Related Resources • Showering Tips • Camping Check List • Camping Gear

You've been out playing hard all day, and you've returned to the campground ready for some dinner and a cozy evening relaxing around the campfire. But first you have to get cleaned up. Yeah I know there are those of you who bemoan a shower at the campground, but I look forward to them especially when they are not heated and are outdoors rather than in a building. What an invigorating experience.

Now, to help manage this daily campground chore, let's put together a shower bag of the basic items that you will need for personal hygiene at the campground. To start with, shop around for a water-proof shoulder bag (see the blue bag in the photo). You want a water-proof bag to carry everything because you'll be taking it into the shower with you, and you don't want the contents getting wet. Below is a photo of the shower bag and items that my wife and I take with us when we go camping.

The shower bag contains:

• towels and washrags
• soap and a plastic container
• shampoo and shower cap
• toothbrush and a plastic container
• toothpaste and dental floss
• comb and brush
• razor and shave cream
• sunburn relief spray
• camping shower

There are several conditions under which you might expect to be able to take showers when camping. Different campgrounds may have different facilities: some will have a showerhouse and hot water, others just a cold shower, and a few no shower at all. What a dreadful thought to take a cold shower outdoors. Well fear not, because you can remedy that little problem by adding just one more item to your camping list, a camping shower.

A camping shower consists of a 2-1/2-gallon plastic bag that is clear on one side and black on the other, a cord to hang the bag, and a spout with a closure to control the flow of water. Before you leave the campsite for the day, fill the camping shower with water and lay it on the ground where the sun will hit it. Be sure to leave the clear side up. The sun penetrates the clear side and the heat is absorbed by the black side underneath. Since heat rises, it is reflected back into the water. When you return at the end of the day, you will have plenty of hot water for your shower. Use the attached cord to hang the camping shower, making sure to get it high enough so that you can stand under the spout, open the closure so that gravity can do its thing, and enjoy.

Now that you're all cleaned up, let's go have some dinner and start that campfire.

(Photos copyright David J. Sweet, licensed to About, Inc.)