Campervan showers - Convert a van

Campervan explorers – everywhere – shower less than they could. Or is it should? Welcome to our guide all about campervan showers.

Our personal experience is when we are out and about, big areas of water tend to be the places we are drawn to, whether that’s in the form of sea or freshwater lakes. And where there is a lake, or the sea, we’re probably going to be in it getting wet. For better or for worse, that often means we, quote unquote, shower less when we’re on the road.

I don’t think we feel particularly dirty, or smell, and perhaps not using the soaps and gels every day is a good thing. So the question begs, do you even need a shower?

Showers in campervans come in four main varieties: Indoor, outdoor, portable, and no shower

To get water to a lovely shower temperature, you will need to heat it.

So whether you intend to spend your time in a van too small for an indoor shower, you want to seek refuge in campsites with pristine facilities, or you’re going to be a full timer that needs a complete shower system that is fully plumbed in, this guide should have something for you on the shower in a campervan front.

Considerations

So, you’ve determined that a campervan shower is an absolute must-have. Excellent choice! First, a few critical factors demand your attention.

Space: Size matters when it comes to installing a shower in your camper. Can you afford to allocate precious square footage to a dedicated shower room?

Electricity: A basic rinse may not require power, but for a more sophisticated setup, your campervan’s electrical system needs to be up to the challenge.

Water heating: Cold showers might work in balmy weather, but if we’re not sacrificing quality of life then warm water is essential for a satisfying shower experience.

Water tanks: Showers will guzzle up your water supply. Consider whether your campervan’s water tanks can keep up with the demand.

Drainage: Efficient water drainage is essential and a shower will produce a lot of grey waste. How you trap and let that way out in an environmentally friendly fashion is worth considering.

Ventilation: Humidity from showers can lead to condensation, mould and mildew in a confined space and we. dont. like. condensation.

Privacy: If privacy is important, you’ll need to go for an interior shower. If you opt for an outdoor shower or a less enclosed indoor setup, think about incorporating privacy solutions, such as curtains or folding screens.

Showerhead and fixtures: Choose shower heads and fixtures that suit your preferences and water-saving goals, while also being compatible with your campervan’s water system. Nice looking mixers can get expensive.

INDOOR showers

Do you install a shower inside your campervan? Let’s take a look at what they are and what you need to think about.

Comfort: Indoor showers provide a more comfortable and controlled environment, allowing you to shower in all weather conditions.

Privacy: An indoor shower offers a higher level of privacy compared to an outdoor shower, which can be especially important when camping in crowded areas or urban settings.

Ease of use: Indoor showers typically require less setup and packdowns compared to outdoor showers, as everything is already built-in and ready to use. Believe us, there are enough jobs to do in a campervan.

Year-round use: Indoor showers can be used comfortably during all seasons, making them a practical choice for those who use their campervan throughout the year.

Space utilisation: Indoor showers do take up valuable space inside the campervan and you might need to get creative to minimise their footprint. Indoor showers can also serve as a private space for changing clothes or storing dirty laundry and wet gear when not in use. Sub optimal, in my opinion, but it’s something at least.

Heating an indoor shower

We have a whole section on how to heat water in your campervan, perfect for a shower, you can see it here. In short though, you will need either big electricity or a big gas system, or have a system connected to your car engine (yep, that’s right, the engine! That’s what we do in our van) to warm up water. You can do it with a tank, or make it instantly hot (on demand).

Let’s move on to the types of indoor showers.

Types of indoor showers

Fully Enclosed Shower

The comfort of a home-like bathroom experience should involve a fully enclosed shower. These permanent fixtures come with a toilet for added convenience and are designed to be waterproofed, plumbed, and ventilated. However, this luxury comes at a price, both monetary and spatial. You’ll need to allocate at least 80 cm squared, ensure there’s enough headroom, and budget for easily spending a few hundred quid.

