HOW TO SHOWER WHILE CAMPING

Taking a daily shower is a hygienic habit. Showering cleans our bodies, refreshes us, and removes harmful bacteria from our skin. But, it becomes hard to shower every day when you are camping. 

My name is Michael Currie. I have been camping consistently since 2010. I have experienced all types of camping myself. I have great experience in desert, snow, rain, mountaineering, car, RV, and forest camping. In this review, I will tell you what you need to shower while camping. 

There are multiple methods of taking a bath while camping and traveling. It all depends upon your camping type and location. If you camp near a lake or a river, you have plenty of water, and You don’t need to store water for showering. On the other hand, when you go desert or mountaineering camping, you have to stock a lot of water for showering, washing dishes, and drinking. 

After fishing, hunting, and backpacking, it is important to shower your tired, sweaty, and smelly body. In this post, I will share the best ideas for showering while camping. Some of them are cheap. Some are expensive. However, these tips will help you to have a complete bath with minimum water. 

When you are going to camp, you should look at your showering kit, water tank, water bottles, and water coolers. Here I have mentioned several ideas of how to shower while camping, traveling, and mountaineering. So keep reading and find the best methods of the bath while camping. 

You may also like: Our Hygiene Guide While Camping

How To Shower

Get suitable warm water for your body for a better shower. Before going to take a bath brush your hair well. Wet your body and massage every part of your body thoroughly with your hands and a sponge. After massaging, wet your body again. Now put an adequate amount of shampoo on your palm and scrub on your head. 

Scrub your head with your fingers for 50-80 seconds for better results and wash your head with water. Clean your body with your favorite soap. Wash your face with a face wash that is good for your skin. Apply the body lotion immediately after showering and you have done.  

Why Showering is Important While Camping 

Showering is the best way to keep our bodies healthy. It makes our body energetic, healthy, and fresh. If we do not take a bath for 3-4 days, our skin will be scaly, dark, and fungal. Doctors say that a daily shower is a perfect scheme to maintain good health because a daily shower protects you from acne, odors, and germs. 

When you go on camping, it becomes more important to have a bath every day, because you are continuously traveling, hiking, and adventuring. So, it is very crucial to protect your body from harmful bacteria, germs, and diseases. During camping, it might happen that you do not have water for several days near your campsite. It is better to store the gallons of water in your car before moving to your destination.

Best Places to Shower While Camping

Campsites with shower facilities are expensive places for camping. If you want to spend your camping tour lavishly, campgrounds and National Parks are the best places to enjoy the natural beauty. You can shower at these places with freshwater and pay for a shower. Some National Parks and campgrounds also have pools as well as shower systems. These places charge $3-20 dollars per shower. 

Useful Tips: 

Use natural soaps like Ethique, Camp Suds, and Dr. Bronners Pure-Castile Liquid Soap for showering during camping. These soaps have extra power to remove bacteria from your body and clean your body well.

Best Ways to Find Showers While Camping

Before camping, you should search for campsites with shower facilities on Google. There are many online camping websites (freecampsites.net, warmshowers.com, and couchsurfing.com) and applications (hipcamp.com and iOverlandr) that tell you several camping places that are available with shower facilities. Through these apps and websites, you will learn about several campsites that are furnished with shower facilities for money and free of cost. 

How to Responsibly Shower While Camping

Many people ask how to shower while camping. During camping, proper showering, as we do in our house is not probably workable due to the lack of water and open water. You cannot use beauty soap, shampoo, conditioner, and other cosmetics during camping lavishly. 

On the other hand, getting rid of germs, odors, and bacteria is much essential before going to bed. So, the best way to remove dirt, oil, and sweat from your body is to take a shower with a natural soap like Camp Suds, Dr. Bronners Pure-Castile Liquid Soap, and Sea to Summit. Shower with a little warm water, use the natural soap and wash your body with a clean cloth. 

How To Conserve Water While Camping

Saving water is our moral duty. Using a little amount of water specifically when you are in the middle of a desert, forest, or away from a populated area is a smart way of saving water. But, how to conserve water during showering is a very important question when you are camping. Let’s explore some ideas in a few minutes. 

Take a Sponge Bath

Showering with a sponge bath is the cheapest type of showering. You can take a complete shower using a sponge bath while camping. Wet the sponge into the water and clean your body with that sponge 3-5 times or until you do not satisfied. 

Avoid Washing Hair

Avoid washing your hair during camping. Hair requires much amount of water for washing. During camping, traveling, and outdoor activities always cover your head with a hat, muffler, and cap. If you cover your head, you don’t need to wash your head for 2-3 days. On the other hand, if your hair is smelling, you should wash it immediately with biodegradable soapy water. Try to have a complete shower if you are going to clean your hair.

Types of Camp Shower Systems

Bag showers, tent showers, Public showers, and tank showers, are types of camping shower systems. Let’s explore one by one how these systems help us to shower while camping.

Bag Shower System

The bag shower system is a cheap and hardworking method of showering. Fill the bag shower with water, hang it with a tree or hook and take a clean and deep shower when you want. The bag shower has more than 5 gallons of water capacity. This shower system is powerful, portable, and long-lasting. You can pack and store this shower bag after use. 

Tip: Hang the shower bag 12 inches up to your head so that you can take a shower very easily. 

Tent Shower System

The second type of showering system on our list is Tent Shower System. This showering system is more luxurious than a bag system. A tent shower is an excellent showering system for outdoor activities. A tent shower is an ideal system for those who want to camp for a long time. This system comes with a bag or tank fixed with the tent, lightning, drainage floor pads, and towel hooks. 

Tank Shower System

The tank shower system is an excellent showering system, but it is the most costly showering system. The tank shower system is a big showering system. You can fill it with an air pump. This system requires much storage space for setting up, even when it is not in use.

Public Shower System

Apart from all showering systems, the public shower system is the best, easiest, and cheapest way to shower while camping. The most common public shower systems are truck stops, gyms, public beaches, and car center pools. You have plenty of water at public stations. You can shower so much easier in a public shower system.

Camping Shower Accessories

Camping shower accessories help us to shower easily while camping. 

Floor mat or tub: Get a floor mat or tub. Use this floor mat under the showering system.

Privacy Tent: Privacy tents are useful tents for camping, especially for women. You can use this showering system for your private toilet, dress changing, and bathroom. 

Shower Caddy

Shower Shoes

Microfiber Towels

More Useful Tips for Maintaining Personal Hygiene in the Wild

Before leaving this article, read some salient tips for maintaining personal hygiene while camping. 

• Use biodegradable soap like Ethique.
• Stay away from the freshwater minimum of 200ft while showering. 
• Rub your body with talcum powder, dry shampoo, or body lotion.
• Use hand sanitizers on your body before wearing clothes. 

Conclusion

Cleaning, washing, and showering your body is the main part of hygienic life. Showering is great fun for everybody. It is no less than an adventurous task when you are camping and don’t have water for showering. I have written a lot of tips, types, and methods of showering while camping. Read, think, and choose the best idea for showering during camping.