smaller area seperate from the shower. That dressing area contained the zip up door so you had privacy. It set up like a tent.