Some people think it un-PC to stereotype people, that is, to categorize them. They think you are being "mean" and disrespectful. Nonsense. Every word in a language creates categories. If you said that a fire engine was "red", would a PC nambie-pambie immediately take offense because 'not all red things are alike?'
Similarly with RV travelers. We look for categories because they are mental shortcuts for understanding and predicting others' behavior. Standard small talk, when playing 20 Question with Fred and Mildred at an RV park, might start off with 'sooooooo, where ya frum.' But it would be more informative to ask them about their shower. That quickly categorizes the RVer for me.
If somebody can't survive without taking a 20 minute shower and using 20 gallons of water, they belong in an RV park or a house back in the suburb of the metropolitan area. It probably categorizes them as a vacationer or newbie. In any case, they will never succeed as a so-called boondocker.
Then there are the fetid fellows in old vans, guys who are card-carrying members of the Gandhi-wannabee RV club. They don't take showers at all, and are proud of it. They just take their baby-wipes and 'rub a little here...and a little there.' You can also guess that they never really do anything outdoors that gets them sweaty. They just hole up in their van, sleeping, watching satellite television, and bragging about how cheap they are.
The third category consists of rational and enlightened creatures, who love a navy-style hot shower. It takes less than a gallon of water, heated in a pan on the stove. It takes 5-10 minutes to heat the water, so that gives you time to set up the shower curtain. I use a fabric shower liner. You generate very little spray when taking a navy-shower.
Then you pour the hot water into a one-gallon container, insert the flexible hose which is the inlet to your water pump, and shower away. It's easy to dispose of less than a gallon of shower water.
Oh sure, I will miss having a permanent shower stall, like I had in my first trailer. But it has a 7' X 17' box. The cargo trailer is 6' X 13' (including the V-nose), so something had to give.
No doubt the slight inconvenience will result in me taking fewer showers. That is good. There is no point of wasting the water unless you are covered with sweat, bug goop, or sunscreen, and really desire a shower. Remember the Prime Directive of this lifestyle: to live at the point of Diminishing Returns.
Similarly with RV travelers. We look for categories because they are mental shortcuts for understanding and predicting others' behavior. Standard small talk, when playing 20 Question with Fred and Mildred at an RV park, might start off with 'sooooooo, where ya frum.' But it would be more informative to ask them about their shower. That quickly categorizes the RVer for me.
If somebody can't survive without taking a 20 minute shower and using 20 gallons of water, they belong in an RV park or a house back in the suburb of the metropolitan area. It probably categorizes them as a vacationer or newbie. In any case, they will never succeed as a so-called boondocker.
Then there are the fetid fellows in old vans, guys who are card-carrying members of the Gandhi-wannabee RV club. They don't take showers at all, and are proud of it. They just take their baby-wipes and 'rub a little here...and a little there.' You can also guess that they never really do anything outdoors that gets them sweaty. They just hole up in their van, sleeping, watching satellite television, and bragging about how cheap they are.
The third category consists of rational and enlightened creatures, who love a navy-style hot shower. It takes less than a gallon of water, heated in a pan on the stove. It takes 5-10 minutes to heat the water, so that gives you time to set up the shower curtain. I use a fabric shower liner. You generate very little spray when taking a navy-shower.
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| Looking up from the curb-side door at the navy shower stringer. It will take a minute to hook up the fabric shower curtain, but you have to do something while the water heats up on the stove. |
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| The plastic tub serves as the dirty clothes hamper, when not serving as the shower pan. |
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| Inside view of shower. The flexible hose is the same one used at the kitchen sink, which is just behind (away from the camera) the shower curtain. |
No doubt the slight inconvenience will result in me taking fewer showers. That is good. There is no point of wasting the water unless you are covered with sweat, bug goop, or sunscreen, and really desire a shower. Remember the Prime Directive of this lifestyle: to live at the point of Diminishing Returns.
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