{ersonal Higiene
Submitted: Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 13:05
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Lozza - NSW
Now that I have the Thetford Porta Pottie and recent posts indicate using a Napisan type treatment for it, later this year I'll get a decent shower/
toilet tent. For the shower, I was thinking of buying the 12v shower kit from BCF and using it in conjunction with my 20lt folding bucket I bought from Exploroz. Just tip in some hot from the kettle for the right temp. Two questions I have are: 1. Is the $34 shower from BCF OK? And 2. Is there a product that is a Shampoo, Conditioner and Body Wash all-in-one that's also kind to the environment? And is it cheap and comes in a decent sized bottle for the whole family to use? And easy to find? It'll be simple to use such a product and spend the minimum time in the shower tent.
Reply By: Robin Miller - Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 13:15
Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 13:15
Sometimes being away from help for days we like to play it safe Lozza - and hence prefer to minimze products - a simple bar of pure soap is what we reccomend.
The cheap shower items are okay but don't last long and are fiddly, they will rust internally in a year with mineralized water left in them.
Goods to carry a solar shower if you can , can be used if electric shower packs up and you don't have to deal with hot water so much.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Rockape - Saturday, Jul 02, 2011 at 10:39
Saturday, Jul 02, 2011 at 10:39
Robin,
I am with you on the solar shower, simple/cheap/small and light weight, you tend to use less water and they don't break down.
Have a good one
RA.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Fatso - Saturday, Jul 02, 2011 at 16:52
Saturday, Jul 02, 2011 at 16:52
I am with you on the soap bar Robin. That's if you can get a good one.
A bar of good strong laundry soap. Wash the body, hair & use it to shave then use it to wash your clothes as
well.
When I was a younger man I spent a bit of time in North & East Africa backpacking. The local soap was fantastic. Washed everything really
well. Unfortunately I haven't found one as good since. Lever & Kitchen probably don't want a simple soap on the market that could displace the 10 products they are currently selling us.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: oz doc - Sunday, Jul 03, 2011 at 10:01
Sunday, Jul 03, 2011 at 10:01
HI Robin, what do you hang your solar shower on? We have one but our biggest issue is how to hang it up. Fair bit of weight in it when holding water. Lots of
places we have camped- no decent sized tree for
miles around. doc.
FollowupID:
732622
Reply By: member - mazcan - Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 13:36
Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 13:36
hi lozza nsw
i have been using a 'clairol herbal essence' shampoo for many years and dont go camping without it
it is herbal based and is compatible with hard and soft water out of bores and wells
i have found it has good cleaning properties and gets the dirt off no mater what
its cheap and has a range of different herbal contents to choose from to suit
most supermarkets have it
you only need to use a very small amount to wash hair and body
my daughter also is rapt in it and its ability to mix with hard water is a bonus compared to ordinary soap that has problems doing this
my daugher has problems with skin irritations due to certain chemicals but has found this product to be irritation free
try it you will be pleasantly surprised
cheap and very good
cheers barry
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Lozza - NSW - Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 17:00
Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 17:00
I'll be definitely looking at your great idea. Cheap, easy to get and environmentally friendly. The other benefits you mentioned are icing on the cake!
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Reply By: Member -Dodger - Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 13:59
Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 13:59
Those cheap showers from BCF are pretty good and with a little care will last a long time.
In the pump part if you unscrew the filter part you will find a sponge type filter and this can get blocked up rather quick if the water is a little cloudy.
To fix this I removed this filter screwed the cover back on then completely covered the whole pump in an old stocking. When it starts to get dirty just move the pick up part to a different part of the stocking.
When I get back
home I simply clean the pump then spray with a silicon spray run dry for ten seconds then pack away till required again.
If you take the shower head off the pump then can be used as a water pump to fill your water drums etc from a clean stream.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: OREJAP - Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 14:23
Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 14:23
Hi Lozza, The Dodger is spot on comments about the shower in MHO. We have used a $20 12volt shower for 5 years & it has been great. Only once has it jammed & that was due to a little bit of grit jamming the plastic impellor. If you look after your things they will last a long time. Have fun.
