Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hi everyone,
Someone asked if it would be possible to fit a portapotti AND a shower in the small closet of our Shasta. (our model is known for having this closet area that most use as a bathroom area)
I think probably not.... please read on:

I went out and measured the closet inside our 63 Compact.
The footprint in mine is about 38"L x 20 1/2"W
Our portapotti has a footprint of about 16"x13 1/2".

It would perhaps be possible to cram a shower in there... but I think
you'd really have to work at it. Most definitely the portapotti
would have to be moved out while taking a shower?

I've heard and seen people come up with some ingenious ways of
getting things done... but it would sure be a tight fit!

You would of course also have to devise a plan to make the area
waterproof to prevent water damage and also devise a way to allow the
water to drain from the trailer.

If anyone comes up with a plan, I'd love to hear it!

Anyway to make it fit? Any ideas on the easiest way to waterproof and drain a non-existent shower? I thought if it could be done, it might come in handy for future tiny trailers that are trying to fit something like this in.


Bev
P.S. Oh, and the water... would probably have to be one of those bags hanging up high in the closet, and obviously the top cupboard in the back would have to come out....



If nothing else comes of this thread... perhaps just knowing the size of this closet will help someone building a tiny trailer that wants to fit a portapotti in. The entire cabin area is 6'7" wide x 10' long.

Bev, have you looked at some of the smaller new trailers to see how they do it. Even the new tent trailers have showers!

Look at this

http://www.shadowcruiser.com/ff13.htm
and specs and floorplans

You can see interior photos here different toilet but I think Portapotty works the same
http://www.bettatalk.com/take_tour_1.htm

Raul

Hi Cathy!
Well, no, actually I haven't looked around much, probably should.

I was sorta just trying to come up with something for someone else who mentioned a shower in that space.

I'm thinking one would absolutely have to move the portapotti out to use the area as a shower.

Then, you've got to have some sort of basin below to catch all the water....lined walls to keep moisture at bay...drain....probably not the most optimum area for a shower. I suppose it could be done if someone really wanted to put some work into it.

I'll stick to a shower outside in a small tent!

By the way... hope your making lots of progress on your trailer!

Bev

Raul,
Thanks for those pictures. That really tells the story of how it possibly could be done.

Bev

Years ago, I lived in a 13' trailer for about a year while in school. It had a shower and flush toilet, a little LP instant hot water heater, stove, LP fridge, sink, a double bed, a front dinette, and a gas light. It was great. It was comfortable, even in winter, though a bit cramped. But, it served my purpose. It was a Tepee, built around my hometown of Tulsa, OK. Wish I could find one.

over on popupexplorer.com there are links to about a dozen different ways to add a porta-jon and/or shower to a popup. Several look like they'd adapt to a tear.

in the trailer for two article there's a pipe rim for a privacy curtain to create an outdoor dressing room. I could see something similar for a bath(room) extension for a tear, I think.

Hey Bev,

I think Raul hit the nail right on the head. This is your best option for adding a shower in your trailer...



Add a drain in the floor, and hang a bag on the wall, and voila!

Mike...

If I were to build another tiny trailer, someone slap me quick-I must be losing my mind, I would take several indeas from the class B motorhome manufacturers.
1. toilet area that offers expanding doors that will provide privacy and dressing area like the Roadtrek camper vans.

2. waterproof drop floor in front of the kitchen sink area with a removable top section of finished floor. The dropped floor would be plumbed with a floor drain. This is the shower area that Leisure travel camper vans use.

We have a Roadtrek and the toilet and shower are quite usable for such a small space.

Larry

Well, I am a sci fi nut. In the cancelled show Firefly, on a space ship, a sink would fold down out of a wall on hinges, and toliet would slide out of the wall when the sink was not deployed. It was pretty cool, but kind of stupid since it was actually a pretty big ship. Anyway....

Seems to me that the space of a shower could be used for both or all three purposes if the toliet slid out on a drawer from the side. The outer edge of the drawer would not be in the way, and that outer edge would seal the drawer unit from the shower when it was closed. (You probably want the water shooting way from this wall generally though) This way, above adjecent storage area for the toliet, you could have a closet or whaever, and you would not loose precious floor space to _both_ a shower and toliet. The fold out sink, or even another drawer for it, shouldn't be too hard either, and a lot more hygentic too...

Does that make sense? Obviously, it would be best if the toilet was one of those self contained little boxes (cassets?), and not one with actual plumbing.

Shower stalls are made of fiberglass, so that is what I would use.

Feral XJ-SC wrote:......a sink would fold down out of a wall on hinges....

We had one of those on a boat my Dad had - it was quite clever as it used the folding action to empty the bowl so you didn't even need a plughole. A similar basin is used in some British trailers, but I have never been able to find a retail outlet that sells them, nor any info on the internet.

So that's not much help, but it can be done!

Andrew

Andrew, like this? (www.monadrailway.com)

[img]http//:www.monadrailway.com/images/sink.gif[/img]

Laredo wrote:Andrew, like this?

Just like that. Except made out of plastic. And without the wood panelling......

Andrew

On edit: I've finally found some pictures of this sort of basin:





These are in this UK trailer online catalogue but you are warned not to look at the prices - as you have to multiply by 1.8 to get to dollars! Ain't no way it's worth over 250 bucks to get me clean, I'm tellin' ya.

Just a comment. I had a pickup camper that had a combination head/shower about the size stated in the first message. You could either stand up in front of the head, or sit on the lowered seat. It also had a small sink to one side. So, I suppose anything is possible.

one for the money, two for the show,

three to make ready, and four to go:



first, the $12.50 toilet:



then the $7 bathtub



last but not least the really cheap sink:


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