A Twist On The Hula Hoop Shower 

The wisdom of simplicity. The luxury of efficiency.

I love it, Rick! My mom didn’t have a water heater in the little trailer she lived in, and sometimes she wasn’t hooked up to water. I was so impressed by the way she bathed because it was so simple and water conserving. She did what you and Linda do, except she had a built in tub/shower that she stepped into, and she used a stainless steel bowl instead of a bucket. I tell people that story if they complain about their lack of water pressure, or their loss of electricity. You really can get by without it. BTW, my mom was from “The Greatest Generation”.

This is the best cargo conversion shower idea I've seen. Thank you for doing this video.

That dog bath is the key! High sides, but collapses down to nothing. Brilliant!

Best shower stall idea I’ve seen, and I’ve seen many. Never was sure about the hot water solutions, so thx for help there also. Now just like you I’ll stick with the bucket, been done that way for thousands of years.

The king of keeping it simple.

I have never seen a shower setup like that. Genius!

there are good utubers out there but to me these two folks barnone put out the best disperced camping information one can watch ,thanks you

Thank you - that portable dog bath is the missing part for my plan!! I was thinking about a rubber tub that is approx. 32" diameter and 18" tall, but where would it be stored was the issue? Here is something in my plan you may want to use - put snaps at the bottom of the shower curtain and at the top of the dog bath. This will prevent the curtain from slipping over the edge and allowing water to get on the floor. With the snaps, you don't need to be as careful about your movements as you wash and rinse. My plan was to use ceiling mount tracks for curtains (like in hospitals) and just bunch the curtain up and tethered to the wall when not in use. That would eliminate a setup / take down step.

Can we just take a minute to appreciate your experience, simplicity, and how dang clever you are? Thank you for sharing!

That collapsible dog bath is good stuff!

You guys are great. I like the hoop shower and dog bath with the drain idea. We've used the bucket idea several times during extended power outages. We heat a stock pot full of water for a Navy shower.

A gallon of water, baby shampoo (for soap), a tea kettle (or some other container to heat water), two bowls (1 for washing, 1 for rinsing), a washcloth, a towel, something to stand on, and some protection from the breeze.

love the idea of the converted cargo trailer. Cargo trailers are such good value for the $.

Those are some really clever ideas. I've had mixed success with my solar shower over the years. It never occurred to me that a bucket and cup might work a lot better. And you also can dispense with the issue of trying to find something to hang the heavy thing from.

Wow! It never ceases to amaze me how innovated you are. Common sense solutions to everyday challenges that get the job done efficiently and don’t break the bank. I am going to order the collapsible dog bath as soon as I send this.

I love this simple idea. Good for camping or “off grid at home” style of living. Very doable.

Purchased my hula hoop, a 15 gallon round rubber feed bowl from Tractor Supply, a shower curtain and shower rings, Velcro straps, and a drain downspout today for my cargo trailer conversion from watching your video.

Thanks dude! I'm just giggling at the so obviously simple solution of bucket and cup!!! That's just great!!! Ha, ha,ha!!!

Fabulous! I had the dog bath and hoola hoop idea but didn’t quite know what I was going to do for drainage. Minimalist shower like this is perfect.

Taking a shower inside...with heat how outrageous......i like it..

Rite on !!! Thank you so much for the bucket info, I feel like such a dummy now lol, You just saved me a pile of money and reset my brain... took a few hundred videos to watch then this video one nailed it !!! Old school True school - am so glad i watched this video. Thank you so very much for my Accidental Awakening !!!

For your bucket shelf use a Stetson hat holder idea and you could even make out of wood on a hinge with a hole. Fold it up put the bucket in the hole a vola wedged in there

I shower behind a tarp I hang on a clothesline facing the woods. I use a plastic bottle with the squirt top from a dish soap bottle. Warm water from my camp stove. It's great.

hi im a prepper since 25 Years ,and showering is one of the main problems in a theroetical scenarios, look for a compromise beetwen your bucket and a bit more comfort ?! look for a usb or battery powered showers/heads, a showerhead ,a cable with a pump tht hang in a bucket a voila a functional shower ;-) this things are amazing and take no place ;-) greetings from Austria

When my grandmother lived in her off-grid cabin I saw her heat water in a large basin with a tiny amount of soap, and use a cloth. to scrub down. Then she filled the basin with fresh warm water and poured it over her hair, etc. Simple and done. That doggie bath looks great for a sit-down bath too. Ladies sometimes need that.

Hey, I used your concept, but instead of hula hoops, I used Pex Plastic. It worked great. Thanks.

