How to use Magnets to Create a Comfy Dry Bath
***WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD – Small parts (magnets). Keep away from children and pets.***
***WARNING: Magnetic Field – magnetic fields may interfere with pacemakers / other health devices.***
After you have converted your Wet Bath into a Comfy Dry Zone (see “How to Turn Your Wet Bath into a Comfy Dry Zone” if you haven’t done this already), turn toward magnets for a better way to secure your shower curtain to the walls rather than using hooks.
We initially used plastic hooks attached to the wall with Velcro in our Scamp to secure the shower curtain so we could pull it across the front of the toilet area to keep it dry while showering. However, after using this system for a while, it became frustrating because the shower curtain often would slide off the hooks.
While considering a number of different approaches, the idea of using small magnets to quickly attach the shower curtain to the side of the wall stood out. I have worked with small rare earth magnets on numerous projects in the past for securing hatches in model aircraft, so I felt comfortable that they might work well for this application.
The basic approach is to use the existing PVC rod in the Scamp (above the inside of the bathroom door used to hold the door curtain) to secure the door side of the curtain by putting a ring on it at the end. Then, it’s just a matter of pulling the curtain across the toilet compartment and securing it on the other side of the wall with magnets (which quickly hold the curtain securely in place). Because the Scamp has a rat fur type of headliner, the magnets are applied directly onto the fiberglass wall for a more secure attachment (top and bottom of the wall and along the wood door frame on door side).
I decided to use small inexpensive rare earth magnets which I purchased at Harbor Freight for less than $3 for a ten pack. I ended up purchasing three packs (30 magnets) so I would have plenty of magnets to work with (remember, each connection uses a pair).
I chose to use hot glue to secure the magnets to the fiberglass because it is quick to apply and can easily be removed if necessary. The downside is that the magnets can pop off if enough pressure is put on them. I purchased a mini glue gun at Michaels Art Supply for less than $3 along with some extra mini glue sticks.
I selected three mounting points at the top and bottom of the wall for the curtain to attach along with several points on the door frame to hold the curtain. I used a pair of angled needle nose pliers to hold a magnet while I applied a bead of hot glue to the back and then, using the plier handles, pressed each magnet against the fiberglass (or wood) and held for a few seconds until the glue dried. Installing the magnets is quick and easy!
To secure the shower curtain, just pull it across the toilet area and, using magnets, secure it to the wall along the areas where there are magnets glued to the Scamp’s fiberglass wall (and also along the wood door frame). When the curtain isn’t in use, I leave enough magnets stuck to the door frame on one of the magnet locations so they are easy to reach when needed. The idea is that the shower curtain is used when showering and then simply detached and rolled up and tucked on the door side when not in use. You will find that this method works well for keeping the toilet area dry (along with the toilet paper).
We had a chance to vigorously test the new magnetic system on our recent 11 night trip from our home in San Diego to Lassen Volcanic National Park (see our recent trip report). We found that the magnets work really well, but care needs to be taken when removing the magnets after showering to prevent the underlying magnets which are attached to the fiberglass wall from pulling off. After a little experience, we learned that it’s best to slide the top magnet to the side rather than pull straight back. When we adopted this approach, we stopped having any problems with magnets popping off. However, when we returned from our trip, I glued secondary redundant magnets next to each magnet so that even if one pops off during a trip there are still plenty of magnet points to attach to. 9/4/2021 UPDATE: I found the small round magnets pop off too easily from the fiberglass, so I switched to these bar magnets for the ones attached to the Scamp. This seems to be much more secure. Overall, we have found that this is an excellent solution to securing a shower curtain in the Scamp as it quickly creates a great comfy dry bath.
After doing everything in this article, you should have a reasonably dry toilet compartment after each shower!
Disclaimer: You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale. These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences. However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer. It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything correctly.
