I live off-grid in my caravan for months at a time – my ‘military shower’ trick lets me have instant hot water all year
A VAN lifer has revealed how she used a “military shower” trick to allow her instant hot water all year round.
Sarah Yak can enjoy a warm shower at the flick of a switch even when she’s living out in the sticks.
Sarah lives full-time in her kitted-out camper, much of which she designed and built herself.
One of her most important creature comforts is the ability to shower anywhere, backed up by an ingenious water heating system.
Demonstrating the tech on her YouTube channel, she revealed that she manages to wash every few days at least while on the road.
She said: “It’s been about four days since I last showered so I really need one.
“I have 30 gallons of water and I have a water heater.
“But I still try and conserve water.”
She does this by using a technique known as a “military shower”.
This is where she strategically turns the water on and off to use as little as possible.
For example, while most people might leave the water running for the duration of their wash, Sarah will only use enough to rinse herself down before turning it off.
Then she lathers up with soap with no water running, before switching it back on to wash it off and repeat the process.
Once she’s done, she just needs to switch off the water heater and the wall and pack away the shower head that stems from it.
However, that’s not the full extent of her gadgets and gizmos.
Sarah’s van also features a fridge, air fryer and air conditioning unit all run off a large bank of batteries strapped into a DIY shelving unit.
The batteries can be charged from the van’s diesel engine or via solar panels on the roof.
And another device up on top of the van is a Starlink.
This antenna, supplied by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, can be picked up for a couple of hundred quid and guarantees top-notch mobile coverage for “RVs nomads and campers”.
An £85 per month plan allows users unlimited mobile data across 102 countries using SpaceX’s network of more than 6,000 satellites.
It comes after a couple revealed the “final straw” that pushed them to quit their jobs and live full-time in an £18,000 caravan.