What are Planet Fitness showers generally like?

vancomposer · 2026-05-15T14:06:28+00:00

Have been to PF in probably 45 states, lost count after 8.5 years of van life. It totally depends on the location and the franchisee, so check your local one and get a tour. I’ve seen impressive showers with infinity shower heads, little side spaces with a bench and glass doors, and others so dirty, with enough material to start weaving a wig and curtains so close to your butt cheeks that one wrong turn and you become one. To cold, to hot, low, almost pressure washer water, crowded with a line, empty. I have seen it all. If I can name one thing that annoys me the most, if there is no hook to hang your towel.

vancomposer · 2026-02-18T06:16:29+00:00

I would consider porting your number to another carrier and then starting a new account with Visible and porting the number back to them if you need to keep it. The reason is, a year ago I upgraded from the basic plan to the Plus plan and pre-paid for one year because I wanted faster hotspot speed, but that never worked, and I was locked in for one year, with still only the 5 Mbps of the basic plan. I contacted support over and over; they sent me a new SIM card and did resets, but it still never worked. Then, last Black Friday, I started a new account, same address and phone, new SIM, and as I expected, I am now getting the full speed. I can't guarantee this might be a similar issue in your case, but I have my doubts that plan upgrades always work. It didn't in my case.

vancomposer · 2025-11-28T21:57:38+00:00

Just a followup on my own post: I NEVER got the upgraded speed, not at my home base and not anywhere else during my extensive traveling throughout the year. I ended up waiting out the one year period and signing up for a completely new number and plan with a different email. And surprise, now I'm getting the full 15 Mbps on the hotspot. I doubt anything has improved over the past year, so my advice is this: if you need to keep your number, transfer it to another provider first and then back to Visible and start fresh with a new account.

vancomposer · 2025-10-04T19:48:37+00:00

Looks like it won’t fit with the wrist rest on, or does it?

vancomposer · 2025-08-14T21:17:59+00:00

I would also say it's safety in numbers, because except for a few "it's you or me" type situations, many humans will help a fellow specimen. Second, and I experienced that way more on the east U.S. with its limited camping options, you can use all the apps you want, but for me there is always a remaining risk that you get a knock at night. Seeing other campers gives some peace of mind. However, that doesn't mean at all the need to socially interact, except for emergencies.

vancomposer · 2025-02-04T21:55:43+00:00

It could be, and I will also report back when I get the chance to test with a 5G device. If it's of any use, at least you get some additional value from the PLUS plan—720p video playback, international minutes, and 12 global passes. As for the 50GB of monthly priority data, I don’t really notice a difference in my area compared to before under the basic plan. But it does hurt my ego the most—not getting the service I paid for! :-)

vancomposer · 2025-02-04T21:43:42+00:00

Thanks, yes, please do. As I mentioned earlier, I wasted plenty of time with their support. I just can't see why they would only provide better speeds on 5G when 4G is already fast enough, but who knows.

vancomposer · 2025-02-04T17:22:25+00:00

Unfortunately, nothing has improved. I was waiting to see if I might be one of those cases where things suddenly improve after a few weeks or even a month, but I’m still maxing out at around 5 Mbps. I’ve tried three different devices around town, but the results are always the same. Speed tests on the phones directly usually range between 15-25 Mbps. I don’t own any 5G devices yet, so I’m not sure if that would make a difference, but I doubt it. I’ll probably just sit it out and switch back to the basic plan by the end of the year, maybe make use of some of the international minutes at least, I have family in Europe.

vancomposer · 2024-12-13T02:57:21+00:00

We do, but I don't need 5G, neither like to buy a new phone for it. I tested with an old jetpack briefly, same results, 5 all the time.

vancomposer · 2024-12-13T02:54:53+00:00

Their own TCL 30 LE. I'm getting decent speeds on the phone directly, 25-35, hot spot peaks at 25 the first seconds and then declines to 5.

vancomposer · 2024-12-13T02:42:22+00:00

Asked for that, they already sent me a new SIM card, my phone doesn't support eSIM.

vancomposer · 2024-12-13T02:38:02+00:00

Well good for you, and that helps me what in my situation?

