Can drain be installed on old cooler? (planning a funky off grid bathtub)

I wasn't sure in what category I should put this post. Please correct me if it would be better placed in a different category.

I got the idea to use an old cooler as a bathtub in my tiny house. I have limited space and this is something I could pull out to use as needed.

Question is, is installing a drain valve on a pre-existing cooler a good option? I'd want something that would hold up and work well. Not sure if a DIY drain might wind up being subpar in some way.

I have been looking on Craigslist / Marketplace but don't know if I should hold out for something that already has a drain. So far, I've only managed to find ones without.

Thanks!

Howdy,

I have a few ice chest coolers, different sizes, used for river raft trips and one feature is they have drain plugs with garden hose threads so you don't have to tip the chest to remove water. The brand I have are Igloo and are of very rigid plastic, heavy duty. do a search for

ice chest with drain plug

or/also

ice chest drain plug assembly

Hi Neera;
My concern is just how durable the bottom of a cooler would be with a human standing/ sitting in it?  (you must be very petite to even consider it)
A cut off plastic 55 gal barrel with a hose bib drain might do the job?
You could build a cedar board surround to hide the ugly  blue barrel.

thomas rubino wrote:Hi Neera;
My concern is just how durable the bottom of a cooler would be with a human standing/ sitting in it?  (you must be very petite to even consider it)
A cut off plastic 55 gal barrel with a hose bib drain might do the job?
You could build a cedar board surround to hide the ugly  blue barrel.

Thanks! I may have to think about how to bolster the bottom, but yes, I also am very petite. Thanks for your suggestion! I am a bit attached to the cooler idea because it's of perfect size to fit under my bed and pull out when I need it / double as storage when I don't. I have very little space so I have to be creative if I want special amenities like a bath tub in my tiny house.

We have used a Rubbermaid water tank for a bathtub.  Dear hubby put a drain in the bottom to drain it.

We replace that with a portable bathtub from Wayfair.

The portable bathtub has turned out to be our best option.

We use clear plastic tubing to fill the tub from our faucet so the water can be as warm as we want.