Long ago, at a caravan & MH show, I saw a set-up with the shower attached to the underside of the rear (opening upwards) door, ie outside. The hose was attached to the kitchen taps. Presumably, one rigged up a shower curtain or there was a rear awning. Dirty water went onto the ground. Landowner or club manager might not be happy. And you’d need to be well away from any wetland or watercourse to avoid polluting it.
A bowl of warm water & a flannel is probably easier & uses a lot less water from your fresh water tank; you’d just pour the bowl away into your waste water tank - I assume you have one?
Many years ago, when we had an old caravan with no shower, although it did have a toilet area just large enough, I made our own shower system.
Using a reasonable size Jerry can, we would heat water in a kettle and pour it into the can, then add cold water to make the temperature suitable. I fitted a shower head to a submersible pump. Standing in a bowl, it was possible to have a short shower. We must have used that for two or three years until we traded in the caravan.
You may be underthinking this a little, because you haven't given details of your hot and cold water systems, BUT I may be overcomplicating things too! Ignoring the details of the actual shower head and drainage, and privacy, for a moment, your on board water supply may be the limiting factor to the practicalities of fitting a shower as you desire.
Working with the known info I have from my own caravan with it's proper fitted shower cubical, onboard water heater and external (40 litre aquaroll) cold water supply, and the waterflow rate from the submersible pump. Your set up may be very different, but is an unknown to me.
Hot water boiler heats water to 60C - far too hot for a shower, so mixer tap in shower also draws from the cold water supply to bring shower water down to comfortable circa 30C temperature.
The water boiler only has a capacity of 10 Litres, when that's used up you will only be getting cold water from the 'hot' system, you need to wait 20-30 minutes for that to reheat back to 60C, as NOT an instant water heater.
On the basis of mixing hot and cold water circa 50:50, there's around probably no more than 15-16 litres of comfortably warm water to shower with, and at my pumps flow rate, that's around 75 seconds of CONTINUOUS flow before the water goes 'COLD'! - and just over 3 minutes before the (now cold) water stops altogether as aquaroll empty!
Hence caravan shower is used 'Navy Style'! That's 1) wet down, turn water off. 2) Apply soap/gel/shampoo. 3) Turn water on and rinse off. No luxuriating in endless hot water for as long as you like as with a domestic shower!
It sounds horrendous and impractical, but it's not really, I only use my onboard shower, not site facilities, and have done so for 8 years. Never finished off with a 'cold' shower, never run out of water (you'll be covered in soap if you do!!!!), and always had a perfectly decent practical shower.
Your own onboard cold water storage, hot water storage, pump flow rate, options for connecting to taps etc. will play a big part in your options, you'd need to do some calculations based on your own equipment. Setting up privacy for external shower, and waste water collection/disposal also comes into play. Most sites are NOT happy having waste water soaking into pitches! - Some (but more often small sites than Club or large sites) will allow 'grey water' to be disposed of into surrounding hedges etc. but still very much OFF pitch.
You may want to consider a toilet/shower tent, and one of the countless pressurised or electric (battery) powered self contained camping showers which you fill with warm water. Waste water disposal may still be an issue - a small kiddies paddling pool may be a suitable collection method, decanting into a container for disposal at appropriate drain point. If draining into ground, you'll need a platform/duck board of some kind, otherwise after a use or two you'll likely be ankle deep in a muddy puddle!
When tent camping, we've got by with a bowl/bucket of warm water and a flannel perfectly well for a few days. With improvised 'onboard' shower, don't overlook 'leakage' inside the van and any damage that may do!
If you do go for an on board set up, a good tip - ALWAYS ensure your water tank in whatever form has sufficient water (preferably full if something like an aquaroll!) BEFORE taking a shower! - otherwise you'll be towelling off soap suds!
I have a Vivaro which up to this point has the bulk head removed, tinted side and back windows, flooring and covered in non slip lino and lastly the pop top roof for sleeping in.
All the rest is a blank canvas and up for debate/change.
I've found a company locally (E A Leisure, who can install everything I want.
The van will be used for mountain biking, fishing and golf so the mountain bike storage is the main concern and getting a shower. Not keen on the idea of showering outside. I would be extra careful with water inside not to cause damage.
I would like to get this build right first time and not miss something I wished I had done.
You can get a fold up or inflatable child or dog paddle pool for a shower tray.
Get a shower curtain or two and fit them to a rail made out of PVC water pipe with 135 degree bends. This will give you a hexagonal rail. Add some ties and hooks to hook it over the roof support bars. Hold the curtain closed with clothes pegs.