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Follow Up By: Lozza - NSW - Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 16:58
Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 16:58
Thanks for the sage advice! A little later on this year when I can afford it, I'll pick up the BCF $34 12v shower when I buy the shower/
toilet tent. I'm thinking Coleman, but expensive. Not as much mucking about as cheaper ones though...
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - joc45 (WA) - Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 17:55
Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 17:55
I use the $20 submersible shower from Jaycar and have done for years. They last about 4-5 years, and I've even used them for showering in sea water (true!) when fresh water is at a premium. The motor shaft is stainless and the rest is plastic, so salt water isn't an issue unless it gets past the shaft seal. I always hang it up to drain it after using to minimise water getting past the shaft seal.
For washing in sea water, I use Peter G salt water liquid soap and shampoo and it works a treat.
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Member - Trouper (NSW) - Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 15:45
Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 15:45
Dump the soap bar idea. Mascan is spot on that herbal stuff is the go it's great stuff. So my wife tells says, Me i will use anything.!
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Reply By: mullyman - Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 17:00
Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 17:00
I only shower if I'm away for more than a fortnight. Nothing like the primitive pleasure of fermenting in your own juices.
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Reply By: Ray - Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 18:22
Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 18:22
Why carry soap when you already have Napisan LOL
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Reply By: Member - bill j (VIC) - Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 19:43
Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 19:43
I have made a shower with one of these.works a treat
Image Could Not Be Found
Whale 12V Pump Submersible 12 litres/m. Self venting 12v submersible water pump with anti air locking design.
Features
Provides an inexpensive way to update existing manual systems and has low noise and power consumption. Model GP8815 has an 12 litre per minute capacity.
The outlet is 10mm or by adding the included nipple can be used with a 12mm hose. (will not come off once fitted).
Recommended max run time of 15mins per session, maximium water temperature of 60 degrees C.
Stand pump vertically in tank.
Specifications
Body of pump is 110mm high and 36mm diameter.
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Member - Christopher P (NSW) - Saturday, Jul 02, 2011 at 12:43
Saturday, Jul 02, 2011 at 12:43
we use a bcf shower pump and two coleman ensuite tents, which we picked up from local camping supply for cheaper then bcf.... the second tent holds our porta potti.
i also went to bunnings and bought a big yellow low edged tub, which we recycle the shower water in! we use 10 litres for 4 adults an my wife sells nutri metic's. Teena (the wife) buys the shower gel and uses that with a scrunchy, so far gets all of the dirt off and have used it with
bore water.
recently for my birthday my lovely wife bought me the coleman hot water on demand, which we may use to heat water for showers, i still prefer to use a
camp fire and billy for hotwater...
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Member - Bucky - Sunday, Jul 03, 2011 at 06:28
Sunday, Jul 03, 2011 at 06:28
When travelling, we go a day or 2 without showers, that's never an issue. But SWMBO does her hair thing regularly, with me and the drawbar of our camper. I just use a couple of sauspans of water, she soaps up, with her favourite shampoo, and I rinse it all off for her.
We take all our favourite shampoo's, body washes, and soaps with us.
When all else fails, I use our dish washing detergent,, anythiing is sometimes better than nothing.
When filling up with fuel, there is nothing like asking the propitor, if they have shower facilities, if not, then its up with the shower tent that night, and warm up some water. the sauspan, and some soap, and she is happy.
I use anything I can for a quick A...B...C type shower.
Cheers Bucky
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Livin On The Road - Sunday, Jul 03, 2011 at 11:06
Sunday, Jul 03, 2011 at 11:06
When you say whole family, are you talking about little ones too? We have a solid washing basket that doubles as a bath for the littlies. They wouldnt be able to wash before the water ran out from a shower.
AnswerID:
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