Having the information to make an outdoor shower is extraordinarily necessary whether you’re camping, hiking, or just exploring the great outdoors. This is because maintaining basic hygiene skills is also a type of maintaining preventative medicine, especially while outdoors where infection from injury or an abrasion is likely to happen without proper medical tools or provides available.
Access to fresh running water could become limited, especially as adventuring takes you and your loved ones further and further into the wilderness. Therefore knowing a way to gather an acceptable amount of water from lakes and other large bodies of water is of extreme importance.
The Bucket Shower
The Bucket Shower is the most helpful survival shower to make and can be used numerous times, particularly if outdoor adventures are anticipated beforehand. All that’s needed is just some provides to get started:
- Five gallon bucket with lid with carry handle
- Spigot
- Drilling tools such as screwdriver or electric drill
Begin by drilling alittle hole at the base of the five gallon bucket for the spigot to be placed. Make sure that the hole to be drilled is little enough to fit the spigot snug inside. Once the spigot feels firm, fill the five gallon bucket with water and permit time for the water to warm up in direct sunlight. If gathered in the morning, the water will be a good temperature by midday.
Ensure that the carry handle included on the five gallon bucket is sturdy enough to hold roughly fifty pounds of weight as the bucket fully filled should no weigh more than this. If the carry handle seems weak in any way, make sure to reinforce it using additional materials and reinforcements. Once confident that the five gallon bucket is prepared, all that’s needed is for the bucket to be hung from a tree or an object slightly above head level and the spigot to be turned on.
The Shower Bag
The Shower Bag is a wonderful survival shower for those who are restricted on provides, out in the wild for a day or two, or there are no other natural shower alternatives close. All that’s needed is a few trash bags that are a capable of holding a minimum of thirteen gallons. Ideally a box of trash bags is suggested, as a box takes up very little space and provides a good provide. A roll of trash bags can also be placed directly in a backpack and takes up little space. although the color of the bags doesn’t matter, it’s preferred as well to choose trash bags that will allow for easier light penetration as to heat the water inside of them in direct sunlight.
Place two to three trash bags inside one another and fill the most inner bag with the acceptable of water needed. Tie off the innermost trash bag than tie the others into a knot on reinforce the whole shower bag. Using a tree branch or another object slightly above head level tie off or hang the shower bag making certain that the bag is secure from the weight of the water. Either allow time for the water to heat up in direct sunlight or poke holes in the bottom of the shower bag using a little knife to begin showering. The tiny holes will allow slow drainage, giving you time to soak, wash, and rinse.
Natural Alternatives
Naturally it’s always recommended to take advantage of the first source of natural running water. Whether it be a waterfall, spring, river, or a clean massive body of water, use these sources as a first alternative to survival showers like the Shower Bucket and the Shower Bag. Although the temperature can’t be adjusted, the amount of running water will facilitate to better make sure that all basic hygiene needs are met which infection or more complications from an already-existing injury won’t follow suit.
Importance of Basic Hygiene While Outdoors
As mentioned before, maintaining basic hygiene whereas outdoors is of extreme importance, as this is the number one step to preventative medicine. Skin abrasions, cuts and rashes can become worse if basic hygiene needs aren’t met especially whereas outdoors. Open wounds can become quickly infected if not cleaned and treated immediately. This is why knowledge of basic hygiene and building a survival shower is of the top importance. Don’t let what it took our ancestors thousands of years to master end your adventures.