You are right on, I have tried every shower contraption that exists. I always came back to my old faithful, an 8 qrt aluminum pot that I heat the water to108 deg F , and a 12 oz plastic cup that has 25 holes drilled in it, You guessed it, dip it in and get wet, lather up and rinse off with about 15 or more ful cups. My shower ring is next to the counter top so no bending over. One foot round hole cut in the side of the curtain to reach the water. Squeaky clean. Love the dog pan, did not know about that but I do now!!! Excellent video... thanks so much..

I love your intro. I really like your simple and low weight cargo/camper. The shower is the best.

Such a cool shower!! You guys are so creative. If I was going to be stuck on an abandoned island I would want to be with you and your wife. You guys know how to adapt to all situations.

Bucket and cup, simplicity at it's best. Love the hula hoop shower idea and dog bath shower pan. Simple and ingenious. Thanks for sharing. Saw your daughter's set up in her 7x14 so had to come over and visit yours. ;) God bless and keep adventur'n! 👍

Great video. We use the plastic sprayer. We dont have to pump it repeatedly duting a shower. Just once before. Love that drain system.

I have this USB rechargeable pump with shower head & hose built in. wasn't sure, so I tried it at home with a bucket of hot water, Fantastic! It certainly doesn't have house pressure but it has enough. On Amazon, Ivation Portable Outdoor Shower. Cheers.

You can also use this in a van or wherever even outside instead of having that attach to the roof you can make PVC holder for your hula hoop shower also the dog bather thing you can put a hole towards the side of one and be able to drain your water out with a hose on to the ground or into a bucket. I've used the bucket and cup system for bathing for years now and I like it best. And I have to worry about how much pressure etc for rinsing. My hair is long and thick and I need something I can make sure that's going to rinse my hair out when I wash it.

Love the fact it is simple and to the point

Simple is Good! If the Wife’s Happy you’re Golden!

Awesome!! Simple, affordable and easy!

What a great idea, I am all for keeping things simple.

Amazing I live in my van and towing caravan all the time and my shower broke I have used loads of different ones now a bucket in a cup love it thank you from the uk

As a new follower of your channel, I really enjoyed this video. It's called "bucket bathing" my friend. Widely practiced in Asia for millennia. I always have preferred bucket bathing to showers for many reasons, and have been taking them for the last three years in my cargo trailer conversion, although I built in a wet bath using vinyl back vinyl sheeting on the entire floor and on the divider and walls around my wet bath. Main advantage is greatly reduced humidity in small trailer compared to a shower which creates a tropical rain forest effect. Other advantages include better soap removal from skin due to the elbow grease effect when done properly. Bucket bathing technique deserves almost an entire video. The hands are used as squeegees to remove soap film. Water spray is less effective in doing this. The small corrugations on our hands are well designed for this. Water should not be poured on body as this is bad technique. Pour about half a cup on your head at a time, set down the ladle and work the water down your body using both hands. You need a stand for the bucket. A gallon of water is sufficient when boon-docking, two gallons if water more available is plenty. I wet down first using a well rinsed utility sponge and the ladle. Always pour the water on your head about half a cup at a time, and work the water down over your body using hands and sponge. First, I shampoo my hair. Then I soap up very thoroughly also using the sponge, then rinse down using hands as squeegees and a little water at a time. I feel cleaner after my bucket bath then I do after showering, although it is much more work. I have to go and take my bucket bath now, bye.

I imagine (have yet to try the idea) a cup with like 20-30 small holes drilled into it would presumably also work well to emulate the shower head.

In our enclosed trailer we use a small pool with a ball valve drain on the side to fit a garden hose. A collapsible pvc frame with 2 shower curtains complete it. Don’t forget, standing in a couple of inches of shower water is no different than taking a bath. We’ve been using a Zody for several years, we solved the water temp problem by making it a two person operation. You have great ideas for the newbie! Our trailer is a 10K 24 footer, we carry a quad and a 4x4 so we’re pretty loaded most of the time. I’ve owned my Sharps Quigley for several years and next year for sure the wife and I along with my Sharps will be headed to Montana. As a combined camping and RVer since childhood in the 50’s I really enjoy your vids.👍👍👍

Ha wow, never thought of the cup shower idea. I had my heart set on a weed sprayer in a van but this is more efficient. Thanks for this! Sometimes it really is the simplest answer that is the best solution.

Lots of folk here in the UK with vans and your shower setup use one of these ( Camping Shower, Portable Dog Shower, Rechargeable Outdoor Travel Shower ) and say they are great. Some have 3 litres/5 litres per minute settings. My friend says he gets a Good wash using only 5 litres of water and the battery lasts for many showers without a recharge, he uses a hula hoop too and a large soft foldable builders bucket/tub for the shower tray. I spray surgical spirits on my feet after a foot wash, inside my shoes too, no stinky feet ever; been doing that for almost 30 years. Oh' try not to breath it in...common sense stuff. Good show Rick 👍

Adventurevanman, Brian. He is the one who came up with the 2gallon pump container. He leaves it in the sun for awhile till the water gets Warm then showers in his shower tent! He has been using this for many years!

