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| Two sliding curtains create a pie-shaped enclosure |
Adding the Clam Quick Set Escape Shelter to our tiny trailer campsite really added to our protected camp space, keeping my wife and me protected from wind, rain, sun, and bugs. However, adding our utilitent to the camp space for our shower and toilet area in addition to the Clam really added to the camp's clutter and inconvenience, especially regarding stabilizing guy lines to secure the tents from winds. My wife provided me with a challenge--to build an enclosed area inside the Quick Set shelter for toilet and shower purposes. It turned out to be surprisingly easy.
We use the Quick Set wind and rain screens for our shelter, mostly to add a bit of privacy but also to protect our coolers from direct sunlight. Our plan was to buy extra screens and to block off a portion of the Quick Set to use when necessary.
The first photo at the top of this article shows the enclosure when set up with the toilet. The six-sided Escape shelter has a pie-shaped roof, sectioned off by the enclosure's support poles. I utilized one of the pie sections to define the enclosure area. The two 3/4 inch capped PVC pipes are six feet long. Drilling holes at the end of each pipe, I threaded cord through to provide connecting loops slipped over the roof struts and attached with small carabiner clips. For the connection in the middle of the tent, I tied the "V" together and then added cord long enough to attach to the roof center ring.
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| Wall connection loop and carabiner |
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| Center connection, raised to provide headspace |
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| Center connection, lowered to provide a level curtain |
I bought grommet kits at the local hardware store and made holes for the curtain rings. I bought plastic shower curtain rings, but the metal rings would probably work better. When not using the enclosure, I can raise the center attachment, slide back the curtains, and the enclosure space disappears, leaving the shelter available for other activities.
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| Grommets and curtain rings |
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| Closed for privacy |
For showers, I bring along a couple of plastic door mats to stand on, and I place the enclosure space on the downhill side of the shelter to allow for run-off. Lots of times, though, our campsites have gravel, so run-off isn't a big issue.
Are there downsides to this concept? Of course, but most are related to the multi-use sharing of space that all small camping set-ups have to deal with. What I like with this toilet/shower solution is that the poles will fit into the Clam carry sack, leaving the curtains (with the rings attached) to be stored in a small duffle. The curtains might also fit in the shelter's travel bag; I haven't tried that yet.
That's it! For those of you that own these "umbrella" shelters, maybe this idea will be useful for you, too.
References
- How the Clam Quick Set Shelter Helped Us Through Four Days of Rain
- The Consistent and Loud Case Against Bathrooms in Tiny Campers
- Review: Cleanwaste Portable Toilet
- Review: Iron Hammer Portable Electric Camping Shower
- Review: The Green Elephant Utilitent
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Another great DIY from you! Keep’em coming Tom!
ReplyDeleteNecessity is the mother of invention.
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