When not tethered to utilities at a lot or campground lot, finding a shower can be somewhat of a challenge. After spending more than a month on the road, I have learned that not all showers are created equal. Part of the lesson has also been that cost is no indicator of facility quality. Learning how to get reliable showers on the road is key to a happy roaming life. I have learned [the hard way] how to find showers and what the right questions to ask are for finding the right facility. I have also learned that if a shower is critical on a particular day and location, you may just have to suck it up and take the best you can get. Here’s what I have learned:
1. Meticulous Packing
You must be able to anticipate what you need for your shower and make sure that all core items are with you. For instance, can’t forget clean underwear in the truck or RV unless you like wearing dirty ones back out after the shower. You also must have a complete shower kit that is actually usable and is regularly replenished.
2. A Good Shower Bag
The shower bag is like an onion. The bigger bag must easily contain all items you need for your shower, including clean clothes, towel, shower bag, and shower shoes. I have found that reusable grocery bags are really nice for this because they happen to hold exactly as much as I need them to. The way you organize this bag every time you use it is an essential detail for cleanliness and usability. My shower bag is a reusable grocery bag made with semi-rigid materials (some are more cloth like). I always put my shower sandals at the very bottom, then place my shower bag on top of them, then pack other items in the remaining space. I lay my towel over the top, semi-folded, so it will dry in the vehicle. Hence the onion metaphor: You don’t want your shower bag smelling like one – only packed like one.
3. Good Shower Shoes
Wal-Mart. They sell rubbery, injection-molded, Croc-like pool sandals that are simple and PERFECT for public showers. I got them for $6 and are essential for personal health and peace of mind in showers that aren’t my own. These are a seasonal item, so I was glad to pick them up after winter. They just have a simple band that goes over the main part of the foot – slip in and out easily, even when wet. They have great traction on wet tile and they aren’t flip-flops, so they go on easily and come off easily when wet. They also are entirely rubberized, so drying is instant and complete – no moisture retention.
4. The Shower Kit
The shower kit is a really key item. I have seen some that appear to be designed more for hotel rooms than fast, campground showers. My criteria for a shower bag was that it must be able to hang up or sit on a counter top and it must hold basically my entire set of hygiene chemicals, grooming devices, and my Sonicare toothbrush. My choice kit bag is REI-brand and it has been excellent. The kit bag must make it so it is easy to identify the item you need and then use it without other items falling out during showering. Nothing worse than a glass jar falling on a tile floor from 5 feet up in a public shower facility. So, it must have a hook that it can hang from, must contain the entire bathroom-worth of stuff, and it has to travel well. I found nothing better than REI’s offering.
5. Throwaway Your Modesty
Let’s face it – if you NEED a shower on the road, you might be faced with a public facility like a municipal recreation center as your only option. I never found the public shower to be a viable option until recently, at least in part because it was basically written out of my generation’s gym-class duties to shower after class. Given that, it was extremely difficult for me to consider taking a shower in a public place. There are a couple of really important tricks to know of to overcome this. First, you don’t have to stroll through the place swinging hammer. You can wear your underwear and/or a towel into the shower room, bring your clean pair along, and only be in the bare while showering. Second, angle is critical. Don’t want people checking out the jewels? Take the shower in the corner of the room and only turn outward when you absolutely have to. Last, go EARLY. The closer you go to the opening of a facility, especially in less populated areas, the fewer people will be there. If modesty is an issue, become an early bird to hide your…. Nevermind. It’s an odd point, but for those not wanting to show the town what they’re packin’, it’s valuable to know that you can use a public facility and not be *that guy (or lady)*.
6. Call Ahead
Given the above points, it may be important to call ahead. I’m picky as hell about where I shower and germs, so I’ve found that it’s great to know how to find a good shower place and what to ask when I find one. Here are the main points:
a) Do you sell showers only?
I ask this question because some campgrounds, even KOA’s, don’t sell showers only – usually if they don’t have shower facilities at all. This is #1.
b) Are your showers public, stalls, or entirely private rooms?
This one is key if #5 is a problem for you (it is for me). There is a HUGE spectrum of options out there. Rec centers often have entirely open shower rooms, like a Roman bath house. Most RV parks at least offer private stalls, but these stalls are very similar to crapper stalls with a ¾ length door. The best places out there offer private bathrooms – meaning, toilet, sink, and shower are all to yourself.
c) How would you rate the condition of your facilities on a scale of 1-10?
This might seem like bullshit, but let me tell you about the time I had to shower in the women’s facility because the men’s was being remodeled and the walls of the entire room were inching upwards from recurrent standing water and fungus. Or maybe I won’t. There is a HUGE spectrum of quality of facilities out there. So, believe me when I say: Ask the condition of the facility. The cost of the shower is almost NEVER an indicator of what you receive.
7. Prepare for Wildly Varying Costs
I’ve had the best showers cost $2 and the worst cost $10. However, that’s the range that I have encountered. For cheaper, generally better shower facilities, municipal rec centers often charge the least and have the highest cleaning standards. That is my experience so far, at least. KOA’s are often priced a little higher, but I’ve found KOA’s to have generally reasonable facilities. They aren’t great, but also nothing so horrifying that I was worried about it.
8. Finding Showers in the First Place
This is a funny one, but it’s really important. The most effective way to locate showers now is on a smart phone – perhaps that’s a generational opinion, but it has revolutionized how I find things while out and about. The way you want to search is: [town name] [state abbreviation] [RV Park or Rec Center]. So, for example: Santa Rosa CA RV Park. Alternately: Santa Rosa CA recreation center. The web is very helpful in locating these resources. I have yet to have this method fail. There are times, however, where neither of these types of facilities will exist in a town. Generally, that’s only true of really small towns or ones that do not have any tourist industry.
Hopefully the nuance of the process came across. It’s a process that I found arduous at first, but it’s all about forming a system. Once the system is developed and practiced, it becomes second nature. It made living out of my truck for weeks at a time possible in a way that I was comfortable, clean, and therefore happy. Since I was traveling for business, sans hotels, I was also entirely presentable at each meeting stop. People are stunned when they learn that I’ve been out in the field for weeks and spending most of my time deep in the sticks, away from civilization.
Who knew that showering could be viewed as a “skill”?
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