SEE, there is a reason I watch this channel! I learned how to put a hole in the floor...

Maybe a folding shelf to hold the bucket at a comfortable height. With no pressure there shouldn’t be any water in unwanted areas. No bending required

I love you guys. I only recently decided that this is the way I wanna go in terms of travel trailers. I’ve seen so many people with showers but for me I want a shower but not something that’s taking that much space and that has that much work of keeping things dry. This idea is awesome. I would probably use a bucket with those chargeable shower pumps you stick in the water. Also maybe tracks like someone said and just velcro the curtain out of the way. Could also be the spot you use for the porta potty so you have that “privacy”. So many awesome ideas. You have helped me realize it’s within my grasp. We love camping and this is our next step. So thank you!!!!!

Have to say the best 💡 ideas ever 😁 Thanks for sharing😊

Simple, cheap, AND lightweight! Plus multiple uses! Always my choice! Thanks!

I actually use the bucket and cup. Have been since childhood. As kids,we’d sit the bucket outside in the afternoon, then after a hard afternoon’s work, we’d shower. I got older and busy and transitioned to the water heater in the garage. Recently, i stopped using the water heater cos the darn thing wastes electricity keeping the water hot when not in use. So, my heater has been off for almost a year now (and we knocked back about $35 or so from the monthly bill), I’ve gone back to kettle, stove/sunlight, bucket and cup. Hahaha

But a hook on the wall to hang bucket on.

OMG I’m loving the shower . video saved sir

thank you for the video this is just what I was looking for

Wow what a nice simple idea for the shower. I like it. I'm glad I stumbled onto your channel. I think we think a lot alike. Keep them coming!

That is awesome keep the tips and tricks coming you have some of the best ideas and installs

Perfect on the shower. Got a 7x14 enclosed trailer I'm converting.

You two have the greatest ideas!

Awesome shower idea..Thank you for the video..Have a blessed day..

Really smart guy.

That bucket and cup for shower is so simple I'm not sure how I didn't think of that as well. Great idea. Thanks for the video. Put a hook on the wall to hold the bucket maybe, or some sort of collapsible stand to hang it from/sit it on.

Gonagain, that's a great example of following the "KISS" principle ! 😁

Lol, jokes on me. I watched devine mojo do a review on a cargo conversion that had one of the dog pools, i had seen your video but not watched it because i knew you had the same thing. I spent an hour trying to find a pipe connection to the side hole. I should have watched yours too!!! Now i see how you made a drain. Great video! And gimmel lids are in the paint isle at Lowe's, thanks for the heads up. 5.84 for the lid. God bless!!

Great ideas to use. Thanks so much! I’m a newbie and enjoy all your videos.

You really can't beat the Ole bucket and cup! Simple really is best. Thanks for the dog bath and drain idea!

In Japan, we normally sit on a small stool while bathing. We use a little water to lather up and scrub down, then rinse whole body with the rest of the water. Once clean, we enter the bath and relax for a while. It's like washing off before entering the sauna. While cleaning, there is usually a trigger operated shower head that can also be used, it saves water.

I am an avid follower of you and your wife’s adventures and tips thanks for all the information

You sir are a genius and I do mean that!!! Absolutely amazing,working with minimal space.👍👍👍

I love this idea! Simplicity at its best. Thanks for this brilliant idea.

My wife is Filipino, that is the traditional way to bath in the Philippines too, didn't know it was the same for Hawaiian, its a small world my friend. thanks for sharing

Interesting concept.

I liked your vibe, so I subscribed!😁

Great tip! And I agree... this has been my go-to way of portable bathing since back in the 80s when I travelled through SE Asia!

Hey guys! Very cool setup! Such an innovative little space. Thanks for sharing. Have a blessed one

Great simple idea

You and your wife have saved me so much money. I am about to start #VanLife this weekend and just all of the tips are great!!!!

Thank you both for all the adventure videos you share and especially the diy info's. they are simple and inexpensive. Just the way i like it !!!

