Showers are an important part of staying clean while living on the road. Many vans don't have enough room for a shower since a shower stall takes up a lot of space, onboard water is limited, and not all vehicles have water heaters installed either. But for many nomads a shower (or two!) is an important part of their home on the road. Outdoor shower heads, typically installed at the back of the van, are an option in warm weather.
Onboard or offboard showers
Be sure to put some thought into whether or not you need a shower in your vehicle, even if you have space. It's a commonly-sought amenity for vanlifers, especially in large vehicles, but an onboard shower stall takes up significant space for something that is usually not in use. A shower stall nearly always doubles as a toilet room ("wet bath"), however, which may be another desired amenity.
To reduce the space impact, many people make a temporary shower space with a removeable shower curtain, or have an outdoor showerhead instead – more details on those below. If you don't have a shower in your vehicle at all, there are plenty of places to shower elsewhere, and there are plenty of other ways to stay clean – more details on those below also.
Places to shower
If you don't have a shower in your vehicle due to space or cost constraints, there are more places to shower than you might think! This includes campgrounds, truck stops, gyms, and more, usually for a fee. Continue reading …
Onboard showers
Saving water
When not connected to water hookups in a campground, water conservation is important due to the limited onboard water supply. "Navy showers" are short, methodical showers intended to use minimal water; 1-2 gallons or 4-9 liters of water per shower are possible. Turn water on just long enough to get your skin and/or hair wet; turn water off while soaping up, lathering, scrubbing; turn water back on to rinse off. You may wish to practice this process before hitting the road.
Shower stall
Fixed shower stalls take up a lot of room in any vehicle! In most builds, the shower stall will also serve as a room for the toilet, also known as a "wet bath". In some wet baths, the toilet is installed in a drawer that slides out of the way when taking a shower. If the toilet is portable (cassette toilet, etc.) it is simply removed from the shower stall and placed elsewhere. Some nomads use the shower stall as a closet when it isn't in use, and then remove the hanging clothing when taking a shower.
To save room, you can create or purchase a collapsible shower that is mostly out of your way when not in use. This could be a shower pan in the floor with a shower curtain that is attached to the ceiling.
See the shower gallery below for examples.
In vehicles with a low roof and in smaller vehicles, there isn't room for a conventional shower stall. You'll need to rely on showers in buildings (see below), outdoor showers, or other methods for personal hygiene.
Installed shower systems
If you already have (or will add) a pressurized water system in your vehicle, an on-demand propane water heater is a popular choice. If you are on shore power or have a very large electrical system with hundreds of watts of solar panels and battery capacity to match, an on-demand electric water heater can work for you. An electric system of this size will cost thousands of dollars.
Recirculating showers
Recirculating shower systems, designed for marine or RV use, are an expensive but water-saving alternative. These showers filter and minimally treat used water (with UV light, for example) and reuse it.
Portable shower systems
Portable showers have the advantage of being useable inside the vehicle (if a shower stall is present) or outdoors in a shower tent, behind a tarp attached to your vehicle, or out in the open.
Portable system, heated and pressurized water: Portable propane camp showers are a good option for those without a pressurized water system. They heat the water to an exact temperature and provide water pressure.
Portable system, pressurized water: Portable shower pumps require you to heat the water first by other means (such as on your stove or campfire). The hot water is poured into a bucket, checked for correct temperature, and pumped from there. Another option is to use a battery-powered garden sprayer, or a pump-powered one.
- INDOOR/OUTDOOR HANDHELD SHOWER - Transforms Sink or Bucket of Water Into Instant Shower Stream; Water-Resistant Unit Includes One Touch On/Off Switch
- PERFECTLY PLEASING PRESSURE - Showerhead Features One Simple Flow Rate for Comfortable Bathing Experience; Gentle Enough for Seniors, Babies and Pets
- SUCTION CUP SUPPORT - Shower-Head Securely Sticks to Any Flat Surface with Provided Suction Cup; Bonus S-Style Hook Lets You Hang it Safely Overhead
- BATTERY POWERED CONVENIENCE - Rechargeable Pump Plugs into Laptop, Car Adapter or Computer via USB; Full Charge Allows Up to 1 Hour of Continuous Use, PLEASE NOTE: May include a wall plug instead of USB
- COMPACT AND PORTABLE - Small, Discreet System Packs Easily in Luggage, Backpack or Car Trunk; for Hiking, Camping, Kid Bathing and Pet Cleaning
Portable system, gravity-fed water: The least expensive shower option is probably a solar shower bag to heat the water in the sun then hang it inside for the shower. This does require a bit of planning to set the bag out ahead of time, and won't work on cold days. Note that the clear side of the bag (if present) should face toward the sun, and the black side should face away from the sun. Get a solar shower with a durable hanging hook, as those are prone to breaking. On colder days, you can set the shower bag on your vehicle dashboard to warm it in the sun, but only if you are very sure it won't leak.
Solar water heating
Solar water heating allows you to use the sun to heat water for showers, cooking, making coffee, and other uses. By using solar energy directly, instead of first converting it to electricity via solar panels, you can generally heat water more efficiently. This method also doesn't use any fuels like propane, but it does depend on fairly sunny weather. Shower with solar heat …
Sink showers
If you have a sink in your van with pressurized water, you may be able to get a removeable faucet on a long hose that doubles as a showerhead.
Showering outside your vehicle
If you will shower next to your vehicle with a hose and showerhead attached to the side or rear of your vehicle, you may be able to attach a tarp or shower curtain between your the upper corners of your open doors so that you can have some privacy while you shower. If that doesn't work with your vehicle, try wearing an opaque rain poncho which allows you to be fully covered while still being completely naked while cleaning yourself; you can insert your showerhead into the neckline or bottom of your poncho as needed. A portable pop-up camp shower tent may work well also.
Showering elsewhere
See Places to shower.
Towels
When showering, squeegee as much water off your body and out of your hair as possible before toweling off. This keeps your towel as dry as possible, which allows it to dry faster in your vehicle – and towels tend to take forever to dry in a vehicle due to the humidity that always seems to be too high (unless you're in a very dry climate). Get a microfiber towel for fast drying[1], or an extra-large car wash shammy towel (purchased from auto parts stores) which can be wrung out and stored in its container wet.[2] Wet towels can be stored in a dry bag if you know you will be able to do laundry very soon.
Showers gallery
See more in the Showers category. For image credits, open image and click More Details.
Resources
| Resource | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Installing showers | How to install various types of showers in your vehicle. | |
| Campervan showers | Showers for your van, from Nomadic Supply. | |
| Search Amazon | Search Amazon for related products. | |
| Search forums and groups | Search van life discussion groups for "showers" | |
| Search related sites | Search van life sites for "showers" | |
| Search NomadLife.wiki | Search other pages on this wiki for "showers" |
Some or all of the content on this page was originally sourced from this page on RVWiki