Retractable Shower

Retractable showers cleverly utilise the living area when needed. When not in use, the shower neatly stows away, freeing up space. We love a multifunctional use of space at Convert a Van.

While retractable showers are more space friendly than their fully enclosed counterparts, they come with a couple of significant downsides: moisture can escape and damage your van if not properly sealed and ventilated, and they are almost never ‘off the shelf’ and will require custom installation.

Pros of indoor showers:

Cleanliness: With an indoor shower, you’ll have no excuses not to maintain freshness on the road
Luxury: An indoor shower is an enviable addition, which could boost your van’s resale value.
Convenience: Having a shower onboard means you can wash whenever and wherever you choose, without having to rely on public facilities or pay for campsites.
Privacy: Unlike public showers or outdoor alternatives, an indoor shower offers the privacy and comfort you’re used to at home.

Cons of indoor showers:

Floor space: An indoor shower, especially a wet room, requires a minimum of 0.75m2 of floor space, potentially eating into your living area.
Height: To accommodate an indoor shower, your van must have enough headroom for you to stand comfortably.
“Wasted” space: A wet room’s primary functions are showering and using the toilet, limiting its versatility and leaving it unused for extended periods.
Waterproofing: Ensuring that your wet room is adequately waterproofed is vital to prevent leaks and damage to your van.
Drains: Installing an efficient drainage system is necessary to prevent odours from the grey water tank and maintain headspace.
Condensation: A proper ventilation system must be in place to manage moisture and prevent damage from condensation. Check out our guide on condensation here.
Inconvenience: Having an indoor shower means extra tasks, such as filling the tank, emptying wastewater, and cleaning.

OUTDOOR showers

When it comes to campervan showers, outdoor options offer an often space-saving and cost-effective alternative to indoor showers. Let’s explore what we’ve learned about the different types of outdoor showers, their advantages, and their drawbacks.

Dual-purpose: Outdoor showers can be used not only for personal hygiene but also for cleaning dirty gear, washing dishes, or rinsing off pets.

Water conservation: With an outdoor shower, you can be more conscious of your water usage, as you’ll likely use less water than with an indoor shower. This can help preserve your limited water supply during extended trips.

Set up and breakdown: Although outdoor showers are generally portable and easy to set up, they may require a bit more effort to assemble and disassemble compared to a built-in indoor shower. This can be a minor inconvenience for some users.

Shower enclosure options: If privacy is a concern, you can use a pop-up shower tent or portable shower enclosure with your outdoor shower.

Seasonal use: Outdoor showers might be more suitable for those who primarily use their campervan during the warmer months, as the colder weather may make showering outside uncomfortable.

Types of Outdoor showers

Fixed outdoor shower

A fixed outdoor shower is one that is plumbed directly into your water system but instead of having a bathroom inside, you stand outside of the van to shower. The dirt on the floor is your shower tray.

Pros of a fixed outdoor shower:

Convenience: A fixed outdoor shower is always ready to use, saving you time and effort when setting up and breaking down a portable shower.
Consistent water pressure: With a built-in plumbing system, a fixed outdoor shower can provide consistent water pressure, ensuring a comfortable and enjoyable shower experience.
Durability: A fixed outdoor shower is typically more durable and robust than a portable one, as it is designed to withstand the rigours of frequent use and travel.
Customisation: You can design a fixed outdoor shower to suit your preferences, such as selecting specific fixtures, adjusting the height, or adding a privacy screen.

Cons of a fixed outdoor shower:

Space and weight: A fixed outdoor shower may require additional space on the exterior of your campervan and add weight to your vehicle.
Installation: The installation process for a fixed outdoor shower can be more complex than a portable one.
Limited privacy: Depending on your setup, a fixed outdoor shower may not provide as much privacy as an indoor or portable one, unless you add a privacy screen or enclosure.
Exposure to elements: A fixed outdoor shower is exposed to weather conditions, which could affect its longevity and require more frequent maintenance.
Reduced stealth: Having a fixed outdoor shower on the exterior of your campervan can make it more obvious that you’re living in the van, potentially drawing unwanted attention in some situations.