I very much like the idea. In fact I carry a couple of square food safe (used to hold frying oil I believe) buckets (10L) which I use to do plunger clothes washing (I use a wringer as well to speed up drying in conjunction with a solar clothes dryer - aka a clothes line or a dryer rack hooked on the van somewhere) The only thing I have the luxyary to use is a hot water system inspired by the marine world of enginering. I got a copper insulated boiler vessel (12L) from a central heating unit. It can be filled with clean water and it has a copper coil on the insode which is plumbed into the coolant system of the van's engine. The engine heats the water in the boiler as it is running but when I am stationary for a few days I can switch on a hydronic heater (webasto in my case) to heat the boiler as well. The vehicle's heater core, engine, boiler and hydronic heater are plumbed into the same system. Fancy system but at the same time very cost effective (even if no hydronic heater is plumbed in) and relatively simple. The boiler vessel has a automatic mixer value build to it (from the factory already) so the risk of scolding is rather low... Again, I love the Furo Style (?) idea as well as the hula hoop shower apparatus and I will try it for sure, though I will most likely hang the hoop and tarp from a tree limb and shower away outdoors...

Like a Doctor! Omg I love you !! Made my idea a reality

I like the drain idea. I’m just unsure about drilling holes in the floor. We do use the pump up spray bottle design and it feels nice to have the water running down your head and back. Wet down pump it up get soapy and rinse off. It can be done with a gallon and a half if you wanna take a long shower. Been watching some of your videos. Looks like you guys are having a great time wherever you’re going!

In my 7x20 trailer I have the hula hoop shower but use a 5 gal. Plastic water cooler jug with garden hose from there to 12 v. pump to overhead shower nozell. I pour hot water into jug. It's more than enough for a non stop shower. This runs off my glass Matt battery. Your good friend Vinny in good old Fla.

Gosh that Artic Cat looks HUGE next to Linda! Wow!

you should hang your bucket for water by its handle on the wall so you dont have to bend. like a command hook or something

I place my basin of bath water on a small foldable one step stool. Inexpensive, small footprint of space, dual functionality. 🛀

we use a 2 gallen sprayer and I put an airvalve and we use a 12v airpump to preasurize it we love it

Thank you for making and posting this video. Loved it. Been thinking about warm water shower options and how to drain my shower in an eco friendly way, without complicated plumbing. And bucket showers are just about the norm here. Zambia, Africa. 🙂

Really liked your hula hoop shower - I'm going to install one above my bathtub...just wanted to share my simple shower method I use in my off grid cabin (in a few years I am going on the road - not there yet). My simple shower is with a plastic gas jug - 2 1/2 gal jug will do. Not too heavy when filled with water. I attached an old plastic shower hose/nozzle that comes with the solar shower bags - cut off to about 3 - 4 inches above the nozzle. This fits snugly inside the gas jug spout. That's it except I added a simple corner shelf that I made in about 30 minutes with old 2 X 4 or 2 X 3 pieces, screwed this into the wall at my height preference. You can slow down the water flow by tightening the small screw on cap on the gas jug and if I want to stop the water flow to conserve water while showering, I tip up the spout and hold it in place with whatever is handy - a bungy cord or something similar would do.

Brilliant! I'm going to move my shower indoors now!

Love the videos, wish I had a trailer to take out. I usually hike the mountains in wv, about 1 to 2 weeks at a time, several times a year. I'm a true believer that simplicity is the way to go. Especially since I carry all my gear, lighter is better and space is at a premium. Anyhow, love the videos, it's another inspiration for me to keep going out after having to spend time in the civilized world. Happy travels!!

Now that's ingenuity! Great job!

GENIUS!! You’re helping me make my dream come true faster!

It looks good to me. Hula was a great idea. You are so creative. Where do you think you get all these ideas from? Too smart for me! Keep up the good work.😇

Love it! Thanks so much, I’ve been thinking of adding a shower to my racecar trailer and you solved all my problems!

We used to do similar on hunting trips until we found a 25L/hr 12V sump pump (no priming or loss of suction), drop it in the bucket of warm water, remote switch and away you go. We didn't have to worry about drainage, what you have done, well, great lateral thinking, great solution. Would never have thought of using a dog bath as we use the laundry sink for our small dogs, lol. But be warned, unless you're kinky, don't try and get your lovely wife into the laundry sink, could be dangerous....... 😆😆😆 Cheers Rick, well done. 🇦🇺 🍺🍺

I like the way you think. 👍🏼 I'm familiar with that style.😉

You've got the best ideas. I've already got the hula hoop, shower curtain and that same doggie tub, but I didn't have any idea about stinky feet, lol. going to try to install the drain also. thanks.

Simplicity... I like it thank you

lol When I was a kid (on camping trips), mom would fill a milk jug with warm water and that was our shower lol

ty for your experience , sir! hello from Russia :)

All you need to add is a cheapie one step stool/ladder. Camping World, Walmart, Big Lots, etc for usually less than $10 and it folds right up. I use one in my shower, place a basin of hot/cold 💦 and scoop away. That’s when I don’t feel like waiting for the hot water heater. It’s so much faster to heat a pot of water on the stove top. I also do stand in a basin so as to soak my feet while bathing and saving water for flushing toilet. All around a really handy and cost effective water saver. 🧼