OK....so this may sound a little dumb!!! When reading the net...looking at secondhand caravans..... etc it seems that some people dont use their showers in their pride & joy. We read somewhere that you shouldnt use it due to it leading to damp? Then other peoples views are that after spending all their hard earned cash on their pride and joy why should they trek half way across the campsite to use the showers when they have a perfectly good one closer to hand.
We would like to hear peoples views on this.....as looking at new caravans & secondhand ones so do we entertain a van that the shower has been used since day one or one that has only been used the odd time
Who said it was easy choosing a caravan!!!!
------------- I hope caravanning is as much fun as camping!
Ive spoken to a lot of folk on campsites over this and many dont use the showers in their caravans/motorhomes very often ; prefer the campsite ones. A couple I recently met who wild camp in their motorcamp dont even use their shower- bizarre !
I use mine occasionally - less occasionally, I admit, now I have to re-fill the Aquaroll myself! I always open the window and the roof vent and leave the door open for a while afterwards to let the steam escape, the same as you do at home.
I do tend the use the site showers more often because there's more room.
We very rarely use sites with facilities, so we use all the facilities the caravan provides - we didn't pay all that money for a glorified coat-rack!! Whether or not a caravan is sold as 'shower never used', check it carefully for damp and if it's dry - go for it. And use the shower - that's what it's there for!
We deliberately chose a van with a proper shower cubicle as we use ours all the time, it's totally sealed and has a mini rooflight in the ceiling which we open whilst were in it and so it doesn't even steam up the mirror.
You do have to plan ahead somewhat and make sure you have enough water but that's no effort, we use 2 aquarolls anyway so 1 is always full.
I got fed up of using site showerblocks, they're ok if you're lucky enough to go in when they've just been cleaned but when you use your own you know they're spotless, nobody has pee'd in them, nobody has a verruca and I also like waking up and going straight in instead of getting dressed, walking across a field (often in the rain) then getting re-dressed in my clean clothes.
You can also choose sites with no facilities which are often much nicer & a lot more peaceful.
If I had the facilities Id be using them ! I don't have them in my mini-camper. I do have a small utility tent with a portable shower tho- and use it ! However I also camp/intend to camp at places with no facilities..
See....i understand where everyone is coming from....i understand the damp issues....also the cost of the pitch fees (getting your monies worth)but i also understand that after spending all that money then surely you want to put it to good use!
Will using the shower (even with windows & doors open) shorten the caravans life (because of the damp?)
Is there any proof of this?
When we started looking last year (b4 we bought the tent) all the caravans we looked at had the toilet inside the shower cubicle (which we didnt mind as we werent going to use the shower) but now after starting the looking process all over again i want an end bathroom where the shower & toilet are seperate just in case we decide to use the shower.
------------- I hope caravanning is as much fun as camping!
I would be very concerned about buying a caravan where the shower has not been used due to the possibility of damp being caused.
The modern caravan shower is a contained plastic unit so providing the skin is not cracked or holed will not leak water or steam into the body of the caravan.
Although it may be nice to spend 10 or 15 minutes under a stream of water in the shower block you have to remember that everyone else wants to do it as well so you may have to queue for that privilege. P;us the toilet/shower block only gets cleaned once, maybe twice, a day and unfortunately not everyone is as fastidious as you are at cleaning up after themselves so you never know what state you find the camp showers in.
If we want to use our in caravan facilities we use them, if we feel the need to use the camp ones then we use them
------------- Caravanning is a way of getting a cheap holiday out of an expensive hobby
We may not be typical but, we only use our shower occasionally. Most of the time we stay on CC sites and use the shower block; but there are occasions when we stay on sites which don't have facilities. It also has the advantage that when looking at sites the quality of the washblock is not an important consideration.
The shower is also a really useful space for drying things; towels, coats.... etc when the weather isn't great.
As others have said, a well sealed shower unit is unlikely to cause damp.
We use our shower, with vents and windows open etc. Also use site facilities when available. Usually its me in the van shower while OH and son head for the shower block! We can get two showers out of one aquaroll if we're careful! However with a family and more than one child, it would take ages to get them all showered so you'd have to split it. We are all morning showerers in this house! We have a 4 berth end bathroom (the side dinette, not fixed bed) so shower is a separate, contained unit. We felt that for us, we needed dressing room space too. No restrictions on what goes in the toilet either, its there to be used! We like to stay on CLs, as well as the usual type sites, so all the facilities on board get used then. In fact, I prefer CLs to sites, but OH and son like both.
Some of the older units have showers that are partly the wall board of the caravan, or the old wetroom type with the toilet and shower cubicle all in one. I wouldnt use the shower that variety.
As with all things caravanning, its a matter of personal preference.
We have just returned from a week away and stayed at a site with no showers. My husband said it wouldnt be a problem as we have a shower in the caravan anyway bt I was abit unsure. Anyway it was perfect and not a problem at all for us. We had the vents and windows open, and a shower curtain which kept the loo from getting wet. We tended to fill the sink and soap ourselves over with the sponge, and then used the hose to rinse the soap off us, we used the shower fully as if you were in a home/campsite shower if we wanted to wash our hair, this saved on the water usage abit as there was 3 of us. It was just as good as having a shower in the campsite ones, with no queues and no wondering if the water would be hot or cold.
We deliberately chose a van with a proper shower cubicle as we use ours all the time, it's totally sealed and has a mini rooflight in the ceiling which we open whilst were in it and so it doesn't even steam up the mirror.
You do have to plan ahead somewhat and make sure you have enough water but that's no effort, we use 2 aquarolls anyway so 1 is always full.
I got fed up of using site showerblocks, they're ok if you're lucky enough to go in when they've just been cleaned but when you use your own you know they're spotless, nobody has pee'd in them, nobody has a verruca and I also like waking up and going straight in instead of getting dressed, walking across a field (often in the rain) then getting re-dressed in my clean clothes.
You can also choose sites with no facilities which are often much nicer & a lot more peaceful.
Ditto to everything ! Don't like using communal facilities and like to have everything at hand ! Hubby prefers to use site showers though.
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Topic: Do you use your shower???
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