As you are starting from scratch and have latitude in what you do, perhaps a bit of guidance from my experiences of looking to purchase a caravan or motorhome (undecided which at the time) with factory fitted bathrooms - DON'T underestimate how much room you need in a shower, and arguably you need more with shower curtains than hard/tensioned walls (shower tent)!
I'm a fairly big bloke 6ft (1.8m) 14st (89kg) broad shouldered muscley rather than flabby beer gut, and not to put too fine a point on it, I really didn't fit well into many of the compact shower cubicles I did 'dry runs' in when simulating a shower with elbows out, hands over head washing hair etc.
Shower curtains tend to cling to you and are drawn in by air flow of rising hot air, and stick to wet body parts, and you end up 'shrink wrapped', so you need a bit more space to avoid that! Too close hard walls you bang your elbows on!
That became a major factor in choosing my caravan with it's full width rear bathroom and near domestic sized shower cubical, as I intended to use on board facilities and the 'micro' bathrooms just weren't very usable for me! They look the part (bit chocolate tea pot like!), may suffice for occasional use, but likely to be a right annoying PITA for regular use! I thought they would be OK in principle, but 'trying' them convinced me otherwise - superbly happy with my caravan's 'proper' shower cubical.
Of course, horses for courses, it's what fits you that counts, but do take account of space needed with 'elbows out'.
The link posted to the Hozelock pressure shower is typical of the type I referred to previously, but I would say less than 10L capacity you are going to have to be pretty economical with water use, not impossible, but tight! Another thing, some camping showers are gravity fed rather than pressure/pumped, and need hoisting above head height, with water weighing 1Kg/L (PLUS the weight of the unit!), consider if you can lift 10Kg or more well above head height AND if you have a strong enough anchoring point - a typical gas strut/spring supported tail gate would like come down under that weight!
Most of the portable showers I've seen can stand water temps of around 50C, so part filling with cold water first then adding hot water should work OK. Recommended for skin health shower water shouldn't exceed about 38C, but for practical reasons with a camping shower, mid 30C's is tolerable for many.
You can get a fold up or inflatable child or dog paddle pool for a shower tray.
Get a shower curtain or two and fit them to a rail made out of PVC water pipe with 135 degree bends. This will give you a hexagonal rail. Add some ties and hooks to hook it over the roof support bars. Hold the curtain closed with clothes pegs.
Post last edited on 21/01/2026 22:00:59
Cute in that someone thought of using a pressurised spray bottle that I bought from a garden centre for applying weed killers around the house into a shower!
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
Having my own onboard facilities was a design must-have, just a chemical toilet, shower and a sink.
The hot water tank is only 12L or so (I *think*) which can be heated when the Webasto diesel heater is on, or I can heat it up using the stand-alone immersion heater.
I use a trigger hand-held sprayer to minimise water usage.
I use the bathroom mainly for the toilet, and hanging items such as the quick-drying micro-fibre towel, bath robe, clothing and other camping bits and pieces such as the folding steps to access the drop-down bed.
When I use the shower, I have to move some of the items out of the way. It is small in size not dissimilar to the toilets on a plane, definitely no rood to swing a cat! No curtain as it is a wet room.
I only use my own shower if a site does not have them, and some CAMC club sites have no facilities except for a Motorhome Service Point, Chemical Disposal Point(s) and fresh water.
Don't mind using my own shower as the last resort except it is PITA to mop and clean up afterwards!
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
Quote: Originally posted by ProperBo on 23/1/2026
This is a great idea (Colapz heated shower). Can't find anything like it online that's like for like.
Pity it has sold out but I've asked to be updated when it's back in stock.
I'm in no hurry to buy so will wait until it's available.
I believe it is quite new as it is not available via Amazon yet, only via Colapz directly.
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
Quote: Originally posted by navver on 23/1/2026
Going simpler.
Get an inflatable kids pool which you can sit in.
Fill some bottles with warm water, boiling a kettle and adding to some cold.
Sit in the pool and pour some water over yourself to get wet.
Wash hair first or over sink.
Wet body and soap
Pour water over to rinse.
Being a person with reduced mobility, sitting down and getting up would be difficult for me.
Hence I prefer walk-in showers nowadays.
I stripped my house of its bath tub and installed a wet room back in 2006 when I relocated to Wiltshire. Being a 2-bedroom semi-detached house with just one bathroom, it is not going to be attractive as a home for larger families.
I dislike showers inside a bath due to risks of slippage.
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
I just read the only review available and it runs on 2kW Mains power, something to be aware of.
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
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Topic: Folding Bathtub for Campervan
via mobile 21/1/2026 at 8:56am
