OK, this is probably a really dumb question from a Newbie at this.
But I'm shopping around for a used Campervan (not motorhome) whilst we wait for our new one 'sometime' in the next 14-18 months.....
So I see a lot of van 'conversions' of the DIY variety. These tend to be van conversions of Sprinters and similar.
Some look amazing with wood panelling, kitchen tiles, really great decor etc etc.
But.....
I'd say 90% of them, these DIY Conversions, don't have an internal shower / toilet cubicle.......
I'm obviously missing something here, and I'm not sure what it is.
A. These 'off grid' campers are actually only used at campsites with facilities.
B. At crucial times, they disappear off into the bush with a shovel.
C. They travel from public toilet to public toilet.....
D. The 'thing' I've missed? What is it?
oldbloke said
08:17 PM Jun 22, 2022
Perhaps they are all "poms". Lol
RoboLB said
08:20 PM Jun 22, 2022
oldbloke wrote:
Perhaps they are all "poms". Lol
Maybe! I'm an 'ex' pom. Card carrying Aussie for 30 years....
kgarnett said
08:26 PM Jun 22, 2022
Internal showers & toilets are conveniences which take up valuable space within the camper. You could use a shower tent and portable toilet as do many others. Ken
RoboLB said
08:31 PM Jun 22, 2022
kgarnett wrote:
Internal showers & toilets are conveniences which take up valuable space within the camper. You could use a shower tent and portable toilet as do many others. Ken
OK, that might be the answer Ken!
Couldn't work it out.
Though my Missus has a bladder the size of a peanut. So setting up a toilet tent 10 times a day while we're on the road might get tedious......
hufnpuf said
08:48 PM Jun 22, 2022
RoboLB wrote:
Though my Missus has a bladder the size of a peanut. So setting up a toilet tent 10 times a day while we're on the road might get tedious......
There are a lot of roadhouses and roadside rest stops with toilets to be taken advantage of, you'll be stopping anyway for fuel and rest, going to the loo is just a part of that. There's a public toilet map you can look up to find where the loos are. If you have a patch of floor space for it, you can also use a porta potti in your van. I had a porta potti in my previous van for overnight. It fitted in under a bed for transport.
Otherwise, do you know about the shewee? It's like a hospital bottle they give to men, but it's designed for women.
Craig1 said
09:00 PM Jun 22, 2022
https://schuesslertissuesalts.com.au/
There are a couple of options here, a definite help imho
Jaahn said
09:32 PM Jun 22, 2022
kgarnett wrote:
Internal showers & toilets are conveniences which take up valuable space within the camper. You could use a shower tent and portable toilet as do many others. Ken
Hi This is the right answer in our experience. You can have a portaloo in the van and use it as necessary, but use public loos as you go mostly. Built in showers are a lot of trouble and space. A tent is much easier. You carry water and a basin. You can use the public loos with the basin also. Find a shower in some places also. You can then always go to a caravan park every so often to have a good hot shower, do some washing, cook a good relaxed meal etc. Work it out what suits you two and the terrain and weather.
Jaahn
Whenarewethere said
09:55 PM Jun 22, 2022
We don't have a toilet or shower. When remote camping we use a spade.
We use toiletmap to locate toilets. Sometimes go to a swimming centre and pay a couple of dollars to use shower. Sometimes use a caravan park for the night.
A bucket works well, it is surprising how little water you can get away with. Also soak clothes overnight in a bucket & they are easy to clean by hand.
We also have an air water gun running off air compressors, 0.5 litres a minute, not only economical to clean the car, it also works well as a shower.
https://toiletmap.gov.au/
PeterInSa said
11:18 PM Jun 22, 2022
Would not be without a Shower/Loo (with a small wash basin in the corner) in our Long Wheel Base/High Roof Sprinter Campervan. ( Neither would SWMBO).
But we need to drop the Table to make up the double bed at night, but this arrangement has room to have at least 5 around the Table during the day if we have visitors or room to spread out if it just us on a Cold Rainy day.
86GTS said
05:15 AM Jun 23, 2022
Our caravan doesn't have an en-suite (we don't want one).
We use an Oztrail fast frame ensuite tent which goes up in a couple of minutes.
We use a 12v bush shower in one half & a Thetford Porta-Potte in the other half.
For weeing during the night or when traveling we use a plastic bucket with a toilet seat lid.
On a recent trip we had winds over 60kph overnight, the en-suite didn't budge.
Our system is civilized, comfortable & has worked worked beautifully for 120,000kms of travel over 12 years.
These days with Covid-19 around we don't go near caravan parks of any description or public toilet blocks.
We've been BUSH CAMPING out by ourselves for almost 50 years.
-- Edited by 86GTS on Thursday 23rd of June 2022 06:22:22 AM
RoboLB said
08:09 AM Jun 23, 2022
Thanks for the responses.
It's interesting to see the various solutions.
oldbloke said
08:10 AM Jun 23, 2022
Yep, when camping a bucket for a bird bath and shovel. And I ain't a pom. Lol.
Mike Harding said
08:29 AM Jun 23, 2022
I swag camped for many years using an outside shower and shovel; my caravan has a full ensuite NO WAY would I buy a caravan which did not.
Tony Bev said
02:38 PM Jun 23, 2022
Done my first lap, towing a pop top caravan (without a shower/toilet), and as Ken (kgarnett) has already said
I carried a pop-up shower tent, and a porta potty, and this worked for me, and I adapted to it
But as I got older, and purchased a motorhome with an ensuit, I find that I have adapted to this way of camping
I suppose that the bottom line is that, if you have adapted to the way you travel, then that is probably the best way to go
86GTS said
03:08 PM Jun 23, 2022
It also depends on whether you are constantly driving almost every day or staying at a spot for 4 or 5 days.
