Vans with showers

[mikema1945]

Hi All,Iam becoming more and more interested in touring the UK in a campervan i dont own one at present but have this dream that when i retire next year sometime i would buy a van and start out doing weekend trips to get used to the idea and all the gadgets etc then move onto longer trips with a view to travelling up the west side of the UK and back down the other side taking about 2/3 months for the round trip.My son lives in London so i would have accomadation while preparing for the trip and for insurance and all that jazz.The intention is to use caravan parks some of the time and wildcamp the rest maybe wildcamp every second day not sure on that.Been checking out the vans on the preloved site and i notice that not all have showers,i guess if i am at a park then showers will be available but not when wildcamping,many of you guys are old hands at this and may be able to put me right ,is a shower really necessary or would the bigger living space be more desirable i have no clue.After the trip my intention would be to live in the van fulltime if i enjoy it,cant see why i wouldnt sounds like a great life.Iwould value your comments.Cheers Mike.

[duffers]

hi Mike and welcome

it may be that this would be better on the Motorhoming section, if the mods are watching, although I think most people glance at all New Threads anyway

 

van choice, well - we've had both - with and without showers,

advantage of shower - obviously it's your own it's clean and you don't need a site

disadvantage - you have to heat the water - dispose of the waste - and the pressure is usually pretty poor

Personally we always found that it was a useful area to dry wet clothes in, the disadvantages outweighed the advantages of using it

BUT - many people will swear by them - I suggest you carefully consider the pro and cons - no doubt there are more than I've mentioned, and see what you think would best suit your lifestyle

 

 

It's all about compromise really,

large van lots of living space - can be a pain to park and on smaller roads

smaller van - not as good when pitched perhaps but a lot easier to live with when moving around

 

beware of weight limitations - in terms of your driving licence, the speed you can travel at, and how much stuff you can carry

if you're thinking of using an in-van shower you'll have to carry water - which weighs in at about 1kg per litre

 

lots to think about, suggest you explore the various shows to try and get a feel for the options available, haunt and hassle the dealers and other motorhomers while you are there :D

 

also - wild-camping in UK is generally not that straightforward,

can't help you there because we rarely camp in the UK anymore

 

 

good luck :D

[CliveH]

As a tugger - we have always had cvans with showers apart from our old pop up caravan.

 

The joy of having a piping hot shower on a cold winter day without having to trudge over to the shower block does it for me.

 

SWMBO likes the end bathroom with sep shower we have now, but I was just as happy with the shared loo/sink/shower in our old van.

 

We also had great success with those solar showers when no hook-up - just place them on the roof put the nozzle through the shower rooflight and lovely hot water in an hour or so.

[Guest Tracker]

Why not hire first and see if you like, a] the concept, and b] the type of van you choose.

If nothing else you will certainly discover what you don't like which might well save you a fortune in costly mistaken buying!

[duffers]

just a little dunsh

bring it back to the top

seeing as it's probably in less read area of the site

 

:D

[colin]

Everyone will have their own take on showers.

Most vans that have shower have it as part of a 'bathroom' so you get toilet as well, which might be a more usefull item.

I've rented vans with shower and only use them on site if facilities are obviously dirty, and then use them as a 'splash' wash as they will empty the tanks(and fill waste) in no time if you treat them as a house shower.

My outgoing van has no shower, 90% of time this is not a problem, but with new van it will have a shower and toilet, so 'wild' camping and using some cl's will be a bit more civilised.

 

[malc d]

As Colin says, if you use the shower in your van just remember that it will use up a lot of water, so you need to think about where and when you can refill, especially if camping wild.

 

 

 

I too would suggest that if you have any more queries about motorhoming you post it on the ' motorhomes ' section, as not all motorhome users will visit the 'camping' threads.

 

 

 

 

[Guest Peter James]

My van shower is just one of those large plastic tubs you see in plaes like B&Q, about 3 feet in diameter. Heat a bowl of water, scoop it up in a cup, and pour it over me head. Works a treat

I only have lino on the floor, over exterior ply with a few holes drilled in the floor beneath, so any splashed water will drain out. I could shower without the bucket, but that amount of water running out might cause alarm to people outside who don't know what it is.

[Guest Peter James]

malc d - 2010-10-17 11:17 AM

 

As Colin says, if you use the shower in your van just remember that it will use up a lot of water, so you need to think about where and when you can refill, especially if camping wild.

 

 

I find just a kitchen bowl of water plenty for a shower because its not running water going all the time. Just scoop it up in a cup and put it when and where needed.

[nowtelse2do]

Mike,

whatever you get make sure you have a toilet in it. My wife was ill once (with the runs and vomiting) There was no way she could get to the shower block on the site in time, so the toilet and the shower were a bit of a godsend at the time.

Dave

[colin]

Peter James - 2010-10-17 6:59 PM

 

malc d - 2010-10-17 11:17 AM

 

As Colin says, if you use the shower in your van just remember that it will use up a lot of water, so you need to think about where and when you can refill, especially if camping wild.

 

 

I find just a kitchen bowl of water plenty for a shower because its not running water going all the time. Just scoop it up in a cup and put it when and where needed.

 

I will be looking at a trigger showerhead for the new van, had similar in van in USA this year and work out well.

[Guest Peter James]

colin - 2010-10-17 10:30 PM

 

Peter James - 2010-10-17 6:59 PM

 

malc d - 2010-10-17 11:17 AM

 

As Colin says, if you use the shower in your van just remember that it will use up a lot of water, so you need to think about where and when you can refill, especially if camping wild.

 

 

I find just a kitchen bowl of water plenty for a shower because its not running water going all the time. Just scoop it up in a cup and put it when and where needed.

 

I will be looking at a trigger showerhead for the new van, had similar in van in USA this year and work out well.

 

I have only fitted domestic electric showers that say you must never connect the outlet to anything that obstructs the flow like that. I don't know if its the same with van showers?

I'm happy with my bowl of water at the side, at least I know I won't get any sudden surprises with the water temperature, or run out of water as I can see what I have got left.

[colin]

Peter James - 2010-10-20 8:13 AM

I have only fitted domestic electric showers that say you must never connect the outlet to anything that obstructs the flow like that. I don't know if its the same with van showers?

 

Depends on the pump 'activation'.

[duffers]

we've only ever had trigger activated showers in the 3 vans that have had a shower

saves water and gives the heater a chance to catch up with water used

 

btw - wonder if Mike has been back - *-)

[CliveH]

We always put the shower plug in when we leave the c'van and I invariably forget to take it out when i jump in the shower. So I regularly get to assess how much water is used when I shower.

 

A quick blast to wet everything then turn off and soap/wash hair then a second blast to rinse off an that is it. The shower tray is not large and it is no more than about an inch deep. I may work out the approx volume next time :-D

 

So not a lot of water used by me - but that feeling of being fresh and tingly clean kicks of our break away to an excellent start.

 

I always feel sort of "claggy" if I don't have a shower in the morning. 8o|

[duffers]

CliveH - 2010-10-23 9:39 AM

 

 

I always feel sort of "claggy" if I don't have a shower in the morning. 8o|

 

 

me too, sometimes just standing under a good blast of water for a few seconds is enough - but still necessary, but I do like lots of pressure

[mikema1945]

Thanks guys the feed back is great really appreciate it, being a total novice its good to hear from people who have the experience,cant wait to wait to get into it. *-) *-)