Is getting shower and bathroom & everything that goes with maintaining/cleaning, worth the cost?

IrishCamper74

I'm on the fence about getting a trailer with the included shower and bathroom.
A few valid reasons for going without:

• Money saving (given the extra's we'll purchase, I need $ for those items)
• Husband is not a small dude, the shower looks teeny tiney. I'll fit in it just fine, he may not be comfortable in there. 
  
• 
  
• Cleaning and maintaining, oh and dumping.... blah.
• We have no probs using facilities on site; we have up to now as tent campers. I bring Clorox wipes and antibacterial everywhere!
  

Are they must haves for you?
Have you done without and are fine with it?
Thanks in advance for your input. 

Photomom

Your husband looks familiar...

jkjenn

The bathroom was my ultimate tipping point factor in my decision. Honestly, it provides more convenience than it does trouble or work. I would absolutely do it all over, again.

Norbert1223

I think it is really such a personal decision.  Some of us who are older need a bathroom closer at hand.  I'm single own a 2 bedroom townhouse and I have 3 bathrooms.  So that probably says something.   LOL!   The bathroom is tiny, barely room to get in the door and sit but I'm thankful I have it. 

Verna

After wintering in AZ last winter in a Silver Shadow teardrop, I traded up to a T@B with a toilet and shower. Dumping the waste tanks is a small task compared to long walks in the middle of the night to the campground facilities. And I totally loved having my very own facilities this past winter in AZ. There is no comparison. 

Dave28

We love having a hot shower after a full day in the outdoors!  We think the extra cost and not much extra work is clearly worth it. It is important to my spouse that we have a toilet for late night use. I recommend that you get the optional outside shower faucet even if you go for the indoor wet bath.  I love the outside shower!

AustinRoamers

One midnight I wandered through a foggy, cold campground headed for the dark & spidery communal bathroom.  Decided I really hated tent camping.  When I saw the T@B with the micro-mini bathroom I was sold.  Dumping the tanks is easy. 

nancentina

The whole point in having a trailer, to me, is having that toilet climate control and fridge is nice. I probably won't shower in it and we don't go number two (tmi I know) but in that trailer it's too small. 

Allie

Some RV/state parks have very nice facilities and some don't.  I'm thankful to have the facilities in the T@B when they are lacking at our camp.  The little extra effort for cleaning/dumping is well worth the comfort.  Plus, if an emergency stop is necessary when you are 40 miles from any facility is very handy.

Mouseketab

I Do NOT have the bath model, and I'm happy with it. Would hate to lose my front closet, and "table space" over the CoolCat. I do have a portapotty and use it at night. Have yet to run into a bath house at the campgrounds I've stayed where I absolutely wouldn't use it. BUT, I do have a shower shelter and thermal shower bag riding in the truck just in case. I'm not a boondocker. Always stay at established campgrounds, so that may influence your decision.

sabel

Short answer is yes.

mona

Most definitely! 

Cyclonic

Depends on the type of camping you do.  My wife and I prefer not to have it, we are fine with using the facilities at hand (or a tree), and we tend to plan our trips carefully so as to have those facilities available.

Granted, we are younger, and maybe sometime in the distant future we will want that convenience, but we are fine without it.

RZRBUG

Don't have it.  Haven't missed it.  BUT, it really is dependent on the type of camping you plan to do and whether you are comfortable with alternatives.

kybob

Yes.

JustJohn

Shower and toilet are very handy if you boondock, and the galley is really nice on those nasty weather days. They were a must for me and my style of camping.

Tabaz

I went directly from tent camping to my T@B.  I really, really, really like having the shower and toilet.  I'm average height, but still have to sit down on the commode while showering.  You quickly get used to it and it becomes second nature.  Very nice not having to go outside during the night when nature calls.  Nothing like a hot shower at the end of a camp day!

jkjenn

OutbackAZ said:

I went directly from tent camping to my T@B.  I really, really, really like having the shower and toilet.  I'm average height, but still have to sit down on the commode while showering.  You quickly get used to it and it becomes second nature.  Very nice not having to go outside during the night when nature calls.  Nothing like a hot shower at the end of a camp day!

