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Here are some more examples of swing-in, front-entry Walk-In tubs:






Now from a purely aesthetic point of view (as opposed to a mechanical one), I tend to prefer front-entry walk-in tubs that have more curvilinear designs, for instance, those made by Premier Care -- see http://www.premiercarebathing.com/ns/walk-in-baths/easy-bathe-the-original/ :






Also see similar, more curvilinear front-entry designs by Appollo in the UK, at http://appolloassistedbathing.co.uk , http://appolloassistedbathing.co.uk/products/walk-in-baths-shower-baths/ , and http://appolloassistedbathing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Maxi-Walk-In-Bath.pdf ; Practical Bathing, at http://www.practicalbathing.co.uk/walk-in-baths-range and http://www.practicalbathing.co.uk/walk-in-baths-range/the-scorpio ;

As must be evident, all of these front-entry Walk-In tubs are much easier to fit into a motorhome than the larger side-entry tubs first described above. And these front-entry models would use less water. Indeed, on their websites some manufacturers will advertise front-entry Walk-In tubs as suitable for motorhomes. But as the images suggest, just like larger side-entry Walk-In tubs, they can come fully decked out with water jets for "hydro-massage".


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17. Walk-In Tub Videos


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With that survey of possibilities in hand, this might be a good point to post some videos from various Walk-In bathtub manufacturers:


[video=youtube;DU4zJ0F2fME]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU4zJ0F2fME [/video] [video=youtube;6u7O5hKwAo8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u7O5hKwAo8   [/video] [video=youtube;DHtc3yPdm78]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHtc3yPdm78 [/video]


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18. The Kohler Elevance


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In the fourth video above (i.e. second row, second video), notice how Kohler's design is a bit different than the others. The Kohler elevance bathtub is still fully ADA compliant, but Kohler calls it a "rising wall" bath, as opposed to Walk-In bath. And because the whole side of the tub rises, it's even easier to get into -- see http://www.us.kohler.com/us/Bath-Design:-Aging-Gracefully/content/CNT800335.htm , http://www.kohler.com/bold-independence/ideas-planning-solutions/full-access-bath-shower-solutions , http://www.kohler.com/bold-independ...B&sortBy=productName-asc&page=1&viewAll=false , http://www.kohler.com/bold-independ...ryName=AIP+Elevance+RWB&productNumber=1913-RB , http://www.us.kohler.com/webassets/kpna/brochures/Elevance.pdf , http://www.us.kohler.com/onlinecatalog/pdf/1217503_4.pdf , http://www.kohler.com/bold-independence/kohler-video , http://www.universaldesignstyle.com/elevance-rising-wall-bathtub-by-kohler/ , http://www.oldfashionedhomemaking.com/family/bathroom-design-updates-help-homeowners-age-in-place , and https://meccinteriors.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/the-elevance-revolutionizes-universal-tub-design/ :






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Moreover, the rising wall in the elevance is automated: the woman in the photograph exerts almost no force when she raises the wall. In a way this should not be too surprising, because in the speciality niche-market of bathtubs designed for institutional use (hospitals and other care facilities), similar "rising wall" tubs have long existed. Apollo Care in the UK, for instance, makes something more or less similar, although not nearly as beautifully designed as Kohler's elevance:





See http://apollobath.com/bathing-systems/essence-7000/ , http://apollobath.com/documents/product_documentation/Essence-Spa-Brochure.pdf , http://apollobath.com/documents/product_documentation/Essence-Specifications.pdf , and http://apollobath.com/documents/product_documentation/All-Bathing-System-Brochure-Front-Back.pdf .

In fact, there exists a large market that is not visible to the typical consumer, for specialty baths and showers for institutional use, equipped with various kinds of automation. I don't want to get sidetracked here with discussion of such products. Rather, I merely wanted to indicate that automating various aspects of the entry/exit procedure is not unusual, and in that sense, Kohler's elevance is not that groundbreaking. Elevance is groundbreaking mainly because Kohler has developed and marketed it as a high-end alternative to the non-automated, more traditional kinds of Walk-In tubs, as previously discussed. And the elevance is a Kohler, so it has upmarket features like a waterfall instead of a standard tap, and a cylindrical, baton-style integrated shower head with hose. The controls are no doubt superbly designed and engineered, as per all Kohler products.


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19. Glass-Door Walk-in Tubs as an Aesthetic Choice


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From an aesthetic point of view, additional variations are possible. High-end European manufacturers have caught on to the possibility that even people who are not elderly or disabled, might want to walk into their tubs. The idea of a Walk-In tub originated in the institutional care and senior-citizens market, but it has long since migrated to world of high-end "designer" bath-tubs, if only because seeing bath-tub water through glass seems like such a cool idea.

