In this video I check out the Blythe Intaglios, visit a ghost town, and try very hard to take a shower in very windy conditions. (Click here if you can’t see the video that’s embedded below.)
And here’s the link to the video of Brian’s shower that I basically copied.
For taking baths on the road, I’ve decided to use the old basin of water, large ladle, rag and a bar of soap. I wet my towel and lather up real good using about 12 oz. of water, then I’ll rinse off by dipping a large ladle into my basin full of water (maybe two gallons). To keep my feet off the ground while bathing, I stand or squat on a wooden bathing floor that I constructed out of 2X4s. This bathing stand also doubles as a floor piece for the rear area of my SUV when I sleep because my floor is uneven when I fold down the rear seats.
Of course I do all my bathing inside a pop-up privacy tent that looks exactly like yours. I’ve yet to master the art of re-packing it. Unless I’m lucky, I can spend 5 minutes or more trying to compress it properly.
I love your ideas for making the SUV into a camping vehicle, and have stolen most of them. I hope you continue to travel the SUV way. It’s so nice to be able to just pack up and go with so little fuss, and be able to stealth camp relatively easily.
Hi Jim, thanks for sharing your setup. It sounds like your style of sponge bathing would be especially useful when water is at a premium. What do you do with the basin of water when you’re not using it?
The pop-up tent definitely takes some wrangling to get it down, but yes, I think I’ve gotten the hang of it now. Definitely not an intuitive design.
I definitely plan to keep traveling in my SUV. It’s my preferred way to travel, by far. I love the freedom and simplicity. Thanks again Jim!