Built a solar shower for camping.

I sold my pop-up camper this Spring in anticipation of buying a regular 18' RV for camping since my girlfriend indicated she would not camp without a toilet and a shower.

But, due to the whole virus thing and not wanting to invest in an RV, decided to just stick with tent camping. I assured the GF that I would indeed have a shower and toilet available.

The toilet was easy; a port-a-potty and pop-up shelter took care of that. But the shower took some more work.

Went on YouTube and found various designs for solar showers using PVC tubing and a schrader valve to pressure it.

I was initially going to mount it on the roof rack of my 4Runner, but decided I didn't want to have it permanently mounted up there full-time.

I have a 6x10 utility trailer that I haul my UTV with and got the idea to use it as a base for a tent. I bought a pickup bed tent that fits in it and provides the same amount of security as a pop-up camper.

I mounted a ladder rack on the front of the trailer and then mounted my PVC tube solar shower to it.

It took me an hour to build the shower and initial testing has been good. I pressure it up to 25 psi using my mobile air compressor and it provides a couple of minutes of pretty good water flow.

Next project is some sort of folding bench attachment to the trailer so I have an area for meal prep, and then a folding shower stall.

 

I like it

 

Took it out on it's first camping trip and identified some weaknesses.

First weakness was in getting to the camp site. I went 18 miles over washboard roads with the shower full and the 4 large hose clamps used to attach it proved too weak. I had to stop and do a makeshift repair using NRS straps.

Second weakness was when I used the entire tank to hose off everything that was covered in fine dust due to 18 miles of dirt roads, then refilled it, and discovered the next day that the water was barely above ice cold when time to shower, lol.

But, it did work and was nice to have for hosing off machines and dishes.

At the campsite...

 

Ah yes, when the girlfriend quickly makes us rethink our buying decisions and the way we like to do things.

Nice build out. I love the simplicity. I want to get something similar going, but going to wait until I buy my new runner.

 

Hi and sorry for the reviving! You made a great project, thank you for sharing! 25 psi is a very decent result to my mind. Can it handle rain showerheads? Here is mine as an example

 

Updating mine as we speak
Getting rid of the red clean out plug
Capping it, adding pressure regulator
Hoping to figure out how to keep pressure constant while not having to keep activating compressor
Pics n ?s to come
Thanks in advance