Hello, This is my first question, you could say my "maiden speech". We are waiting to take delivery of a new Millard Outback with lots of free camping options. We traded a 1997 Golf with no bathroom. Having never free camped before we will probably still stay in caravan parks and gradually venture off into the bush as we become more confident. I have been reading about disposal of grey water and no one has mentioned hot/cold outdoor showers. Are these frowned upon for discharging water onto the ground? Can we use them in a van park? (Obviously we would wear swimmers and have some sort of mat to stand on) Margaret and Ron
Hi MOLLSCAN - Margaret and Ron - welcome to the site - hope you get a lot of fun and information from it!
As to out side showers - I would think a van park would frown on you using a shower on site, as they do provide you with a perfectly good shower and loo. For free camping, in my experience, never had a problem with showering in a shower tent, here at Greens for instance, there are several shower tents set up, - the grass loves it - so no problem. some free caps have gravel or asphalt park up areas, and in that instance I would try and get a spot close to the edge, where water would run away better.
Someone else may have other ideas - but that is my take on it.
Take care. And enjoy your new van when you get it.
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jules "Love is good for the human being!!" (Ben, aged 10)
I go along with Jules on this one, there is no need to wear swimmers, just undress in the van and wrap a towels around you then the same when you come out after drying yourself, for females no towel is allowed.
If you are camped up for more than a couple of days your shower can turn into a muddy mess, you can move it to a new spot, or catch the water in one of those blow-up kiddies swimming pools and dispose away from your camp, or dig a drain. Putting those rubber mats with the holes in them on the shower floor helps to keep your feet out of the mud.
Towels or clothes wont hang on our shower tent, so we put a chair close by the zip to put them on within easy reach.
You wouldn't be real happy when arriving at a new spot to find muddy grey-water puddles just where you'd like to set up, so please take care.
Thank you everyone for your input. We have an inside shower so it is only the odd hose down that I am wondering about. We have ordered one of those external showers with hot and cold taps installed on the outside of the van. The rubber mats with holes is a good idea. Wombat would be very disappointed if this woman showered without a towel! Not a pretty sight.
Molluscan wrote, --- Thank you everyone for your input. We have an inside shower so it is only the odd hose down that I am wondering about. We have ordered one of those external showers with hot and cold taps installed on the outside of the van. The rubber mats with holes is a good idea. Wombat would be very disappointed if this woman showered without a towel! Not a pretty sight. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I also tend to agree with Jules on this one ! They have been freecamping for a long time and are pretty well up to Date with the Etiquette ??
As far as '' the NO towel for females'' As requested by Wombat, Hmm ?? Reluctantly this is one of the Few occasions that I agree with him And do not worry about the wombat ?? you would look great to him Because he has only seen NAKED WOMBATS before ??
And your statement is made by ALL FEMALES that are older than 20, and are no longer 36-24-36 --- and naked wombats are around 180 - 180-180 ?? [ footnote !! Mrs Wombat Excluded ? ]
Following on from Gerty Dancer's comment re no hanging spot for clothes in the shower tent, we can't hang clothes inside our shower tent either. I purchased one of those white builders type buckets, with lid, from Bunnings and we use it (in the shower tent) to put our clothes in when showering. Before I put the lid on I also put my towel in there on top of the clothes so it's handy to retrieve, then I find the lid top is useful to place your various bits and pieces such as soap, shampoo and whatever on. Works a treat.
Shower tent? were we supposed to use one of those when we showered outdoors? We just hung the shower rose from a treebranch and put one of those foam mat squares on the ground so you didn't get ya feet muddy.
we have used the outdoors shower all the time, quite often I will use my husband to hold onto my towel and clothes one day though he started talking as per usual and he walked away leaving me with no towel. boy was he in TROUBLE and don't stick up for him. next time being the not so reliable husband I put a chair next to the shower tent and just slip the hand out to grab stuff when i need it' my husband does the same thing now, Happy camping
All good ideas for outdoor ablution activities. From next year RV's are supposed to be fitted with grey water tanks.
I just removed the tank from under "Betty Benz" and replaced it with a custom built fuel tank. Eventually I will have to add another grey water tank.
The preferable option is to used environmentally friendly body wash or soap. No sulphates or nasties on your skin or the ground. Keep it smooooooooooth. Be nice to the waterways.
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20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.
Mollscan
And do not worry about the wombat ?? you would look great to him Because he has only seen NAKED WOMBATS before ??
