Shower/Toilet Option

[dsw3131]

Hey folks.  As I mentioned earlier, my wife and I are seriously considering joining th pop-up community.  In searching through pop-up floorplans, I've found that a lot have the cassette toilet/shower in them.  To me, this is a waste of floorspace.  We usually go to stateparks and just use the bathroom facilities provided.
Do any of you out there actually use your toilet/shower in your pop-up?  If so, is it a hassle (i.e.-water gets everywhere, emptying black and grey tanks upon departure, etc).  I'm trying to figure out if this is actually a useful piece of equipment on a pop-up or if it will never get used.
Thanks!

[GrizzlyTaco]

My Wife and I chose not to get a toilet or inside shower in our PU. We alway stay where there are restrooms. We have an outside shower, so if the site doesn't have showers we're covered. You can always buy a portable potty from wal-mart for around $75.00 dollars. We have only had our PU for a short time, but we all love it. We have a Jayco Jay Series 1207. Here is there web site if you want to look " //www.Jayco.com ".........Ed C.    :sombraro:

[Azusateach]

I bought my PU specifically because it had the indoor shower/toilet combo.  I can't tell you how delighted I am every time I can get up in the middle of the night & use my own toilet.  AND ... what a treat to use a shower that I know is clean (at least enough for me!).  That's not to say that I don't use the CG facilities if they're nice -- I will.  But it's ever so much nicer to be totally self-contained if I want to go where there are no showers.

You haven't said where you're from.  I'm beginning to think that different parts of the country's state CGs have better/worse showers than here in CA.  Some state parks are okay -- others I wouldn't send my worst enemy into.  

As far as space is concerned, my "bathroom" has a hard cover that I can put down when not in use.  I don't usually, but my last trip was to an RV park where the facilities were nice, so I used their showers & used my toilet.  Emptying the cassette is a piece of cake.  Besides, taking up space is a relative issue -- if it's important to you, it doesn't take up space.   :p

Also, I think that with the combo you're almost guaranteed a furnace because you've got a hot water tank to heat (I know -- they're not related).  Something else you might want to think about if you want to get more than 2 seasons of camping out of it.  

If you've never had one, you don't know what you're missing.  Almost everyone who has the combo in a PU says they'd never have another trailer without one.  So, I guess it's what you want to consider "necessary" when buying.  I bet that having more amenities makes the PU better on resale, too.

Keep snooping around these forums, and others (RV.net) -- and asking questions.  And look at everything you can.  Don't be a snob to a particular brand.  Each company has their good & bad qualities. What you want & who has it should be the deciding factor.  PLUS, how the dealer treated you throughout your decision-making process.  But that's another thread ...  

Laura

[OC Campers]

I second everything Laura said.  I love my potty/shower combo.  When you have kids or are having a rough night it is so nice to use your own private facilities.  No more 3am trips to the bathhouse.   We specifically bought our popup because of the bathroom.  That was a requirement for me.

As far as soace.  Yes, it takes up space but if I had the extra space, I would bring more stuff to fill the space. .
 
Jacqui

[tlhdoc]

I also purchased my PU because it has the shower/cassette toilet in it.  We use the toilet every trip and the shower as needed.  It is so nice to have your own facilities.  Water does not go all over and cleaning the cassette is easy too.  You don't get your hands in any nasty stuff.  As far as taking up space, I pack the shower full when traveling, so there isn't wasted space.  That stuff would be packed somewhere else in the PU if I didn't have the shower.

[HersheyGirl]

I bought my camper because it had the shower/pottie combo.  My good friend talked me into buying it and boy am I ever glad she did.  It is great to camp at places that don't have the best restrooms, and I have a clean shower and my own toilet.  Last summer we camped at Acadia National Park, the showers were outside of the park and you have to pay.  The boys, who hiked every day and got sweaty and stinky, were able to shower in the camper right before bed.  They thought it was heaven.  So did I.  I love my shower/pottie and would not have another camper without one.  I don't consider it wasted space at all.

[Kelly]

I bought my camper because it had the shower/pottie combo.  My good friend talked me into buying it and boy am I ever glad she did.  

Me too!  

I'm in the other camp, so to speak.  Never had it and don't see changing that any time soon ... and I camp with 4 kids!  We spent 30+ nights camping last season and I only had to get up once with a kid, so it isn't necessary for the middle-of-the-night runs to the bath house for me.  I grew up tent camping and I guess I just got used to the hit-or-miss cleanliness of some facilities.  I also kind of like that last run to the bath house before bed.  Looking at the tacky lights, comparing campfires, checking out the stars, reviewing our day and planning for the next.  We have a lot of little traditions wrapped up in that walk!

