What would you think about no toilet/no shower?

[21Airstream]

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, just buy a 28'er and keep the bathroom.

That's where I'm at.
I'm new here, but I started out with a 31" SOB in 1990 (the year after my youngest daughter was born). Since I raised (only) girls, going without a bathroom was out of the question. Over the years, it sure was nice to have a nice clean and safe place for those girls to use.

[Foiled Again]

I go there to stink and ..... (I believe a similar sentiment was found as a graphitto on a wall in a loo in Pompei.) How necessary is "the necessary"?

Of course a porta-potty is adequate if space and a desire for simplicity are high on your priority list. Let's face it, anyone can sponge bath with 2 quarts of water and a washcloth. And occasionally all of the conveniences of home do malfunction. When you think of the tow vehicle expenses of hauling a big Airstream around, the small simple vintage ones without all of the bells and whistles DO make a lot of sense. Fewer things = fewer things to need maintenance.

I wouldn't fulltime in a unit without a fully functional bathroom, but if the camper is used on weekends and 1 or 2 full weeks a year... financially a "tin tent" makes a lot of sense.

This weekend I met a camper who had gotten his first RV experience when his house was flooded in Hurricane Isabel. They lived in the front yard in a SOB that was tied into the water,electric and sewer while their house was rebuilt (on stilts raised 10 feet above the ground as prep for the next one!). He remarked, we had no TV, computers, only odds and ends of dishes, pots and pans... but we enjoyed our time "camping out". The kids learned to play chess, checkers and Monopoly, etc... and they talk instead of texting, run instead of sit in front of the TV, and have real conversations with their parents. They're kinda drooling over my Airstream, but you can see that the kids are happy helping dad keep the old SOB functioning.

A bad day camping beats a good day doing just about anything else. Do whatever makes you happy!

(However when I first started out, I left a rally where the food was unusual and spicy... 3 hours out, I got "lower G.I. distress" of a most urgent nature. Had I not had the Airstream - I dread to think... PA turnpike in heavy traffic, 30 miles to the nearest rest stop? ACK. There are times you might consider selling your soul for a roll of T.P. This was one of those. Having no water in the supply tank? Well a "box o wine" was my next best choice....

Happy trails, and IMHO a bathroom can mean "happy tails!".

Paula

[Jim Foster]

Check out the layout of a mid 60s Caravel. Best use of space of any Airstream. Full bath in the rear. The way the shower curtain is arranged in ours, the only thing that gets wet is you, the shower pan and the curtain.

We would never consider using any travel trailer that didn't have a full bath.

We always say "your own head, your own bed and your own galley".

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by AtomicKiwi

What would you think about no toilet/no shower?

"Geez, I sure wish I had a toilet & shower."

Shari

[mgriffrus]

We've had no plumbing at all inside ours since we've put a new floor in. Truth be told, we haven't missed it. We started with a tent, went to a pop-up and then rescued Eddie from the deer woods. We've always cooked outside and have never had a bathroom, so it's nothing new to us.

Don't get me wrong, we'd like to put ours back eventually, we just have been two and a half years so far and haven't gotten to that point. I built a large bed in the back where the bathroom used to be and the kids have their bunks in the middle. The "master" gaucho is now a storage area and there's a wrap around lounge up front. It definitely won't work for everyone, but it gets us on the road and an airstream in a campground.

Now if we'd made the move from a fully contained rig to this one, the wife may be a little more concerned about the state of the plumbing.....

[JimGolden]

I pull an Avion 34X (34' triple axle) with the mid bath that is on both sides of the trailer. It's got the biggest tub I've ever seen in an RV, even a Prevost. Wouldn't trade it for anything

Never owned a tent. I used to walk out into the woods with a Bowie knife. Come back five days later. Make a shelter out of sticks and leaves, sleep on a root (never owned a sleeping bag, just slept on the dirt in a coat...froze my #$@# off....), eat inner pine bark, go to the potty against a tree.....It was fun. And I was a teenager.

No man, those days are over. I like my Simmons Beauty Rest King mattress, my SeaLand Traveler elongated bowl porcelain toilet, and my big bath tub and shower. If that makes me a "Glamper" then so be it.

I respect those that want to rough it, but I've been there and done that to the max. I like the Silver Apartment On Wheels!

See ya on the road,

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by mgriffrus

It definitely won't work for everyone, but it gets us on the road and an airstream in a campground.

Ahhh, therein lies the difference...we like to boondock or pull over for the night at places other than just campgrounds.

