Giving kids a bath while camping - solutions?

[RichardAllen]

My kids are two girls of 2 and 4 years old. I have a water tank with 12V pump. The spare tyre has a hose wrapped round it for storage. to shower the kids we use the spare wheel cover as a shower tray, fix the hose to the pump with a shower attachment and away we go.

Currently this is a cold/cool water shower only. For next year I am fixing up part of the tank for warm/hot water heated by the engine so we can have hot shwoers too.

The Land Rover is called "Patsy" after a TV character, so after a day on the beach or whatever we get the call for a "Patsy" shower folowed by squeals of laughter if the water is a bit cold.

We have also found the black plastic solar heated showers quite good, though the water would probably get too hot if used in the Utah desert in Summer (loved it when I was there a few years ago).

Regards
Richard

 

[overlander]

I've installed a webasto fuel burning heater, a heat exchanger, a wing water tank and a pressure pump with external water source option. I did this in the fall, and have yet to test it out (even in the driveway). I'm going to test this thing out once it warms up AND I have a free weekend, but I really like the idea I got from this site on using a kiddy pool. I'm thinking of getting an adult size, and being able to jacuzzi at campsites and beaches where water source is plentiful. Curious at how long it would take to warm up the water using recirculation with the webasto through the heat exchanger. I'll post up my findings when it happens.

I have a 3 and 6 year old, and they are driving this effort (like everyone else on this thread). keep the ideas coming!

 

[zidaro]

Wet Wipes RULE for cleanup and sanitizing. we use them in the desert, backpacking, and even carried them climbing on Denali for a month. You get good enough to use just one to wash your whole body
We also have used the Solar Shower bags when needed, but the best thing in the whole world is taking a swim!

 

[haplo32]

I like the Zodi products

Personally I like the Zodi water heaters such as the Zodi Hot Tap and Zodi Extreme because they're simple to use. As long as you have the water source you can have a warm shower in a matter of seconds with the Hot Tap and about 10 to 20 minutes with the Zodi Extreme.

The difference between the two is that the propane burns at the same time you're using the Hot Tap.
With the Extreme you need to heat up the water before using it which is a pain but makes up for the fact that you don't have to worry about propane burning close to your kid.

While surfing the web, I recently discovered a different portable shower that has a 12v pump integrated. It's called the Big Kahuna Portable Shower and doesn't have any means to heat up water. It just dispenses it with a hose and showerhead. If you don't care for warm water and just need the water pressure then this unit seems perfect.
A lot people seem to use it at the beach to rinse off sand so not necessarily for showers only.

I've tried the Zodis but not the Big Kahuna so I couldn't give you my personal opinion on it.

 

[nwoods]

While surfing the web, I recently discovered a different portable shower that has a 12v pump integrated. It's called the Big Kahuna Portable Shower and doesn't have any means to heat up water. It just dispenses it with a hose and showerhead. If you don't care for warm water and just need the water pressure then this unit seems perfect.
A lot people seem to use it at the beach to rinse off sand so not necessarily for showers only.

I've tried the Zodis but not the Big Kahuna so I couldn't give you my personal opinion on it.

Are you part of CampingShowerWorld? I'm curious about the sprayer assembly this comes with. Is the head on a conventional quick disconnect? Can standard sprayers work, or is it a proprietary thing? How long is the hose, etc....

http://www.campingshowerworld.com/big-kahuna-portable-shower-6-gallon.html

 

[Mashurst]

I picked up a Zodi Hot Tap Series #6189 a few years ago for about $100. It was for the wife, but I have to say I love the thing. I usually rig up a tarp enclosure next to the jeep at the end of the day and we all take nice long HOT showers including the now 3yo. I remember showering the little guy when he was less than 1 though and as long as they can stand up I don't see this being a problem. He seems to like it even though he hates showers at home. I think the difference is that the head is hand held so it does not get in his eyes.
It turns out climbing into the ol' bag tired from a long day of exploring but fresh and clean, with the tent flapping gently in the wind and waves crashing 20' away is about as close to heaven as I have found.

 

[campingmom]

When my kids were in diapers and needed a good wash every day, we used either a basin or a large tote filled with warm water. Bigger kids stood in the tote; babies sat in the basin.

Now that they are bigger, they are happy to go without a bath for a few days. If we're camping for longer than that, we either find a campground with showers, or swim in the lake, or have a quick sponge bath.