Wilderness Shower

What do you do for a shower when you’re camping in the wilderness? Or what do you do when you’re the only one staying at a remote campground in the off-season and all of the power and water is shut off? I’ve researched and experimented with some options, and I’m hoping this post will help some of you who’ve found yourselves in similar situations.

My first experience with showering outdoors was on a family camping trip to a remote campground in Michigan’s U.P. Without any water pressure, I figured we needed to use gravity, so I used a deer stand. We used a 5-gallon jug with a spigot, and for privacy we strung up tarps using clothespins and some huge bungee cords between trees. I even heated a bit of water on a camp stove, but when the biting flies moved in on the fourth day, my wife had had enough (this was after the incidents with the wolf, the bobcat attacking the neighbor’s dogs, and the lightning storm). On this trip we also played around with one of the “solar showers” (a black plastic pouch you fill with water, lay in the sun to warm up, and hang in a tree), but it was pretty much terrible (unwieldy, difficult to fill and hang, and difficult to actually use as a shower - the on/off valve was practically impossible to use with soapy hands). We took some time off from camping for a while after that trip, but I did take our kids on several bike camping trips fairly close to home.

Several years later, my dad had surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and I went along and camped for the pre-op appointments - in January, in Minnesota. When I called to ask whether the park was open for camping and whether they had any openings, the ranger laughed and said, “Yes. But there is no running water.” When I asked which site I could use, she said, “Whichever one is plowed out.” By the time I arrived, I had rigged a shelf that would stick out from the roof rack of the minivan I was using at the time - imagine "walking the plank" on a pirate ship. I used a 5-gallon Home Depot bucket, drilled a hole near the bottom for a hose fitting, and used an electric “bucket heater.” Basically, it’s a dead short under water (available at many farm supply stores). It took close to an hour to heat the water, but it was a great setup. As to privacy, I was the only one for miles. It snowed about 7 inches that night (on top of the 2 feet already on the ground), and showering in the snow and cold was an interesting experience, to say the least. I was out of there well before daybreak to go get a good breakfast. After that initial experience, I switched to a 5-gallon Nalgene “carboy” with a spigot and a mouth just wide enough to accept the bucket heater. It was much easier to transport water in the Nalgene than the bucket.

Home Depot Bucket on a Shelf (wedged in the roof rack)

Shower Setup in the Snow (plastic stepping stone as a base)

Bucket Heater (about $20 at most farm stores)

5-Gallon Nalgene Carboy

Variations of this setup worked on a number of trips for several years, until my first trip out to Washington State to visit my sister. On my first trip to the Pacific Northwest, I simply put the 5-gallon jug on top of the car and used a hose connected to the spigot. Once I arrived, I made a “deer stand shelf” using a repurposed satellite dish bracket. The campsites near her don’t have any electricity, so my first few showers out there were breathtakingly and headache-inducingly cold, especially in the winter in the mountains. There had to be a better way.

Nalgene on Car with Hose

Repurposed Satellite Bracket

Repurposed Satellite Bracket

Upgrade!

Behold: The Satellite Bracket Shower

On future trips, I went back to my original deer stand idea, but modified it and converted it from a seat to a shelf, which was much smaller and easier to transport.

Converting Deer Stand to a Shower Shelf

I obviously couldn’t use any kind of a flame to heat water in a plastic jug, so after that first trip to Washington State I came home and drilled a hole for a spigot in various 2-gallon metal pots (a stock pot and a couple of pressure cookers - I tried both of these, because I preferred having a lid for transporting the water to my campsite). If I’m going somewhere with no water supply at all, I will fill the pot with a 5-gallon jug. By using a metal container, I can heat the water directly over a flame of some kind. The first attempt used a single burner Coleman stove, but I really didn’t want to carry a can of fuel with me. Since I’m camping in the car and space is at a premium, I found a small single burner that screws directly on a propane canister. I tracked the temperature rise by testing it in our garage, and discovered that it takes 10-15 minutes to get the water up to a comfortable temp of around 105 degrees. It was around this same time that I realized I could be extremely efficient with the water by using the kind of spigot found on large coffee pots and the large Brita water containers that are designed to be kept in the fridge. These spigots can be activated either momentarily (as they are depressed) or they can be locked on. I needed both of these options - one just for a quick bit of water here and there, and one for more thorough rinsing.

An Early Prototype

Checking the Temp

Tracking the Temp Rise

In addition to perfecting the deer stand over the past few years, I’ve also improved the shelf that I use in conjunction with the roof rack (simpler and smaller), for times when I’m not near any trees. The roof rack shelf is basically a 6" wide board, 6' long, designed to go under the roof rack rails on both sides and to stick out about 18" on one side of the car. I've put a bit of cork on one end to protect and help grip the hot stock pot. It is quick and easy to deploy; much easier than hanging a deer stand.

Heating Water on a Single Burner Propane Stove

Stock Pot on Roof Rack Shelf

Stock Pot on Upgraded Deer Stand Shelf

Stock Pot on Upgraded Deer Stand Shelf

Wilderness Shower

Wilderness Shower on Roof Rack Shelf

I’ve used this setup dozens of times, and I’ve actually been surprised how efficient I’ve become at showering! On average, I’m using around 1.2 gallons per shower. An average shower uses about 17 gallons and is the third largest use of water in most homes, behind toilets and laundry. This process has caused me to be more aware and more thankful for the blessing of virtually unlimited and effortless hot water at home, and it has caused me to use it more sparingly. You have a much deeper appreciate for a warm shower when you haul the water yourself, heat it with a flame, and hang it on a tree. On some of our trips we've seen coin operated showers. What a bargain! With two kids at home, I've been tempted to recoup some allowance money by going this route.

A Good Idea for Home?

I’m somewhat concerned by the environmental impact of wilderness showering, but I do use biodegradable camp soap (Wilderness Wash), the water is minimal (far less than a shower at home), and I’m almost always very far away from any other human activities. If it seems critical to collect the gray water, I’ve considered standing in a concrete mixing tub of some kind, but so far, that has not been necessary.

It has been very convenient to be able to pull into a remote site late at night after driving all day, wake up and get a warm shower, and get back on the road before daybreak.