We like to do less driving, stay at a location for a while, bush walk & really get to know it.
This means quick pitching an en-suite tent is well worth it.
If we're on the move daily we use our Porta-Potte under our awning early each morning mostly in the dark, as we are early risers.
Driving 200-300 kms every day isn't really our idea of relaxation.
So many people say that they've been somewhere when all they've done is drive thru it.
Ask them something about it & they know nothing.
Plain Truth said
08:44 PM Jun 25, 2022
We don't have an en-suite in our small van,if we was living full time in a van it would be a must have.
Even on long trips away it would make things easier. we get by a shower tent and a portta pottie.
Don't get a tent like the one that Plain Truth shows UNLESS you learn the knack of folding it up & putting it in its bag. There is lots of funny displays on U-tube to keep you entertained for a while. Otherwise your friends, other campers will remember you well (like me)!!
The one that 86GTS shows (either singular or double) is much better.
Kebbin said
09:38 AM Jun 28, 2022
This was posted a while back by a forum member ColinEast and is a simple technique to pack that collapsible toilet tent.
OK, this is probably a really dumb question from a Newbie at this.
But I'm shopping around for a used Campervan (not motorhome) whilst we wait for our new one 'sometime' in the next 14-18 months.....
So I see a lot of van 'conversions' of the DIY variety. These tend to be van conversions of Sprinters and similar.
Some look amazing with wood panelling, kitchen tiles, really great decor etc etc.
But.....
I'd say 90% of them, these DIY Conversions, don't have an internal shower / toilet cubicle.......
I'm obviously missing something here, and I'm not sure what it is.
A. These 'off grid' campers are actually only used at campsites with facilities.
B. At crucial times, they disappear off into the bush with a shovel.
C. They travel from public toilet to public toilet.....
D. The 'thing' I've missed? What is it?
Maybe! I'm an 'ex' pom. Card carrying Aussie for 30 years....
Internal showers & toilets are conveniences which take up valuable space within the camper.
You could use a shower tent and portable toilet as do many others.
Ken
OK, that might be the answer Ken!
Couldn't work it out.
Though my Missus has a bladder the size of a peanut. So setting up a toilet tent 10 times a day while we're on the road might get tedious......
There are a lot of roadhouses and roadside rest stops with toilets to be taken advantage of, you'll be stopping anyway for fuel and rest, going to the loo is just a part of that. There's a public toilet map you can look up to find where the loos are. If you have a patch of floor space for it, you can also use a porta potti in your van. I had a porta potti in my previous van for overnight. It fitted in under a bed for transport.
Otherwise, do you know about the shewee? It's like a hospital bottle they give to men, but it's designed for women.
https://schuesslertissuesalts.com.au/
There are a couple of options here, a definite help imho
Hi This is the right answer in our experience. You can have a portaloo in the van and use it as necessary, but use public loos as you go mostly. Built in showers are a lot of trouble and space. A tent is much easier. You carry water and a basin. You can use the public loos with the basin also. Find a shower in some places also. You can then always go to a caravan park every so often to have a good hot shower, do some washing, cook a good relaxed meal etc. Work it out what suits you two and the terrain and weather.
Jaahn
We don't have a toilet or shower. When remote camping we use a spade.
We use toiletmap to locate toilets. Sometimes go to a swimming centre and pay a couple of dollars to use shower. Sometimes use a caravan park for the night.
A bucket works well, it is surprising how little water you can get away with. Also soak clothes overnight in a bucket & they are easy to clean by hand.
We also have an air water gun running off air compressors, 0.5 litres a minute, not only economical to clean the car, it also works well as a shower.
https://toiletmap.gov.au/
But we need to drop the Table to make up the double bed at night, but this arrangement has room to have at least 5 around the Table during the day if we have visitors or room to spread out if it just us on a Cold Rainy day.
Our caravan doesn't have an en-suite (we don't want one).
We use an Oztrail fast frame ensuite tent which goes up in a couple of minutes.
We use a 12v bush shower in one half & a Thetford Porta-Potte in the other half.
For weeing during the night or when traveling we use a plastic bucket with a toilet seat lid.
On a recent trip we had winds over 60kph overnight, the en-suite didn't budge.
Our system is civilized, comfortable & has worked worked beautifully for 120,000kms of travel over 12 years.
These days with Covid-19 around we don't go near caravan parks of any description or public toilet blocks.
We've been BUSH CAMPING out by ourselves for almost 50 years.
-- Edited by 86GTS on Thursday 23rd of June 2022 06:22:22 AM
It's interesting to see the various solutions.
I swag camped for many years using an outside shower and shovel; my caravan has a full ensuite NO WAY would I buy a caravan which did not.
I carried a pop-up shower tent, and a porta potty, and this worked for me, and I adapted to it
But as I got older, and purchased a motorhome with an ensuit, I find that I have adapted to this way of camping
I suppose that the bottom line is that, if you have adapted to the way you travel, then that is probably the best way to go
We like to do less driving, stay at a location for a while, bush walk & really get to know it.
This means quick pitching an en-suite tent is well worth it.
If we're on the move daily we use our Porta-Potte under our awning early each morning mostly in the dark, as we are early risers.
Driving 200-300 kms every day isn't really our idea of relaxation.
So many people say that they've been somewhere when all they've done is drive thru it.
Ask them something about it & they know nothing.
We don't have an en-suite in our small van,if we was living full time in a van it would be a must have.
Even on long trips away it would make things easier. we get by a shower tent and a portta pottie.
The one that 86GTS shows (either singular or double) is much better.
youtu.be/CvNA0EYfeBc