shower/privacy shelters

[Shelly]

I am planning on buying a shower shelter of some sort for this season to go with my Coleman Hot Water On Demand.  I have read a few things from back in the summer from people who have  bought the Paha que or a pop up shelter from the Sportsman Guide or a Stansprt Cabana.  The price between the three is 149 vs 28 vs 49 or so.  I was wondering how these all stood up for the season.  I want to purchase one that would last a bit not just one trip but am on a budget as I already am purchasing CHWOD, BAL leveller and other items for the camping season.

Thanks Shelly

[JimQPublic]

I am planning on buying a shower shelter of some sort for this season...

Thanks Shelly

It really depends how much you think you'll be using it.  When I first bought a Paha Que Tepee I was impressed with the design and the more I use it the more I'm impressed.  If it will just be used on rare trips where there's no campground shower I say go with the cheaper ones.  If you will use for most trips then Paha Que.

My impression of the Tepee and the Paha Que screen room drove me to contact them when I heard a rumor they were working on an awning for Chalet trailers- I've been helping them with the prototype so you could consider me biased.

I prefer showering in my Paha Que Tepee to showering anywhere else- Home, campground restrooms, my brother's travel trailer, or even outdoors.

Why?
 
Tepee vs. outdoors: Outdoors there is often a cold wind blowing or neighbors pointing and laughing.

Tepee vs. home reason 1: Tepee is 46" square vs. my home shower which is 30" square.

Tepee vs. home reason 2: Tepee has four 3-1/2' long dry towel bars vs. one towel bar at home.

Tepee vs. home reason 3: Tepee has view of sky and sounds of nature.

Tepee vs. home reason 4: I'm camping!

Tepee vs. campground restroom reason 1: Those things can be yucky.  Slimy.  Nasty.

Tepee vs. campground restroom reason 2: Lines

Tepee vs. campground restroom reason 3: You need to pay with quarters at State Parks.

Tepee vs. campground restroom reason 4: I feel compelled to wear shower shoes in public showers.

Tepee vs. campground restroom reason 5: Tepee is 46" square which is bigger than many CG showers.

Tepee vs. campground restroom reason 6: Tepee has view of sky and sounds of nature.

Tepee vs. campground restroom reason 7: Tepee has 4 dry towel bars vs. one wet towel bar at many CG showers.

Tepee vs. campground restroom reason 8: Tepee has known quantity of water at my chosen temperature, not a tempermental valve that may freeze or scald with no notice.

Tepee vs. campground restroom reason 9: I can shower while my preschool kids are playing in the campsite.

Tepee vs. campground restroom reason 10: My preschool kids can shower without risk of scalding or picking up some nasty fungus.

Tepee vs. campground restroom reason 11: Much shorter walk to the trailer, especially if it's cold and I'm only wearing a towel.

Tepee vs. campground restroom reason 12: I can wash myself and both kids at the same time and be done in ten minutes with 2-1/2 gallons of water.

Tepee vs. campground shower reason 13: UMM- We mostly camp in National Parks and National Forest campgrounds. WHAT CAMPGROUND SHOWER?

Tepee vs. brother's travel trailer shower: That thing is cramped, etc.

Tepee vs. popup trailer built-in shower reason 1: Space taken in the trailer (plus I don't have one)

Tepee vs. popup trailer built-in shower reason 2: Cost. Not cheap but less than a built-in shower.

Tepee vs. popup trailer built-in shower reason 3: Overspray, steam, etc. don't make a mess of the trailer.

Tepee vs. competing tents reason 1: Tepee has an overhead sling to hold a 2-1/2 gallon "Sun Shower" water bag. You can either let the sun warm it or just fill it with hot water (I remove the shower head from my outside shower and fill it with hot water from the trailer).

Tepee vs. competing tents reason 2: Tepee is 46" square and a good 6-1/2' from the ground up to the gear sling, bigger/taller than the others I've seen.

Tepee vs. competing tents reason 3: Tepee has four 3-1/2' long dry towel bars, accessed from discreet zippers on each side.

Tepee vs. competing tents reason 4: Perfect amount of ventilation- dries easily but not drafty when showering at night.

Tepee vs. competing tents reason 5: Amazing construction quality and attention to detail.

Tepee vs. competing tents reason 6: With the optional "water capture floor" and a battery powered Attwood Marine "Water Buster" pump, I pump the grey water into a container for appropriate disposal, or if local regulations allow I pump it through a hose off into the bushes and away from the main campsite.  No mud puddle.


From what I've seen, the Tepee does everything better than any of the competing enclosures, except for possibly ease of setup and price. If Paha Que would go with pole sleeves instead of loops and grommets I think the setup issue would be solved (Yes, I've emailed my suggestion to them).

I have used the Tepee and our trailer's outside shower directly, but I prefer to use the Sun Shower water bag. This way I can put the Tepee wherever is most convenient and I know exactly how much water gets used. My wife complains that the Sun Shower doesn't offer enough volume to properly rinse her hair so I just got a Paha Que PowerShower. It's a 5 gallon pail with built-in pump and sprayer. I just used it for the first time Saturday and it definitely has much more flow. Plus with 5 gallons it will be enough to wash the whole family without a refill.  (Unfortunately when I tried the PowerShower out it was under 50 degrees, dark, and breezy BRRR.  I'd left the Tepee home)

[tlhdoc]

I have a Paha Que screen room and the quality is outstanding.  A friend has the tee pee and it is also of a very high quality.  If you will use it most trips then that is the shower stall I would get.  I have a built in shower, so I don't have a need for one.  Paha Que also sells a shower floor for the tee pee what has a drain in it so you can drain the gray water into a container.