We progressed from backpacking > tent camping to our Airstream...dry beds & our own "facilities" were the biggest contributing factors for the switch. But, we still like to go to off-the-beaten-path locations that being self contained allows us to do...albeit in more comfort & style than a tent.

BTW, the area dedicated to a "bathroom" in our trailer is only about 29"x39" tucked in a radiused corner...it's a wet bath we affectionately call "the bird bath" - it does the trick without sacraficing real estate in our 22' trailer.

Shari

[Oceandweller]

Old thread but I am also looking for a smaller 22 maybe a 24. There are a myriad of reasons for not getting a larger one. Towing capacity and off road towing are two that come to mind. Not to mention switchbacks, having to renovate a larger trailer "huge difference between a 22 and 31/getting the shell off/flipping the frame". etc. I've considered a composting toilet, etc. I get where the OP was coming from. A simple 300 composting toilet would make things easy and not having to worry about water runs, water tanks, etc would be pretty nice. Bare bones but that would be an easy rebuild.

[SallyForth]

In our travels we happened upon a charming woman full-timer in her seventies who had camped in most every National Park, State Park, County Park, dog park, BLM, NFS location known in these United States — with her dog, and she had a very tiny rig in which she had removed the bathroom.

To her less is more.

[foobar]

Originally Posted by SallyForth

In our travels we happened upon a charming woman full-timer in her seventies who had camped in most every National Park, State Park, County Park, dog park, BLM, NFS location known in these United States — with her dog, and she had a very tiny rig in which she had removed the bathroom.



To her less is more.

Up until we purchased our Airstream in 2022, my wife and I tent camped together for decades with our 2 kids and 2 dogs. Obviously, we had no toilet, shower or sink.

Some water jugs, a couple of basins for washing dishes, and a bucket and sponge for bathing (with tarps hanging from a tree, cliff, or truck for privacy) served us well.

For toilets, a shovel and a hole in the ground (boy scout style) worked. In areas where that wasn't a good idea, we used those bags that fit in a bucket with a toilet seat that sits on the rim of the bucket.

While I do not suggest the above approach is suitable for everyone, I merely mention it to provide a reference point for the minimum necessary functions.

A composting toilet will probably serve your needs. You just need to figure out how bathe.

Bathrooms are not really a necessity, but a luxury. Every time we use our Airstream bathroom, we appreciate it mightily, lol.

[Mollysdad]

I never use the campground facilities. I like my shower, and will visit the facilities while shopping.
No toilet and shower remind me too much of a tent. I did it, loved, it don't want to do it again.

[mrdes8]

We also come from a long camping/hiking/hunting background. After several Airstream and SOB full and partial re-dos when we did our '68 Overlander we eliminated the rear bath in favor of an extra bedroom. After a decade of RVing we felt we knew what worked for us, yes, a shower is a great storage area. We have a porta-potti "Curve" that stores in the closet when not in use. We have an outdoor shower that gets used for all kinds of things including people showering. The original kitchen sink is one of just a couple original parts carried over. Sometimes we go several days without using the hot water heater. We have spent three months in RV parks in Arizona with ease, of course the park had bathrooms and showers. Might not be for everybody but it works for us.
Best regards, Mark D

[Aironius]

Our 19ft Bambi has caused me to think about wasted space on occasion. If it wasn't so new and nice I would certainly delete one sink. No need for a bath sink and kitchen sink that can both be accessed without moving one's feet. And while the shower is larger than what I had in a larger RV and it is real useful, an outdoor shower would work as well for those times when a shower house at the RV park is not available. But I ain't giving up my indoor toilet!

[thiel]

I would keep the toilet, but could lose the shower easily.

There are plenty of shower opportunities on the road—truck stops and campgrounds and such. Also, we keep a box of "body wipes" (basically these are huge baby wipes) on hand for days when we want to clean up but can't or don't want to run the shower. They work great.

[Hittenstiehl]

I think having no bath would affect your ability to resell until you find the person that also didn't want a bath.

Having said that outfit your trailer the way that suits you and the way you see fit to use it.

We have had 4 60's vintage trailers of varying degrees of finished. We've just gotten to the point of having functioning water, heat and propane but never have had a functioning bathroom.

As it's been said hygiene is easy to do with a basin of hot water. We carry luggaloo (bucket/bag/lid) that serves us while we boondock or for late night use. Most campgrounds have had acceptable facilities.

[Boxite]

It’s crazy to do without a shower and toilet in your RV. THAT is WHY you have an RV …instead of simply sleeping under a tree like Jeremiah Johnson! Doh.

Yes, In a former life I’ve lived a life that made Jeremiah look like a Glamper! But I don’t do that now that I can afford an Airstream. Jeesh!