It's definitely a personal decision and I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority ... but as they say at another board I read ... "buy your second camper first"  ... if you think you'll want it now or in the near future then get it now so you don't have to upgrade sooner than you planned!

[PLJ]

We also take are chances with the CG facilities. So far it hasn't been an issue. We were given a porta potti with the purchase of the camper and that has been fine for emergency night use.

For our family the furnace was the bigger deal.

[oldmoose]

We have to toilet/shower combo and love it. It was worth every penny. My wife said that the three things she wanted in a pu were the shoer/toilet combo, the 3 way frig and a furnace. We couldn't be happier. It's personal preference and/or marital harmony. We're happy campers.

Moose

[wavery]

We don't have the shower/potty inside. However, we do like having our own facilities. We bought one of these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NIB-PORTABLE-SHOWER-TENT-CHANGE-ROOM-CABANA-4X4_W0QQitemZ8727593057QQcategoryZ52484QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I guess you could call it our "Out house". Easy to set-up tear-down. We keep the porta-potty in it and we have a system for collecting shower water. Our camper has an outside shower set-up. We just set up the little tent next to it and I cut a small slit to access the shower.

We purchased a 2nd hand PU so our choices were limited to what we could find. We really wanted inside shower/potty but couldn't justify the cost for what was available. The ones with indoor facilities cost 50% more (used) then the one's without. I would say, if you are buying new, definitely get the shower/potty. Resale value may be important to you someday. It seems that PUs go for about 50% of retail after 2 years if they don't have shower/potty. They seem to go for about 75% of retail if they have shower/potty.

If we stay in parks with showers, we use the park showers but I refuse to use their toilets. Our porta potty is easy to use, doesn't smell and we can either dump it on the way out of the park or wait until we get home and dump it in the toilet (a little at a time). In California, most (if not all) of the rest areas have dump stations as well.

[ForestCreature]

Yep! another one here for having the shower/toilet combo. Wouldn't get a camper without it. Nasty bathrooms or shower houses- no problem, out house - no problem, we have our own!
 
 Emptying isn't that difficult and worth the little time it takes. 5 yrs an no floods either.
 

[tlhdoc]

If we stay in parks with showers, we use the park showers but I refuse to use their toilets. Our porta potty is easy to use, doesn't smell and we can either dump it on the way out of the park or wait until we get home and dump it in the toilet (a little at a time). In California, most (if not all) of the rest areas have dump stations as well.

The cassette potty works the same way.  You just pull the tank out and dump it in a sewer connection, dumpstation, toilet or pit latrine.  It just depends on what is available.

[outdoors5]

We have a potty/shower combo.  I highly reccomend it for anyone that has kids.  For adults it's also great for late nite/early morning and especially poorly kept camp grounds.  There are times we do not use it, due to not experienceing the above issues but when needed it is great to have.

As far as space, the model I have has a hard top that folds down allowing you to put medium weight objects on top when the shower is not in use. It may take away some draw or closet type space but it is worth it in my opinion.  I also found that many people end up buying a seperate porta potty which ends up taking away storage space anyway.

Admittedly, at first the thought of maintaining the potty seemed awful. It turned out to be fine.  I have a cassette model which you simply pour into an on site sewer or off site dump station.  Based on what I read this may be even easier to maintain then a built in Black water tank, although I never had to maintain a permently instaled tank.

The function of the shower is a non-issue and easy to clean.

I think it is great to have the option even if you do not use it at every campground.  When needed it is great.

[ilovecamping]

We camped for years in tents and then pu's and no potty.  We were young and things just didn't bother us.  We then added a porta potti to our pu as DH got tired of getting up at night to walk me to the bathhouse.  When we finally bought a new pu we got the one with the potti/shower combo and it was wonderful.  My kids didn't think so since it only had a curtain and not walls but they are older and can walk to the bathhouse alone.  I also loved having the shower as I was tired of waiting in lines and then getting clothes wet and no hot water left.  I say get the combo if you plan on keeping it a long time or if you have the need for night trips or even if you have young children.  I'm sure a lot of ours was age as we only kept the pu from Feb to Oct and traded it for an HTT.