I look at quite a few YouTube videographers. A couple of them live and travel in vans. Their method of showering is to get a new 2 gal sprayer bottle (Yard maintenance type), remove the wand/nozzle, splice a kitchen sink spray hose and nozzle to the bottle hose. Some paint the 2gal jug flat black leaving a 1" unpainted vertical line in 1 area so that the sun will heat the bottled water & the unpainted stripe allows one to see how much water is in the jug.

Besides being an emergency shower, this would be very useful on any kind of outing for washing hands, dishes, pots, pans, etc.

Just put van camping shower in YouTube's search engine. You'll have to sort through the videos that come up but there's at least 2 that cover the bug sprayer shower system.

I could have used something like that at home during The Great Plumbing Crisis of 2015.

a couple of options for heating water during long term power outages... the black painted garden sprayer for pressurized supply... 125' of 7/8" garden hose holds about 2 1/2 gal.... a 2mil contractor bag laid flat, with the mouth sitting on and closed with a couple of 2x4s... 2 1/2 gal fills at a depth of about 1"... both the bag and hose got to better than 130F in one hour of July bright Sun light... the bag was dangerous to handle at that temp, and water needs to be removed with a dipper... the sprayer about 100F in the same time... ambient water temp about 75F

I use commercially available solar showers,typically of capacity varying from 2 1/2 to 5 gallons. You simply lay them out in full sunlight or fill with heated water, hang them, and shower up. I have used these for weeks at a time in field situations with satisfactory results.

Good ideas.

I havent tried this ... but what if you dropped some hot rocks into the 'temporary shower' container. Heat a few small river stones in a small campfire. Drop the rocks into the water with some tongs.

You might need to protect the plastic from melting. but this seems do-able.

Pete

I haven't tried boiling with hot rocks either, but the word is that it is a feasible way to boil water. One caution - be sure that the rocks you choose will not shatter, from either the heating or immersion. Rocks right out of a stream are prone to exploding, I understand.

I tried this several years ago using a nalgene bottle when we were discussing water containers that you could boil water in for purification. It worked just fine, but it would take several rocks to boil a couple gallons of water, or at least some good sized ones. Also remember that the rocks will displace a similar volume of water, so don't overfill your container with what will be very hot water.

I have a Zodi shower system works great.
customer nothing more.

L

I have a YouTube of my wash up method on wilderness canoe trips.
you need the liquid soap,Campsuds.a few drops will do the job.
boil water in a small pot and add to cold water in a bigger one to get the right temp.stand on your dirty clothes and wash your hair with the soap and rinse a bit using the water to wash more.
rinse with the rest.the clothes can be rinsed out in you water source.the soap can be used in any water that's what makes this work so well.if your in a real survival situation a cold bath is all you can expect as you don't want to waste time and effort on the real thing.i use a small cook pot and Platypus bags.

Hi,
Release soapy water in the rivers/lakes?
You're not supposed to do that, not even if its "biodegradable" soap, even campsuds website says so, even says so on the label

In USA its actually illegal in places like BWCAW (and probably more places)

• The following are enforceable Forest Service regulations (maximum penalty of $5,000 and/or 6 months in jail).
• No soaps even biodegradable in any streams, river or water source.
• Do NOT use soap, not even biodegradable soap, in any stream, river, lake or hot springs.
• USE OR DISPOSAL of soap, detergent or other pollutants in the river is prohibited.
• Bathe and wash dishes at least 150-200 feet from lakes and streams. Remember that ALL soaps, including biodegradable soaps, pollute water.
• All soaps pollute water including soaps labeled "biodegradable."