Date:         Mon, 05 May 1997 17:32:20 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         ncarter@slonet.org
Subject:      Re: VW Showers

Some of the places we frequent do not have facilities or at least do not
have showers. We solve this with a porta potty and one of those plastic
showers...this puppy is essentially a four wall affair with inflatible
"rings" top and bottom and string to hang it. The question is: how to
hang it?! In our case, because we already use those old fashioned tube
racks that clamp to rain gutters (to haul our kayaks or canoe) and
because we already had a homemade lantern pole made of 1/2 galvinized
pipe threaded in the middle with coupling (in order to break it down)
with a solid round stock hook affair that slides *inside* the pipe, I
just slide the top half of the lantern pole (and adjustable hook) into
the tube rack (I drilled holes through both and slide a bolt through to
secure it) and walla! I can hang our 5 liter solar water bag and the
shower curtain fron this and shower ourselves into a coma! 
The shower is available at REI, etc. and comes in a cedar crate like
container that unfolds into a floor for the shower. The whole thing is
no bigger than a hard cover book. And, since everyone likes to be clean,
it sure makes our camping options much more open. We just used this
thing over the weekend at Kirk Creek Campground, one of our favorites,
at the ocean. And, since we hiked up the Vincente trail through a ton of
PO (Poison Oak), it sure was nice to have the shower to wash off in when
we got back. BTW, my sweet babboo loves tech stuff and her little
pedometer showed 7.97 miles round trip and 14323 steps. I think that
made her more tired than the hike itself. 
Kit Carter 85 Westy GL