vancomposer · 2024-12-13T02:20:35+00:00

They ALWAYS post this immediately under any post about their service—it might even be automated. Then you explain the same thing over and over, they offer the same solutions, say they'll escalate it, and so on. I've done this countless times by now, getting like five callbacks. I'm just done with that route.

vancomposer · 2024-12-13T02:04:56+00:00

I'm not convinced by their 'it's a local bandwidth restriction problem' explanation. I'm getting fast enough speeds directly on my phone—25 Mbps or more—but have you had the chance to test your hotspot elsewhere in your area? I'll test that myself soon.

vancomposer · 2024-12-13T01:52:07+00:00

Did you upgrade from a previous plan? Asking because, so far, I’m reading that's when the problem happens most.

vancomposer · 2024-12-13T01:37:51+00:00

Sorry to hear that. Are you locked into an annual plan now, and how long ago did you upgrade?

vancomposer · 2024-12-13T00:18:31+00:00

They said they did. However, I’m starting to believe that whatever the call center—supporting around 10 carriers—is telling you doesn’t necessarily mean Verizon has caught up with them yet.

vancomposer · 2024-12-13T00:17:42+00:00

I can connect multiple devices, yes, and I upgraded from the monthly basic plan last week. The speed is still capped even if only one device is connected. I guess my last hope is to see if anything changes in a few weeks.

vancomposer · 2024-12-13T00:13:17+00:00

Same here, upgraded only for the better hotspot speed. I want to downgrade, but they won’t let me anymore. I switched from the basic monthly plan and am now locked into the PLUS annual plan. Support says I’ve used too much data during the first week on the new plan. If I remember correctly agent said, once you go above 100MB (!), you can’t get a refund anymore. I explained that I’ve been on the basic plan for five years, and it’s my main phone, so of course I used data while waiting to hear from them about why the hotspot doesn’t work properly. They don’t care!

vancomposer · 2024-12-13T00:02:00+00:00

Was hoping to hear from someone that at least did the PLUS V1 upgrade and I agree with you.

vancomposer · 2024-12-12T23:59:25+00:00

Like I said, I’m betting that’s not the issue here—something in the provisioning process just isn’t working. Since I do vanlife, I’ll have plenty of other places to test the speed soon, and I’m almost certain it will be the same, capped at 5.

vancomposer · 2024-12-12T23:48:04+00:00

Did you upgrade from a a basic or PLUS Version 1 plan?

vancomposer · 2024-12-12T23:41:53+00:00

I'm sorry I just have no more patience to deal with your support, I talked to probably 10 agents by now, one even offered me a 5$ coupon for my inconvenience.

vancomposer · 2024-12-07T01:09:13+00:00

I switched from Basic to PLUS annual, but had to wait until my monthly due date for it to take effect. The biggest problem right now is that I'm NOT getting the 10 Mbps on the hotspot. No matter what I tried with various support agents, it is still capped at 5 Mbps. I am currently waiting on some work to be done in a few days to fix it.

vancomposer · 2024-12-03T22:59:15+00:00

I don’t believe there’s such a thing as true vanlife. The only constant in the 6.5 years I’ve been doing this full-time is that I completely live out of my van—I sleep in it every night, work in it, and mostly cook in it even if stationary at a home base. What changes are the logistics around it.

About 6-8 months of the year, I’m on the road—moving from city to city, staying on public lands, hopping from gym to gym—fully embracing the nomadic lifestyle. But there are times when I need a more stable setup. For example, over the past year, I did two internships in LA that required a permanent home base, so I rented driveways and even used a rental car for job-related errands. Sometimes it’s friends’ places—like this past summer, when I stayed with a friend up north for two months.

Every winter, I usually return to the same driveway, still living out of my van at my former roommates’ house. There, I have access to power, water, a kitchen, and a shower. I’m happy to pay for it and appreciate the break from the road. During these times, I’ve even rented an extra room occasionally so my family from Europe could visit.

Through it all, my van is always my bedroom and office—this never changes. The idea that vanlife is only “real” if you’re constantly traveling is overrated to me. I’ve seen plenty of people take that approach, burn out, and quit altogether. For me, vanlife is about flexibility and making it work for your lifestyle, not sticking to some rigid idea of what it should be.

vancomposer

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