On the Road Tips: Changing in a Public Bathroom or Shower

When you're on the road for three weeks (or, let's face it, even for a weekend) chances are that you'll have to change in a public restroom. Even at a nicer campground, public bathrooms or showers can be, well, yucky. And why are they always moist?!

Here are some of my tricks for changing in a public bathroom or public shower. (Note: Taking pictures of changing in a public bathroom is difficult, especially with the lack of space. I tried to get pictures, as you'll see, but some parts were easier to show in a larger area. Bear with me.)


Some tips:
You're going to have limited space in which to put things. Even if you do have a ledge or shelf, they can be... yucky. And moist. You don't want to be putting clean clothes on there.

I usually shower in the evenings, especially while camping (sleeping dirty and gross in a sleeping bag, and then sleeping in the same sleeping bag for three weeks? Nasty.), so I'll walk through how I change from day time clothes into pajamas.

First thing to note, slip on shoes work best. I usually wear waterproof shoes- my very favorite are my Birkenstock clogs- I wear them for everything. Flip flops would work well, too, and then you can wear them in the yucky shower, too. Wearing slip on shoes makes it easier to keep your bare feet from touching the gross floor- I just step back into my shoes while I'm changing.

My favorite slip on shoes- my Birkenstock clogs!

I only bring as much sleepwear as I absolutely need. I don't bring clean panties to the shower with me- it's too easy to drop them on the yucky floor. I typically bring a pair of PJ pants and a large T-shirt to change into, and then I get dressed the rest of the way in my tent. I hang my clean PJ's on one hook rung, if I have one available, otherwise I drape them over the door. I put my clean towel on the same hook rung, over the PJ's. If I have a coat to wear (if it's cold outside), I hang that one on the same rung, but underneath the PJ's and towel.

To take off my day clothes, I start at the bottom. I take off my socks and fold them together. I don't roll them, because they get too bunchy.  Then I stick them in my back pocket.

Next, I take off my jeans and step back into my shoes as I do. If there's a hook available (and usually there is at least one) I hang them up by the back belt loop. If there's no hook, I fold my jeans in half and hang them over the door, pockets and hems towards me.

Next comes the panties. (Now it's getting real. I'm showing you pictures of my under-roos.) I take off my panties, again stepping back into my shoes. I fold them once or twice, then stick them into the other back pocket of my pants.

What can I say, I like boyshorts.

 

I take off my top and drape it over the hook or door. If I'm wearing an undershirt or cami, I take that off, fold it, and drape it over the hook, too.

 Then I remove my bra. I turn the cups so that one fits inside the other. I take the other shirts and roll them around the bra to make a shirt bundle.

Shirt Bundle

I stick the shirt bundle into one of my pant legs. (If you're worried about the shirt falling through, you can always tie the bottom of your pant leg in a knot). This way, my entire outfit is hanging on one hook, the lower one, leaving enough room for my towel and pajamas on the second, higher, hook.


Then I  go ahead and take my shower!

If I'm changing into day clothes, I usually set up my outfit this way before I go to the bathroom to change, to make it easier to carry and change into.

Ta da! My method eliminates situations like... oh, I don't know... dropping your underwear on the ground outside the bathrooms at Girl Scout Camp and not finding them until the next day when a friend of yours points them out and laughs that someone left their panties on the ground ("Gross! Ew!"). Not that that's ever happened to me or anything. <Cough cough>