Basecamp Shower

[WapitiTalk1]

After reading Pointystick’s thread on “how long have you gone without a shower”, I thought of an old thread I put on AT a few years ago.. Here it is.
Thought I’d share my base camp shower set up with all you stinky elk hunters. This setup works very well and is pretty inexpensive. Nope, you don’t need to buy a $300 “hot water on demand” system which IMO, doesn’t work that well anyway. Hunting from a base camp but don’t have a camper set up? No problem!
Equipment list:
1. Shower enclosure (nothing fancy, just a shock corded enclosure that drains thru mesh on the bottom corners).
2. Battery Powered Shower Pump (I have an older Coleman that runs on 4 D cell batteries, has a pump that sets in water, and pumps the H2O through a clear plastic hose to an attached shower head). Under $30 bones if I remember correctly.
3. 6’ step ladder with a kick-out paint shelf close to the top. Mine is an older wooden step ladder.
4. 5 gallon bucket.
5. 3’ X 3’ pallet (I built one out of 2X4s to set under the shower enclosure floor so you’re not right on the ground).
6. Bailing wire and parachute cord.
7. Washing machine plastic catch pan with holes drilled in it.
Select location, preferably where the water drains downhill. Place pallet, dig a few drainage trenches heading away, somewhat downhill from the location. Place drilled washing machine pan upside down on pallet (helps provide stability), and set up the shower enclosure on top. Place stepladder close to the enclosure and set the empty 5 gallon bucket on the shelf close to the top of the ladder. Wire the bucket to the ladder so it is secure. Set the shower pump in the bottom of the bucket and set the control switch/button on the shelf by the bucket, where it can be reached from inside the shower enclosure by reaching out. I attach a thin piece of wood to the hose with duct tape and clamp it to the bucket to achieve the optimum pump placement in the bottom of the bucket... Run the plastic shower head/hose into the enclosure, near the top of the enclosure zippered door. Tie the shower head to the inside/top of the enclosure with some parachute cord. The bucket has to be high so the pump doesn’t have to work so hard and give maximum pressure. Put 1/3 stream water (maybe 2 gallons) in the plastic bucket. Heat up a good 3 gallons to almost boiling and carry to the shower, climb the steps, and pour in with the cold. Jump inside, reach out to push the pump button, and get close and personal with your scent free soap for a nice, hot shower.. Been using this setup for 4 or 5 years (when base camping) with outstanding results. The pics don’t show the enclosure staked down or the rain fly on top but you get the drift of how this thing is set up. RJ

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[WapitiTalk1]

A few more pics of this high tech shower ..

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[dotman]

Nice, will that be in ID this year? After that last thread I was thinking of doing an experiment on how many days I could go without before you push me in a creek

[WapitiTalk1]

Nice, will that be in ID this year? After that last thread I was thinking of doing an experiment on how many days I could go without before you push me in a creek

LOL.. The below the old road culvert shower there is coldddddddddddd but serves the purpose. . We'd need to take some additional propane cannisters and a larger container to heat water but maybe?

[dotman]

Nice, will that be in ID this year? After that last thread I was thinking of doing an experiment on how many days I could go without before you push me in a creek

LOL.. The below the old road culvert shower there is coldddddddddddd but serves the purpose. . We'd need to take some additional propane cannisters and a larger container to heat water but maybe?

Nothing like the shock of cold mountain water to get the spirits up, weird I know but it always works.

[>>>---WW---->]

Not to hi-jack your thread RJ, but here is another way to do it also.

Go down to your local hardware store and buy one of those hand pump type 2 gallon plastic weed sprayers. Add 6' of plastic tubeing to it. Unscrew the wand from the squeeze handle and screw the adjustable nozzle into the handle where you just took the wand from.

Pump it up and you have a pressure shower.

[cnelk]

Not to hi-jack your thread RJ, but here is another way to do it also.

Go down to your local hardware store and buy one of those hand pump type 2 gallon plastic weed sprayers. Add 6' of plastic tubeing to it. Unscrew the wand from the squeeze handle and screw the adjustable nozzle into the handle where you just took the wand from.

Pump it up and you have a pressure shower.

Yup!!! Bingo!!! Me too...

I painted mine black and hang it in the sun so get it somewhat warm

[WapitiTalk1]

>>>---WW---> and cnelk, remember, I said base camp. I'm liking the pressure sprayer idea for sure (makes perfect sense) but if I'm camping/hunting from a fixed site (and don't have/own the luxury of a camper with a shower), I'm heating water using a 5 gallon propane tank, double burner stove, and filling up the 5 gallon bucket I showed with borderline skin burning H2O and taking a true, funk melting hot shower. The system I have provides a guy with a 7 or 8 minute hot shower. The enclosure keeps the gnats and skeetos off your arse also. Just saying . RJ

[pointysticks]

We use a turkey fryer to heat water. We store the water in one of those igloo water jugs. Then fill a gallon water jug with the hot water and jab a knife hole in it. Pour.

[Indian Summer]

In base camp we heat our water on the propane cook stove and use a gravity fed Sun Shower or Solar Shower bag... whatever they call it. We keep a funnel handy to fill it, add the hot first, then add cold until it's perfect and use the rest for another shower or dishes. But I sure do like the pump sprayer idea for those hard to reach places. L0L . I'm going to try it for sure.

[pointysticks]

phantom..that is awesome. my brother's pop up camper's shower is woefully weak. i think your system plumbed into his on-board shower stall would be awesome.

[bowhunterty]

We have a similiar set up. Use 5 gallon bucket shower tent and heat water in the stove. Use a Zodi pump with a long hose so no need for a ladder. My girlfriend was worried about showering while out for even a weekend til I showed her that she could have a hot shower. Nothing beats a shower after a hot day in the elk woods.

[Vanish]

Wow ... this just seems so ... excessive, to me?

We do it like Theelkhunter. Use solar to heat some jugs, then pour. Seems to work fine and takes up a heck of a lot less space!

[Ridgernr]

If I jumped it the creek at 30 degrees I would squeal like a spike bull and probably get shot, better wear a orange vest for that one.
You are hardcore.

[Z Barebow]

My buddy has an even simpler design.

Use the 5 gal pail. But he installed a connector in the base of the pail. Attached to connector is a length of flexible hose with a sprayer nozzle (Think your kitchen sink sprayer).

You have cold water in pail. You add boiling hot water to pail, enough to get balance of water to temp. A block and tackle has been rigged in tree above and this hoist pail above head. (You probably have one of these to hoist your critter!)

Water pressure is gravity fed.

When you need water, actuate nozzle. When you need to scrub, hose is hanging at the ready to rinse but no water is wasted. I'll bet a good shower uses no more than 1.5 gals of water. It won't blast any dirt away, but it gets the job done and it beats a wet wipe!

No power needed. +1 on putting something down on the ground.