A Simple DIY Shower Idea To Try Out On Your Next Camping Trip

Venturing into the great outdoors is an excellent way to learn life skills, detox from technology, or explore breathtaking places in the United States. Camping also provides numerous physical and mental health benefits. Getting away from it all is a good thing — until you haven't showered in a few days. However, there is a DIY fix for that. Though there are some useful features and benefits of Costco's portable shower, you can make a portable shower from a garden sprayer and a kitchen spray nozzle for less than a store-bought option.

Gone are the days of freshening up with baby wipes, finding a truck stop to wash off at, or spending big bucks on a gravity-fed camping shower. The mechanics of a powerful and uber-portable homemade camping shower are very simple. It builds pressure internally through manual pumping, forcing liquid out of a nozzle by pressing a trigger. Making the shower is just as easy as using it, but first, gather the tools and materials.

You can find everything for this project at a hardware store. The primary item is a pump-action garden sprayer. A 2-gallon container is a good size for showers. A deck sprayer would work just as well. Next up, you'll need a kitchen spray nozzle with a hose for extra length. These are less expensive than garden spray nozzles, but either one works. You'll also need a barb adaptor to connect the nozzle hose and sprayer hose. Finally, round up a small pipe clamp, pliers, scissors, and a screwdriver.

With all the supplies on hand, making your camp shower won't take five minutes. Depending on the garden sprayer you buy, you may be able to unscrew the sprayer end from the hose. If not, sever the hose near the sprayer end. Thread the hose through the pipe clamp before connecting both hoses via the barbed adaptor. Tighten the clamp with the screwdriver. Pliers help secure joints for good water pressure. Teflon tape at the hose joint may also help maintain pressure. Feed the garden sprayer hose into the container and tighten it. Your camp shower is assembled and ready to join your list of must-haves for your summer camping trip.

Fill the container with water and screw on the pump lid. Pump the handle 15-20 times to build pressure. Press the kitchen nozzle thumb trigger to release water. You can even heat the water over your campfire before pouring it into the container. Beyond showering after a day-long hike, you can also use your new contraption to wash hands and dishes or rinse off gear before repacking. This shower works just as well at the beach to rinse off sand and saltwater. At home, you can use it to water plants. That said, use a new garden sprayer for your camping shower. A used one may contain unhealthy residue inside, especially if it was used to spray chemicals. If you have a cordless compressor, consider hooking it up to pressurize your shower.