Solar Shower Bags

Solar shower bags are these great little black bags that you fill up and leave in the sun all day. The sun warms up the water in the bag and when you’re ready for a shower (usually at the end of the day) you hang it up somewhere higher than your head, turn on the tap, and gravity feeds the water down a hose through a shower head and onto your body.

Pros of a solar shower bag:

Affordability: Solar shower bags are inexpensive and easy to use, requiring minimal setup.
Eco-friendly: These showers utilise solar energy to heat the water, making them a green option.
Portability: Solar shower bags can be easily hung from tree branches or hooks and taken down when not in use.

Cons of a solar shower bag:

Climate-dependency: Solar showers rely on sunny weather to heat the water, making them less effective in cloudy or cooler climates.
Height limitations: The bag must be hung higher than the user for the water to flow properly, which can be challenging for taller individuals.
Risk of damage: Overheating the water can cause the plastic bag to melt or warp, while rough surfaces can puncture the bag if not adequately protected.

Pressure Solar Showers

Pressure Solar showers, like the solar bag, use the power of the sun to warm up the water within them. But, with a bit of welly from a leg or a forearm, pressure is pumped into the container which means you don’t have to rely on gravity to get the water out.

Pros of a pressure solar shower:

Continuous water flow: Pressure solar showers use a foot pump to maintain water pressure, providing a consistent flow throughout your shower.
Ground placement: Unlike solar shower bags, pressure solar showers can be placed on the ground, making them easier to use in various locations.
Versatility: These showers can be used in a range of environments, as long as the bag is protected from potential damage.

Cons of a pressure solar shower:

Climate-dependency: Like solar shower bags, pressure solar showers also rely on sunlight to heat the water.
Pressure maintenance: As you use the water, the pressure will decrease, requiring additional pumping to maintain proper water flow.
Puncture risks: The bags must be protected from rough surfaces or sharp objects to avoid punctures or damage.

No shower

For those who decide against installing a shower in their campervan, there are still plenty of alternatives to maintain a passable level of personal hygiene while on the road.

Sea, Lake, or River Swim

The most cost-effective and invigorating option is to take a dip in a nearby body of water. Refreshing? Sure, suitable for colder climates? Not so sure. Many beaches have public showers that you can use, although sometimes the water in these is not super fresh. Also, you’ll be (rightly) scorned for using soap products at public showers.

Service Station Showers

While not the most glamorous option, petrol station showers can be workable. Few have them, your best bet is to find a bigger service station, or if you’re on the continent a ‘truck stop’. You’ll need to pay a small fee.

Gym Showers

Consider joining a gym with multiple locations to gain access to a network of gym showers. This solution not only provides you with unlimited hot showers, but also the opportunity to stay fit and healthy on the road. Works best if you are staying in the UK, we didn’t find a suitable option for this whilst travelling between countries.

Campsites

All campsites have showers. Worth checking the condition of them by looking at the campsite Park4Night reviews.

Community Centers and Swimming Pools

Public swimming pools and community centres often have showers and changing rooms available for a nominal fee. This option can be particularly useful when staying in urban areas.

Couchsurfing and Friend Visits

If you have friends or family in the area, or are open to making new connections, consider asking to use their shower facilities. Alternatively, you can use platforms like Couchsurfing to connect with locals who may be willing to let you use their shower in exchange for some good company or a helping hand around the house.

How to install a shower

There are lots of ways you can do this, depending on what kind of shower and bathroom set up you want, so we are going to have to do this in generalistic terms.

First, an assumption. We are going to assume you have read our guide on plumbing your campervan. That means you already know how to choose and fit your water tank and your water pump. If not, you can find more on that step here.

