Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 22:03:05 -0700
Reply-To: BA <oddstray@ODDSTRAY.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: BA <oddstray@ODDSTRAY.COM>
Subject: Re: Anybody use one of these?
In-Reply-To: <46A10918.5020209@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
I'll second that!
After hearing the Squirrelly one describe its usefulness, we waited
for it to go on sale and then got one of the Outback Porta-Privy
thingies. (Thanks for the recommendation!!!)
Had our first chance to use it last weekend. We camped at Dripping
Springs, which we anticipated to have *absolutely no* facilities. (In
fact, it had pull-through sites, vault toilets, and water sources.)
It was a hot day, as SoCal summer days go. We had our solar
bag-o-water on the campsite table during the day, and the water
commenced to get hotter and hotter and eventually got hotter than the
built-in temp gauge was equipped for (128 F).
This experiment was mostly for the benefit of S, who sweats battery
acid and seriously needs to shower every morning. (B used to make do
with a bath-from-a-bowl, but after this trip has much higher
expectations).
We'd had the solar bag-o-water with us before, and he found it had
chilled down by morning. So S reconciled himself to the notion that
he would have to take an evening shower instead of a morning shower.
Eventually he decided it was late enough in the evening to have his
shower.
We had needed recently to replace our hatch struts, and paid attention
to get heavy-duty ones from (I think) Bus Depot. He found that our
raised hatch was sturdy enough to support the weight of the solar
bag-o-water, and moved the porta-privy (it's a tall, skinny tent
without an integral floor) over next to the van. Climbed in, and
handed me his used clothing from one of the ports (we'd never used
this thing in earnest and, are currently developing a system for
optimal use).
Well, presently I began to hear alternately "Darn! This is *hot*
water!" interspersed with what can most closely be described as animal
sounds of pleasure. Never mind bath-in-a-bowl!!! I want!!!!!
We even had water left over from his shower in the solar bag-o-water.
He opined that if I mixed it with some cold water I'd have enough for
a proper shower for myself. I elected to let it cool down for an hour
and then just rinsed off with it. Next time I'll take his suggestion
and have a *proper* shower ... there would have been plenty of water
with his left-over *hot hot hot* mixed with some cold.
The porta-privy comes with a tarp that fills the footprint and
attaches with velcro to the sides of the thing. Since we were in such
a dry place and he had worn shower shoes, we didn't even bother with
any floor. But we did notice that our IKEA shopping bag might work
just as well for a shower floor, especially if we were in a place that
didn't want our shower water running directly onto the ground from
their simple 'footprint' tarp.
B&S
'87 Westy 'Esmerelda Blanc'
SoCal
On Fri, 20 Jul 2007 12:12:24 -0700, you wrote:
>I had one of the Cabelas-branded shower/privies and found it heavy,
>bulky, and a hassle to set up and break down. I looked at the unit
>you're asking about, but I don't like vinyl (find it creepy, stinky, and
>it is heavy) and didn't see any reason to get the inside rear of the van
>wet. I now use an Outback Porta-Privy (also sold by Cabelas,
>http://www.cabelas.com/link-12/pod/0032659.shtml ) and like it a lot.
>Pops up quickly, breaks down quickly, packs small.
>
>Neither the original Cabelas nor the Porta-Privy are tall enough nor
>structurally sound enough to use a heavy hot bag of water in. I use a
>Zodi Hot Tap and the Porta-Privy has a port low down on the rear side
>for hoses. Works peachy.
