Bart Windrum 2002 Coleman Cheyenne Popup (Folding) Tent Trailer Improvements

PORTABLE INDOOR SHOWER

This approach was pioneered by the veteran popup camper, Oz & Us who's stowage scene differs from mine (described below). Perhaps the most beautiful rod option is the hula hoop (see Leafpeeper's sublime approach).

My primary design goal was self-stowage (the rear of my tow vehicle is completely devoted to windsurfing paraphernalia, and I like stuff like this out of sight when not in use). The rod, therefore, had to collapse but be very simple to assemble — including a method to keep the curtain segments from shifting from their quadrants plus from slipping off the exposed ends. Read on...

2004 note: this design has been largely superceded by a permanent installation. See the Permanent Indoor Shower page.


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Portable Indoor Shower 1

This view from outside the camper shows the shower deployed. The tub is a 1/4" thick laundry tub with the legs cut off to a length which allows clearance for the 1.5" PVC elbow which screws onto the bottom; it's a typical household plumbing part (not shown; see Oz & Us's site for plumbing details).

I bolted a pair of webbing straps onto the tub as handles. As you'll see I stow all indoor and outdoor shower parts in the tub, which itself stows under the collapsed dinette. Thus, the tub accrues some weight and the handles are a great help.


Portable Indoor Shower 2

This view is from the "hallway" between the dinette and the sofa and shows the rod hanging from custom-made fittings which utilize existing Coleman roof structures but do not introduce any new holes in the roof, thus maintaining my warranty.

The fish. Wal-Mart did not have simple white shower curtains and had limited pairs when I shopped for them. I actually like these — their color and frolicking nature. The two curtains overlap by a section on their respective corners and the overlap is carefully considered: since the shower head attaches to the sink faucet I made it easy to reach out there to adjust the water when necessary.



Portable Indoor Shower 3

A step closer on the rod detail. View taken from outside the camper through the open door.



Portable Indoor Shower 4

I obtained a pair of Coleman door slides and cut off the cable. I filed down the flange just a little so I could pop them into the middle of the tracks (there's just enough clearance for one extra slide per track when stowing the door). I cut each slide in half and drilled a 3/8" hole in each of the four pieces (I did these steps prior to popping the slides in the track — which is a commitment since once their in the only way to remove them would be for you, or a dealer, to drill out one of the end-stops pop riveted into the roof.) The slides are very soft material and it's easy to file the flanges down too far too quickly; be gentle (buy a spare set). Also, do not assume that the flange width will be the same for both tracks.

This detail also shows a pair of coupler nuts affixed to the existing roof brace bracket bolts, which provide additional thread into which eyebolts are screwed. Opening an eyebolt makes a hook — without the sharp point most pre-made hooks contain.



Portable Indoor Shower 5

Here's the entire rod. First a word about the lightweight carabiner clips, which are actually keyrings and not mountaineering gear: it's necessary to cut the tip of the red or silver spring-loaded sections off so there's clearance for the rod to slip in and out. There's still ample material so that the clip closes securely.

The rod is 1" CPVC, a lightweight cousin of regular pvc pipe. The rod, whose total measurement is 28x36", is 4 L-shaped sections with glued elbow corners, a Tee fitting glued on one end, and the second end open. Thus, the rod pulls apart into 4 equal sections plus the middle run from which the shower head hangs. The head is affixed with a pair of velcro strips, the kind with a slit at one end so you can cinch them up good and tight. The shower head and its hose live on this segment when stowed; it's easy to bow the main rod to insert this segment once the main rod is snapped into place.



Portable Indoor Shower 6

Detail from inside the shower shows the 1-1/8" split rings and the curtains. This size ring can be easily slipped over the elbows but cannot back around by itself; nor can it slip off the Tee-fitting. Thus, the shower curtain becomes a permanent installation on the 4-piece rod. All this was a critical design objective for ease of deployment and stowage.

Although this shower head has a trickle setting on each end, I added an on/off fitting to completely turn off water flow from within the shower.


Portable Indoor Shower 7

Here you can see the shower head hose snaking through one of the webbing straps used to stow the door. Note: the privacy curtain comes cannot be fully deployed when using the shower. Since the bulk of the shower is considerable, its short work to adjust the few stock curtains required for privacy when entering and exiting the shower.

Here I'll add that it's literally a snap (well, four snaps) to deploy the rod/curtain assembly. It's all lightweight and handles very easily.



Portable Indoor Shower 8

Here's the rod disassembled. I actually had no idea how it would handle; I intuited that it would work and hoped it would be easy; it is.

There are about 4 or 5 rings on each of the 8 sections (2 per segment). I labeled the female (Tee) end and male (open) ends so I'd know which fit together. My labeling system: S/Sofa; B/Bed; G/Galley, D/Door.

One or two rings can actually slip off the open ends; I found that this is easily controllable when handling the unit; it didn't even take practice.



Portable Indoor Shower 9

The curtain laid out for folding. It's easily doable on the bed; if you shower at night you can just let the rod/curtain assembly hang from one side to dry overnight, thus opening up some space in the galley/door area.



Portable Indoor Shower 10

The tub parts sans the curtain, ready for stowage. Note: the drain tube stows in the cupboard since it's permanently installed, exiting through a hole cut in the floor and ending in a gray water exit fitting plugged with a test plug so critters can't enter.

Here you see the shower head/hose/rod, the elbow which sits between the drain and the drain hose, and the four legs. The drain is below one of the legs in this pix. I slipped a hair catcher gizmo into the drain, affixing it with a cable tie.

This was taken before I added the second webbing handle.



Portable Indoor Shower 11

Here's how the curtain/rod stows in the tub. I also stow the outdoor shower extension and a folding outdoor shower floor (a tiny redwood deck, or deckette :).



Portable Indoor Shower 12

You run the gray water drain from the tub to the outside by installing a hose with fittings through the floor in a cabinet. On the Cheyenne model this is under the sink, hence the SwingLevel galley (see several pix of this from the outside on the Exterior page). The hose stows in the cabinet and you access it by modifying the hinged metal facing floor attachment, replacing screws with pins.

I replaced the screws holding the lower part of the mustard-colored metal slide (through which the Coleman sink drain and intake hoses slide when stowing the SwingLevel galley) with a pair of pins. I cut the hook ends off a pair of hooks, leaving screw threads on one end and a smooth shaft on the other. I used a drill's chuck to hold these and hand-turned them into the preexisting holes in the floor. Yes, it was very tight working quarters.

I slightly enlarged the holes in the hinged flap at the bottom of the mustard metal slide for clearance so it wouldn't hang up. I also affixed some velcro, thus making a handle that makes it easy to reach into the cupboard and grab.

The lower picture shows the hose emerging from the cabinet. You pull off the cap and press fit it onto the male elbow screwed onto the bottom of the tub.

Note: this pix's commentary presupposes you are familiar with the details of the galley in a Coleman camper.



Portable Indoor Shower 13

Here's how I manage the faucet end for all uses:

At the bottom is a swivel spray adapter I like to use at all times. When showering, though, Iwant to set the water temperature at hookup time. To facilitate doing so I use a threaded adapter (middle left) that stays installed on the end of the faucet spout; it has both faucet and garden hose threads. I unscrew the swivel and attached the flow interrupt attachment, the middle middle brass piece. This has a floating collar so I can orient the control lever where I want it. I then adjust the water temperature. The middle right brass adapter lives on the end of the shower head hose, and it too has a floating collar so I can tighten it onto the bottomof the interrupt easily. Voila!



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