If you are heating your water, it’s also best to have a look at our water heating guide here, as that will play a big part in adding a shower to your campervan. Here we go:

Step 1: Plan your layout

Before you begin any installation, make sure you have planned your campervan layout to determine where the shower, water tanks, mixer and water heater will be placed.

Step 2: Choose your shower system

Select an appropriate shower system for your needs, considering factors such as water usage, space requirements, heating systems, location in the van, and shower heads

Step 3: Gather necessary materials and tools

To plumb your shower, you will need a showerhead and hose, plumbing fittings and pipes (we only advise using push fit), inserts and mounting hardware. You’ll also need tools like a pipe cutter, tape measure, plenty of cloth to wipe up the leaking water.

Step 4: Run plumbing lines

From the connected water tank -> water pump -> Accumulator, you are going to want to split your water so you have some pipework dedicated to the shower. This can be done using a Y or a T shape splitter.

Focussing only on the shower side, and how you are heating your water, you may need to split this once more, to create a cold and a soon to be hot water pipe.

Remember to always use inserts when connecting up bits of pipe. And that the little round pipe cutters are best for working with the plastic push fit pipes.

Attach the pipe dedicated to making hot water to wherever you input water into your water heating device, whether that is a combi boiler, a calorifier or an electric instant water heater.

Install the showerhead and hose

Mount the mixer, showerhead and hose in your chosen location.

Attach the cold water pipe to the cold water side of the shower mixer or tap (depending on what style you have bought).

Run a pipe from your water heater (out) to the hot water side of your tap/ mixer.

Step 5: Check your work

Now you should have a line coming out of the water tank that goes into a water pump and then an accumulator.

Out the other side, the cold water pipes split off and for the shower, you have split the pipe again, into a stay cold and a will be hot pipe.

The stay cold pipe runs all the way over to your shower valve (the plumbing word for a tap/ mixer), and has successfully connected water from the tank to the shower.

The soon to be hot water pipe goes into your water heating device. Another pipe connects your heating device up to the hot water side of your valve/ tap/ mixer.

Step 6: Test your system

Fill the fresh water tank, turn on the water pump, and open the shower valve to test your system for leaks and proper operation.

By the power of pressure change, when you open the tap, the pump should kick in and draw water out from the tank. It travels along your expert pipework and comes out of the shower head.

What we did

Our bathroom is half height (the height of our kitchen worktop) and you have to lift a lid to reveal it.

It’s a bathroom in a box. A 1.2m x 0.8m box.

You enter the bathroom by climbing into it.

The bathroom is completely watertight. We ‘tanked it’ with a tanking kit. Tanking is like paint on plastic, you slop it around everywhere and when it dries (over multiple coats) it forms a completely watertight layer. Paint on water tank.

The floor is a shop bought shower tray with a manual flush toilet cut out. It’s a standard piece but it is designed especially for campervan bathrooms. It cost us £80. Fun fact, we actually built the whole van around this shower tray.

Because of the configuration of the bathroom to the kitchen, when the lid is up we can shower using the kitchen tap and a shower head attachment.

All we need to do is lift the bathroom lid, get into it, connect the hose and turn on the tap in the kitchen.

There is no water plumbed directly in our bathroom. In order to keep things simple, we only plumbed water to the kitchen sink.

This takes ever so slightly more time than it would if we had a separate shower, but has saved us loads of energy and money not having to build a separate shower plumbing system. Fewer connections in the plumbing system means fewer chances of leaks. And, it’s really incredibly easy to stick a rubber seal on the end of our tap and turn it on, so really the daily effort of a shower is minimal.

After our last 6 month trip, however, I am going to invest in a solar shower. One of the pressure ones.

Honestly, a tonne of places we stayed were in the middle of nowhere and you could easily shower butt naked without anyone seeing outside. And it’s really lovely to be able to rinse off outdoors when the sun is out. I think Brits like that kind of thing, because we never get the chance to do it on home soil.