100% agree!

Hans111

I was ambivalent about the bath but it was a top priority for my spouse. I have to admit, it's really nice not to traipse outside at 3AM. Upkeep is easy and we generally still use the shower house.

gulfarea

If mine did not have it I would not have bought it.

Tabster

I have a porta-potty and the outdoor shower in my CS. It's perfect. Plenty of room and no steamed up bed area

jkjenn

Tabster said:

I have a porta-potty and the outdoor shower in my CS. It's perfect. Plenty of room and no steamed up bed area

Never had my T@b steam up. The fan and vent are great.

IrishCamper74

Thank you all for your input. 
Good points on both sides

RollingLagrima

I would rather have the toilet (never used) and shower (used 1.5 times In almost a year)
now than be forced to suddenly have to sell and change to a different camper with wetbath due to health or mobility issues. It currently serves as a great storage area while in transport for duffle bags of clothes and dry goods.   I am certain it will eventually get used full time.  Best of luck with your decision! 

karabu

We got a 2016 Max Q Outback last year with no bathroom and it's been fine.  As many have said, a lot may depend on how you plan to use it.  We were life long tent campers, quite used to making do with camp facilities. We are in our 40s and both work full time.  We wanted the T@b to be able to scoot away for weekends with greater ease, and maybe arrange the occasional road trip.  

For us, it was more than just the bathroom itself being a bit impractical for my tall husband but also the decreased interior volume that the facilities and displaced A/C take up. The camper felt much more cramped as a general matter.  We have the outdoor shower and could drag along the porta potty if we were so inclined.  But right now I love how open, light and functional our interior is with the front window, extra porthole window, counter space, and ability to swing the table out of the way (Lagun table base swap).

Some day we may move on to a bigger unit or restore a vintage trailer, where a bathroom would be in the mix. If I was going to be traveling alone, I would want the bathroom.  But this is going to work just fine for us.  I simply pay a bit more attention to where the facilities are located in relation to any possible campsite reservation. 

IrishCamper74

karabu said:

"We got a 2016 Max Q Outback last year with no bathroom and it's been fine. As many have said, a lot may depend on how you plan to use it.  We were life long tent campers, quite used to making do with camp facilities. We are in our 40s and both work full time.  We wanted the T@b to be able to scoot away for weekends with greater ease, and maybe arrange the occasional road trip."

~This describes us also. We're in our 40's, both work full time though my schedule is more consistent than my husband's. We also want the ability to bugger off for a night or more on coincinding days we have off. Also, when he is away with work, I'd like to be able to easily scoot away with the dog over my weekend.
We talked about it after reading everyone's valuable input, (thank you all!!) & decided we'll go without included facilities. 

Extra storage & a lighter interior appeals to me more. 

JandJ92010

We don't have the bathroom, we use our porta-potty, we have a shower shelter and a portable water heater. Take them when we know that we'll need them, leave them at home when we don't. It gives us a lot more storage space and an L shaped kitchen counter. We also use a portable 2 way fridge and use that area as a pantry with pull out drawers. Our 10 x10 pop up canopy with side curtains gives  us 100sq ft of living space which we can air condition when needed.

Wanderoo

I LOVE my indoor bathroom and the shower option.  Sometimes I use the shower to wash my hair and do a sponge bath versus taking a full shower.  As for the loss of storage space, I keep a lot of my camping gear in the bed of my truck.  I would not give up my wet bath!!!!

Nomad

Love the indoor bathroom - Don't miss extra storage, keep the extras (clothes, etc) in the TV.
Have to admit though that I do sponge baths more often than shower when boondocking. Find in many locations there's pay showers in the vacinity also.

vito

My wife would not even have considered the T@b if it did not have the shower and toilet. Some campgrounds we have been at have less than ideal shower rooms, and neither of us like the idea of middle of the night, in the dark with a flashlight trips to a campground toilet. I would also guess that having the shower and toilet version of the T@b will very much enhance its resale in the future. 

tingle49

We  just got back from 4 night stay the last night and I had to go potty every 2 hrs it was worth not having to the bath house in the middle of the night... even one time a night.