When I’m out camping, it’s the best part of my year that brings me or anyone close to nature. Besides that what we learn during camping and hiking is how our ancestors lived their life in the wilderness without any direct resources. Speaking of resources, while camping you are accessible to natural resources, you can also carry some important sources with you, but the limit tag is always there. The most common problem people face is water problems for showers. You can carry only a few gallons of water if you are without an RV. So, what you can do to shower outside while camping? well, don’t worry I created a list of all possible outdoor shower ideas for camping.
Outdoor shower ideas for camping
Natural ways of bathing outdoor when camping
Below is the list of natural ways to take shower outdoor in the wilderness. There is a huge possibility that these ideas may not work for you for one or another reason, in that case, there is a list of custom resources for showers that you can carry with you.
Use washcloth or sponge to bath
The best and simple to shower outside while camping is by using a little amount of water and a piece of sponge or washcloth. Always carry a sponge or washcloth with you when going outdoor for camping. You can also use biodegradable soap and washcloth to take a dry shower, but make sure to maintain a 200 feet distance from water resources like- lakes, rivers, etc. because biodegradable soap needs soil to breakdown. Also, make sure to not use any soap or body wash because they are not environment friendly.
Take the water as the amount of your water bottle to clean yourself. This method only works if you don’t sweet too much. If you are always sweety then use other methods. While you clean yourself pay attention to your face, legs, armpits to avoid fungus and chafing.
Bath in a lake or river
If you have a lake or river along with your camp, take bath there. But before taking bath in nature keep some things in mind- never take bath where people or hikers collect water, Never use any type of soap not even biodegradable inside the water. The fresh and cold water of the lake or river will rinse the dirt from your body without using any soap or body washes. If the river is flowing you will find the water not so cold, if the water is static in the lake, then it is likely to be cold.
For quick dry after shower use a microfiber towel because microfiber is a material which is usually polyester, while on the other hand common normal towels are made of cotton which feels good against skin but takes longer to dry the whole body because of loops present in cotton material. So, always carry a microfiber towel while camping or hiking to save your time.
Dry bathing
dry bathing is the last option left if you do not find any water. This is the best way if you don’t want to get yourself in cold water. For dry bathing use baby wipes. This is one of the hygiene essentials recommend for camping and hiking. Not only it helps you in cleaning your body but also helps when nature calls.
To clean yourself with baby wipes use different wipes for underarms, private parts, and legs where the body stinks most, and for other body, areas use different wipes. Avoid using the same wipe again and again. If you are taking wipes with yourself make sure there is a bundle. There is a probability that your body still stinks after using wipes, to make things clear apply baby powder on your body, which will give your body a fragrance. Baby powder is also helpful in dry cleaning your hair.
Do want to know the best ways to wash your hairs while camping – How to Wash Hair While Camping
Portable outdoor shower ideas for camping
In case you don’t found any river or lake, or you don’t want your body to freeze from cold water then you can use the portable camp shower method to clean your body. Although every portable method is the same, but each differs from the other in one or other way. If you don’t know about portable camp shower or have never used that, don’t worry today I will tell you all about the portable camp shower and how they work.
Solar
Solar is the best option available when there is no water shower at your campsite. A solar shower is an insulated bag that holds the hot water, the bag has a hose which is used to drain the water for the shower.
The solar shower works when you hang the bag on a branch or anything where there is the sun. The bag absorbs the sun rays or radiation and converts the water into hot water, and as result, you will get hot water. While doing so, make sure the bag is in the direction where sunlight is directly pointing at it.
Solar bag holds enough water to get yourself clean. On average most of the bags available in the market can store 5 gallons of water, but you can see the number go up to 10 gallons. But 5 gallons is enough for outdoor unless you are two people.
Although after its all merits, it has one downside, which is, it does not work on cloudy days when the sun is not visible, you can use it on a partly cloudy day when the sun is low but visible, but it will take some time.
gravity solar shower
If you want a budget-friendly option then go with a gravity solar shower. As the function of both solar shower and gravity shower is same but both have a different method of operating. If you want to use a gravity shower then after the bag is heated hang it somewhere above from your overhead. While hanging, make sure the hose of the bag is straight and pointing downwards to drain the water. This is one of the oldest methods of taking a solar shower while hiking and camping.
pump
The pump is the other way to take shower when camping. Here you use your hand or foot pump to pressurize the water instead of relying on gravity. It requires a small amount of pressure from your hand or foot to produce enough water at one stance. To use this first you have to store some water in the bag. The pump shower is very lightweight and easy to carry and gives you more like an exact shower experience.
Gas and electricity
There are some other portable showers which are operated by electricity and gas where you eliminate any manual work you just need water and electricity to charge it.
I hope this article is helpful and contains an answer to your query. This article is all about outdoor shower ideas for camping and hiking.