[ffej1010]

I read somewhere that if it is dark out side, and you have a flash light on inside one of these tents, everyone in the campground can see just about everything you are doing.  Have you had any of these problems?

[Frank Padilla, Jr]

Shelly, I just signed up , but been pop-up camping for a while. We like to do alot of remote backcountry camping with our trailer. So my girlfriend likes her privacy when showering or when the call of nature is calling. So I purchased a really nice Shower Shelter from Cabel's for around $99.00. It's constructed for rugged environments. It's easy to set up and take down. Go to the Cabela's web site for more info: //www.cabelas.com

We Just upgraed and are getting ready for our annual desert trip.

2006 Toyota Tacoma
2006 Fleetwood, Cheyenne

Frank

I am planning on buying a shower shelter of some sort for this season to go with my Coleman Hot Water On Demand.  I have read a few things from back in the summer from people who have  bought the Paha que or a pop up shelter from the Sportsman Guide or a Stansprt Cabana.  The price between the three is 149 vs 28 vs 49 or so.  I was wondering how these all stood up for the season.  I want to purchase one that would last a bit not just one trip but am on a budget as I already am purchasing CHWOD, BAL leveller and other items for the camping season.

Thanks Shelly

[ntfd60]

I am planning on buying a shower shelter of some sort for this season to go with my Coleman Hot Water On Demand.  I have read a few things from back in the summer from people who have  bought the Paha que or a pop up shelter from the Sportsman Guide or a Stansprt Cabana.  The price between the three is 149 vs 28 vs 49 or so.  I was wondering how these all stood up for the season.  I want to purchase one that would last a bit not just one trip but am on a budget as I already am purchasing CHWOD, BAL leveller and other items for the camping season.

Thanks Shelly

We just purchased a Quest first-up Hot Spring III shower tent at Dick's sporting goods. This was a close out and cost us $40.00. It has a frame like a Easy-up canopy and is a snap to put up.  5' square footprint and 88" high, shelf for soap, shelf for toiletries, towel bars(2). I'm not sure if you can still find them...but if you can, they are well worth the money.

[AZPopper]

I prefer showering in my Paha Que Tepee to showering anywhere else- Home, campground restrooms, my brother's travel trailer, or even outdoors.

I have a Paha Que Teepee that my dealer threw in for free when I bought my trailer. I haven't used it yet because there have always been showers at the campgrounds so far. My question is, though, what do you use in the bottom of the teepee so that you're not standing on the ground while you're showering? I see from some other posts that they sell a shower floor for the teepee, but I really think I'd prefer something that just sits inside the teepee to stand on. Any suggestions?

[Shelly]

Sorry no Ideas from me other than I have heard good things about the shower floor Paha que sells.  I am just reading all this stuff & learning.

Shelly

By the way THANKS everyone for all the good ideas and information you all pass on to us newbies!

[Kelly]

I read somewhere that if it is dark out side, and you have a flash light on inside one of these tents, everyone in the campground can see just about everything you are doing.  Have you had any of these problems?

Only from the outside looking in!   :p
http://arveeclub.com/showthread.php?t=52928

[JimQPublic]

I read somewhere that if it is dark out side, and you have a flash light on inside one of these tents, everyone in the campground can see just about everything you are doing.  Have you had any of these problems?

No.  The fabric is not transparent- it's translucent.  There's not enough space inside to throw a decent shadow.  I suppose if there were a bright light on the far side of the tent then there could possibly be an identifiable shadow.  

We use a battery lantern hanging from the ceiling.  No shadows are cast on the walls.  I have checked while my wife was showering.

[JimQPublic]

...My question is, though, what do you use in the bottom of the teepee so that you're not standing on the ground while you're showering? ...?

The Tepee comes with a waterproof nylon removable floor (no sides to it).  The optional "water capture floor" has 4" sides with a stiffeners to hold them up and a hose bib fitting.

If you don't use a  floor of any sort your feet will be muddy.  The more people who use it, the muddier it will get.

Some people use a small wooden "deck" with slats. so the water will drain into the ground.  This would probably work fine but unless your deck is 46" square it would limit where you could stand.  I'd probably stumble into the mud anyways.  Plus I'm often showering with a toddler or two.

Originally I tried using the waterproof floor.  It worked fine and let the water run out the side.

Just letting the water drain is really only appropriate when boondocking away from a developed campground or with very porous sand.  Nobody wants a mud puddle in the campsite- not the next guests nor the campground staff.

For that reason I got one of the "water capture" floors and a "Water Buster" battery powered sump pump made by Attwood Marine.  Generally I pump the drain water into my grey water tote and dispose of it along with the sink water.  

In campgrounds with no grey water disposal facilities such as USFS sites with vault toilets I don't collect the grey water.  I still don't want a mud puddle though so I use the capture floor and sump pump but use a hose to pump the water off to the bushes.  This way I can just move the hose, not the tent, if a muddy spot starts to develop.

[AZPopper]

Thanks, Jim, very helpful information! I'm much more of a "roughing it" type than my BF. I can do the sponge bath thing, but he gets the heebie-jeebies if he can't shower every day. :p

[tlhdoc]

When I use my outside shower (which it isn't often, I have an inside shower) and need to collect the shower water I stand in a plastic tote.  Paha Que makes a nice shower floor for the tee pee with low sides and a hose that drains the water to the outside.