So the Walk-In "lay-down" tub also exists. These are walk-in tubs without seats, i.e. they have a more "normal" kind of tub, the type that one lies down in. For some reason these seem to be more popular in Europe than the United States, at least in so far as most of the manufacturers or distributors referenced in the next few posts are either British or continental European. Here again, Absolute Mobility's YouTube playlist of CAD animations proves very useful, supplemented by their "Walk-In Shower" playlist -- see https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0C41C9DC1EE3C457 and https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6453DB8AB7CBDC6B .

First, here are a few examples of Walk-In lay-down tubs with opaque doors. These still tend to be sold as assisted bathing products, and have a more "utilitarian" appearance, as opposed to a posh, Euro-designer-appearance:


10 images


[video=youtube;fuzFNOmCiCY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuzFNOmCiCY&list=PL0C41C9DC1EE3C457&index= 11[/video] [video=youtube;cuOQqw9bFHM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuOQqw9bFHM&list=PL0C41C9DC1EE3C457&index= 12[/video]
[video=youtube;7fc3qR6mzB4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fc3qR6mzB4&list=PL0C41C9DC1EE3C457&index= 1[/video] [video=youtube;czvzLJcgDGk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czvzLJcgDGk&list=PL0C41C9DC1EE3C457&index= 13[/video]
[video=youtube;wCSNIzG2Mr4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCSNIzG2Mr4&list=PL0C41C9DC1EE3C457&index= 3[/video]




See

See for instance http://www.azurahomedesign.com/fr/b...aignoire-à-porte-balnéo-samar-1708062-cm.html , http://www.walkinbathshowers.co.uk/walk-in-baths/bath/ , http://www.walkinbathshowers.co.uk/walk-in-baths/bath/delphi.php , http://www.walkinbathshowers.co.uk/walk-in-baths/bath/jubilee.php , http://www.gainsboroughbaths.com/product/category/4/walk-in-baths , http://www.gainsboroughbaths.com/product/details/25/cotswold , http://www.aquability.com/simplicity/ , http://www.albertahomespas.com/product/prarie-walk-in-bathtub.html , http://www.yorkshirecareequipment.com/category/bathing/walk-in-baths/ , http://www.yorkshirecareequipment.com/mediterranean/ , http://www.yorkshirecareequipment.com/coral/ , http://www.practicalbathing.co.uk/walk-in-baths-range , http://www.practicalbathing.co.uk/walk-in-baths-range?product_id=374 , http://www.meditubs.com/MeditubProductDetails.aspx?ID=7 , http://www.meditubs.com/Downloads/3060BL.pdf , http://www.bath-knight.co.uk/walk-in-baths/ , http://www.bath-knight.co.uk/walk-in-baths/aventis-walk-in-bath/ , http://www.bath-knight.co.uk/walk-in-baths/layezee-walk-in-bath/ , http://www.bathroomexpress.co.uk/acatalog/aventis-walk-in-shower-bath.html , http://www.bathroomexpress.co.uk/acatalog/calypso-walk-in-shower-bath.html , http://www.bathroomexpress.co.uk/acatalog/layezee-walk-in-shower-bath.html , http://www.bathezy.co.uk/luxor-walk-in-bath.html , http://www.easymobility.com.au/products/Serene.html ,




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Next, here is an example of a Walk-In lay-down tub with a glass door, but one that still has an overall linear design:





2 images




See http://appolloassistedbathing.co.uk/products/walk-in-baths-shower-baths/ , http://appolloassistedbathing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/The-Pisces.pdf , http://www.practicalbathing.co.uk/walk-in-baths-range?product_id=288 , http://www.practicalbathing.co.uk/walk-in-baths-range?product_id=373 , http://www.practicalbathing.co.uk/walk-in-baths-range/the-talis , http://www.bathroomexpress.co.uk/acatalog/Comfort-Walk-In-Bath-Accessibility-Range.html , http://www.bathroomexpress.co.uk/acatalog/savana-walk-in-shower-bath.html ,




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See http://www.absolutemobility.co.uk/m...-in-baths---walk-in-shower-bath-the-caribbean , http://www.absolutemobility.co.uk/m...hower-baths--walk-in-bath-showers-the-paragon


http://www.easymobility.com.au/products/Bianca.html


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9. Walk-In Tubs with Glass-Door Shower Enclosures


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Now clearly, one would want a walk-in tub in an RV to serve double-duty as a shower enclosure. That's where something like the Meditub 3140 begins to look attractive:


1 image


See http://www.meditubs.com/Downloads/3140.pdf , http://www.meditubs.com/MeditubProductDetails.aspx?ID=15 .

