How to Shower When Camping?

Sanitation and camp hygiene are essential for preventing the spread of diseases and protecting water sources. Camp hygiene prevents foodborne diseases, promotes overall health, and enhances camp experience. Hygiene becomes even more important while camping as you are always exposed to the outdoors!

We hardly skip bathing or taking a shower when we are indoors or at our homes! Regular showers with a shower gel or soap followed by drying with a soft clean towel help you get rid of the germs and also prevent illness and other problems!

We would not like anyone to tell us that we stink, especially when camping! Our bodies have smells, and the less often we shower, the more likely we will develop a noticeable odor! This can turn many people off! The appearance of not being clean can make us feel insecure!

How often should we take a shower?

Regular showering is important for many health benefits! Routine washing and grooming are also two important aspects of showering! Showering can:

• Improve immune function
• Reduce swelling
• Increase blood flow
• Lessen fatigue

Showering also cleans your skin and removes all the dead skin cells! It helps you clean the pores. After taking a clean shower, you feel fresh! It also washes away the bacteria and other irritants that could have caused rashes to your skin!

How to take a shower while camping?

Camping gets you out of the house, and there is nothing like the great outdoors! For showering while camping, you can use the public showers of the campgrounds if they are available! Many people do not mind all the dirt, grime, and sweat that comes along the camping trip!

However, many tend to feel itchy; thus, they are not too fond of leaving behind the everyday practice of a hot shower!

Following are some ways you can shower while still at a camp:

Use public showers

This can come to you as a revelation. However, public showers are more common than you think! While you narrow down on the campsite, you can start by looking for the ones with public showers in their restroom facilities!

There is a pay-per-use facility that many campsites have, and they are usually at a short walk distance from your tent! You can also navigate the nearby public shower options, such as truck stops with shower facilities or stations!

When to use public showers?

Many campers use public showers after a hike or a trail. However, you should not choose the peak hour for taking a shower; otherwise, you will encounter longer queues.

✅Best times: The camping grounds are less busy before 7 am or during mid-afternoon.
✅Worst times: The busiest times for showering are between 8 am and 10 am.

Invest in a camping shower

You might have stumbled across camping showers. They are available in all shapes and sizes! There is an array of options to choose from both in the market and online shops!

A camping shower has a water bag with a shower hose attached to it! There is also another one that includes a pump that sits in a water source. It also runs water through a showerhead.

Some systems are sophisticated and have automatic pumps and heaters, while others have the necessities!

Go all-natural: Lakes and waterfalls

Lakes, ponds, and rivers are the water bodies that are the natural bodies of water. You can use one of these water sources for a quick wash-up! It is also possible to bring necessary supplies such as shampoo or soap!

Use your RV showers

An RV relies on a water supply directly connected to another water source or a built-in freshwater storage! If you rent an RV, it comes with a standup shower inside. Some RVs have an outside shower nozzle, which is great for rinsing off after you return from the beach!

Take a sponge bath

If you do not have easy access to a lake or a piece of shower equipment, you can take a sponge bath. It is one of the easiest ways to get rid of the stinky smell! You can quickly scrub off your body with soap and a sponge and get away with it!

This is one of the most environmentally friendly methods as there is no running water that is likely to get wasted! Moreover, with the help of a sponge, you can also hit all the dirtiest and smelliest spots and rinse them off with a small amount of water!

Use the household product method

There are several household products in the market that can help you stay clean! By using these products, you can automatically cut down on the grime and keep your backpack light!

Some of the items you can take along with you are as follows:

Baking soda

It is a household product that is ideal for greasy hair. All you can do is sprinkle some soda on your head and massage it over your scalp! This soda absorbs your grease!

Apple cider vinegar

This product works well as a natural deodorant! While at a camp, you can apply it to your armpits for removing dead skin and kill bacteria!

Olive oil

If you have dry skin, you can use olive oil on the areas of your skin! It is very hydrating and has plenty of antioxidants!

Baby wipes

These products have proven to be very useful for most campers. Baby wipes can be also used to wipe away all the dirt, grime and sweat.

They are very gentle on skin, and they are specially curated to operate on baby skin. This makes them perfect for a head-to-toe wipe-down!

Conclusion

You can shower even while at a camp. However, you should first consider what basic gear you will need, soap, shampoo, shower gel, a washcloth, or a sponge.

Try using microfiber towels or beach towels as they dry a lot quicker than bath towels. For cutting down on washing, you can bring along a hand sanitizer!