As an innovator who has been living on the streets across the USA and Canada since July, 2015, I've been custom building a campervan since January 2016. I installed an outside shower due to extremely limited space inside and with the intention to use the outside shower only in emergencies and to wash the dog. I've been using fitness center and campground showers until the March, 2020 COVID-19 lockdown which required all fitness centers and most campgrounds to close. This forced me to innovate a way to take showers outside of my van and eventually inside of my van. I had to move the shower from outside to inside due to issues of cold weather, wind and privacy. I'm sharing this to make your life easier and more comfortable.
Simple inside shower solution installed in a campervan can be folded out of the way.
Shower base: 7-8" high collapsible dog pool with drain. This base is 32" wide which is plenty to stand in comfortably. As you erect the shower curtains wider on top, there is plenty of room to move your arms, even more room than standard RV showers!
Best Recommended Parts
Shower Base - RUBY-Q Foldable and Collapsible Pool 32" × 8“
Shower Liners - to be continued...
Shower Head -
Shower Head Valve - 1/2" ID
Plumbing Tape -
1 3/4" Faucet hole cover (any color), 1/2" drill bit (drill from the inside of hole going out the top), suitable drain hose.
3/4" metal hole saw blade (for drain hose), optional grommet and primer paint.
Low flow shower head with holder(s) (I have two holders for a high and low shower position). A two handle shower control is not needed or recommended.
2X 72" medium or light duty shower curtains (any color or clear) with bottom weights.
Medium size carabiner clips to fasten shower top.
*Standard RV Inside Shower Problems
Upper body room too small: Hard, straight, narrow vertical walls hurt your arms when you hit them by lathering and rinsing.
Often too short for tall people.
Takes up too much precious space even though too small to practically use.
Outside Shower Problems
Lack of privacy; possible indecency exposure legal trouble.
Possible fine or confrontations for dripping grey water.
Uncomfortable cold / cold wind. Adverse weather.
High winds can cause door to slam on and injure you.
Inconveniences - preparations, clothing, soap, towel outside.
This is how I started, March, 2020 in Arizona BLM land, but high winds would slam these doors on me, risking injury, cool breezes, public scrutiny and inconveniences made this very problematic. I brainstormed how to fit a shower inside this 20' long motorhome. A collapsible pool and removable shower curtains was the answer. I've been using the inside version since April, 2020 with great comfort and success; no problems at all.
Helpful Details
This is an eco-friendly low energy consumption shower system that eliminates the need for propane consumption.
You will need a suitable power source that can handle a 15 minutes of water heating and other appliances. A 3,000 watt pure sine wave inverter (link above) recommended, otherwise the inverter will overheat and fail, especially if used with other appliances.
Plug the electric water heater directly into the inverter and only use one appliance extension cord to avoid overheating.
A 4 gallon water heater is large enough for one person to take a very comfortable shower, or two people to take quicker showers. This is the smallest wattage 3 to 4 gallon water heater I could find. This eliminates the need for propane. I find 15 minutes of a 1,300 watt drain not to noticeably drain the battery. There are very few DC water heaters and they are less efficient and/or inferior. The smaller water heater uses the same watts, so you might as well get large enough for comfort.
32" collapsible / folding dog / kid pool.
Biodegradable soap is recommended for the environment, especially if drained to the ground.
It takes about 15 minutes to heat the water. You will need a "decent", but not extreme power source. A 3,000+W inverter is necessary to prevent overload. To conserve power, turn the water heater off after it has heated the water so when you take a shower, it won't consume more power heating water. Use the water on/off valve at the shower head as mentioned below to reduce water use when lathering, etc.
This is not completely my idea. I learned from Live Like Pete and made some modifications to suit my style which is a more simplistic and stronger design for every day use rather than once in a while.
This design is for vans / RVs too small to accommodate a permanent shower or where the permanent shower is too tiny.
This design is a mixture of permanent and temporary. Only the drain is permanent.
This design allows a much larger freedom of upper body movement vs. standard RV showers. Most Class B RV owners don't use their inside shower because of the extremely limited freedom of upper body movement.
A standard RV shower handle is not recommended due to made in China plastic and bulkiness and two handles for hot/cold are not needed since you will only be running one hot/warm water line. Rather, I recommend using a 1/2" ID threaded brass valve at the shower head for ease of reach. Use this valve to turn water supply on and off and to reduce water consumption (don't have to shower with valve wide open, can close half way for half as much water consumption and turn off for a pause to lather / allow hair conditioner to work.
When done taking shower, tilt shower pan towards drain and rinse to prevent mildew and grime. You can either crunch the shower pan and curtains out of the way or remove them for storage. I just crunch out of the way a bit since I rarely need to use the cumbersome sliding door anyway (I enter and exit through the driver's side door as much as possible).
How to connect the drain: Cut a 1/2" hole 1" from the edge of the vinyl pool. Insert the rubber washer at bottom, then screw on the large nut to tighten the seal.
I'm seeking a method for a quick connect/disconnect drain to move the vinyl pool out of the way.
Be careful when reaching for something while showering because the curtains could go over the tub which is very hard to see.
How Eco Friendly
Allows for living in smaller space which in the case of an RV offers better fuel efficiency.
Encourages water conservation vs. standard house shower with unlimited water.
Encourages solar power for electric water heater vs. propane, etc.
It was a lot of work to design this shower and website; please share and contribute.
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