But as the images of some of the more interesting walk-in-tub designs posted above suggest, it's possible for the doors of walk-in tubs to look much more visually interesting, i.e. transparent. Here's a photograph of walk-in tub with transparent door as well as shower enclosure:




But a few months I came across a walk-in tub with shower enclosure whose design beats all the rest by a mile, made by an Austrian company called Artweger:


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In this bathtub the glass door swings inwards, as per most walk-in baths.





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10. Designing a Compact Walk-In Tub/Shower/Steam Bath for Motorhome Use


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Now granted, the Artweger bath/shower is too long and voluminous for a motorhome. What's wanted is more of a cubic "plunge-bath" style tub, as per the smallest, ultra-compact walk-in tubs on the market:


10 images


So as a separate design project, I've been working on an ultra-compact bathtub/shower/steam-bath that has a convex, glass floor-to-ceiling door like the Artweger, but with a more vertical, "cubic", front-entry walk-in tub.

Cabuchon is one of the few manufacturers of bathtubs and jacuzzis that is happy to create bespoke, completely custom designs -- see http://www.cabuchon.com/custom-designed-bespoke-baths/ . So I've been imagining this as a project for Cabuchon.



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12. Carbon Fiber Bath-Tubs


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Of course, to reduce weight when installed in an RV, it could also be made out of Carbon Fiber. And indeed, there do exist specialists who've built bath-tubs out of the same. For instance, Spinterworks -- http://www.splinterworks.co.uk/portfolio/vessel.php :



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And Corcel -- http://www.corcel.eu/en/products/badewannen/n1_limited_edition/#.U_GfMnmSf6k , http://store.carbonfibergear.com/corcel-n-1-carbon-fiber-luxury-bathtub :



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeSMQbGBjm8


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Just in case the use of Carbon Fiber in a motorhome seems a bit improbable, it's worth recalling that just this year, in April 2014, Global Caravan Technologies unveiled the first Carbon Fiber Camper:



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Again, I'm not much of a fan of rectilinear design, so the interior doesn't impress me much. And it seems a shame that GCT would go to all that expense to produce a curvilinear carbon-fiber exterior, and then revert to T-square design for the interior. Especially given that more organic, curvilinear designs are well-suited to carbon-fiber, as the carbon-fiber bath-tubs shown above illustrate well.



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Returning to bathrooms in expedition vehicles, by far the most beautiful ones I've yet come across are those installed in vehicles designed by Klaus Hünerkopf Neukirchen -- see :



http://www.huenerkopf.de/en/



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[dwh]

A few thoughts...

JCPenny in the U.S. puts out a Big and Tall catalog a couple times a year. Also available online. I've been ordering stuff here and there from them since the 1970s. In particular, I've gotten several excellent leather jackets and coats from them at unbelievable prices. (for instance in the 90s I got a 4xTall motorcycle jacket - thick leather biker style with zippers everywhere - for $139) Since they are in the U.S., my habit has always been to order for in-store pickup at the nearest store, then I drop by and try it on. That way, if there is a fit issue and I decide against it, I don't have to bother shipping it back, and the store can issue a refund right there.

http://www.jcpenney.com/men/big-tall/coats-jackets/cat.jump?id=cat100290008&deptId=cat100250139


There are no bathtubs large enough for me. I've been resigned to that fact for decades. So I look for a ginormous shower instead.

The tub in Shachagra is *not* a bathtub. It's a Japanese style soaking tub. I.e., get clean first, then get into the tub. You don't fill and drain - it stays full. It is incorporated as part of the fresh water supply of the truck (>350 gallons(!!) total tankage as I recall). As he had no less than one wife type and two teenage girl types living in that rig, I don't doubt that they used a LOT of water. But since he was a Navy Lifer, I also don't doubt that the family probably did excersize some water rationing awareness.

"Navy shower" is: turn on water, get wet, turn off water, lather and wash, turn on water, rinse, turn off water.


I see those drop downs over the stepped entry. Why not have a nice slatted wood drop down over the "mud pan" in the entry? Then when you wanted to step into the space in bare feet (brush teeth, shower, whatever), you could just drop it down (or slide it out) and not worry about "what lies below".


Also, I don't really think in terms of washing the mud off the boots IN the shower. I would certainly have an external (pressurized) water outlet. So while I might step in and take the boots off in the entry, I doubt I'd hose the mud off IN the entry.

But even if you didn't use the lav for the entry, I personally would still want the big, waterproof, all-in-one lav (i.e., ADA shower with toilet instead of seat. If I couldn't have the integrated Eco-John, then I'd probably opt for the "wall-to-wall" style of Thetford Cassette. I rather like the look of this one mated to a standard shower enclosure - though of course, the space is still too small to make me happy...1m x 2m would probably be just about right for me:

Width-wise, this looks more like it:

 

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