Campervan shower
An RV shower is a must-have item for many travelers. It is difficult to talk about complete independence in caravanning if the travel plan must include places with access to toilets, such as campsites or gas stations. Then there is no way to hide from civilization for a long time. Some caravanners simply don't like toilets in public places. What shower solutions are available in the market? Which one is best for you? How much does it cost? In this article we will try to answer these questions.
Showering in a camper - basic rules
The vast majority of factory-built campers have a bathroom with a toilet. In smaller vehicles such as campers, they are usually placed in one room. In the larger campers we have a separate shower cabin, and next to it there is a separate room for the toilet, washbasin and cosmetics cabinet. This is definitely the most convenient way.
Large bathroom with shower in the Concorde Charisma 860 LI camper.
Bathroom with shower in the Bürstner Lyseo TD 728 G HL campervan.
If you are building a camper yourself, we strongly recommend that you look for a place for a shower and toilet. You will appreciate these decisions in the long run. The smallest campervans, based on vehicles such as the VW Transporter or Opel Vivaro, usually do not have bathrooms, although creative designers are already producing vehicles equipped with them. It turns out that you can make room even in a very small space, although, of course, you have to make compromises, for example, in terms of space for additional luggage. An interesting project is the latest vehicle from the Polish company BusKamper - a small camper with a bathroom. Look at the video to see how it all worked out:
Outdoor shower for camper
The easiest, cheapest and fastest way to shower in your campervan is to connect an external shower. If we already have tanks with clean water in the camper, then the procedure itself will be quite quick and simple. The offer on the market is very wide. The simplest systems offer a cold water connection, but there is also a version with temperature control.
See how it works. The price of the device presented here is approximately PLN 625 gross:
However, an outdoor camper shower is best for rinsing off your feet or beach clothes, washing your bikes before putting them on the rack, or for cooling down on a hot day. Of course, you can also use it for regular baths, but it may be a little inconvenient. It would also be completely impractical at any time of year other than summer. In order for hot water to flow from such a shower, it is necessary to additionally equip a boiler.
Using an outdoor shower doesn't have to be a problem. For an external shower mounted on the back or side wall of the camper, you can buy a camping folding shower stall. The so-called “Shower Tent” can also be used as a changing room. However, when using cosmetics, it is important to take care of the environment: collect water with foam and pour it into a designated area. Mobile wastewater tanks, as well as a shower platform or a regular bowl, will come in handy.
Internal shower for camper
Of course, an indoor shower will be much more practical. In the camper we build, we have to find room for it, but in return we have the comfort and ability to use it all year round.
Building and installing a camper shower can be a lot easier than we think. Even a standard shower cabin purchased at a home goods store will do this role. This is exactly what our reader Mr. Janusz did. It works!
If you are wondering what materials to use for a campervan shower or what to cover the bathroom walls with, we recommend visiting our discussion group, where experienced caravanners will be happy to share their knowledge.
For the cabin walls, you can use acrylic glass (called plexiglass), laminate, PVC (rigid or foam), and some even use PVC flooring. HIPS boards are getting good reviews. The material is flexible, but at the same time quite hard. It is important to use high-quality adhesives so that the materials are correctly connected to each other, because under the influence of water or elevated temperatures, defects can occur.
