By Cheri Sicard
Jeff Wagg from Built to GO!, a van life YouTube channel, produced the video below to show different methods on how to make a portable shower so that you can shower almost anywhere, any time!
Method one is if you have plumbing in your van or RV; method two is for if you don’t. That’s right, shower in your van/truck/trailer, etc., even if you don’t have plumbing!
Jeff’s no-plumbing method will not take up a lot of space as it all fits neatly into one bag. It even includes optional hot water!
Method 1: With plumbing
Jeff’s RV plumbing in his van is primitive yet highly functional: a small sink with a rechargeable pump in a jerry can. By attaching a shower nozzle attachment that fits any standard faucet, you can instantly add shower functionality.
Method 2: With no plumbing and adding hot water
Jeff’s second method for how to make a portable shower will work for any situation, regardless of whether or not you have water coming into your rig.
With this method, Jeff uses a small pool meant for dogs as a small tub you can use inside or outside your van. Or, even better, in a small portable shower tent. He outfits his shower with a portable USB rechargeable pump with a shower head. It all fits inside a canvas bucket that Jeff uses to hold the shower’s water supply.
Watch the video to see how simple it is to put together, to use in practice, and to pack up and put away. The dog pool fits inside even tiny vans and allows you to shower inside. When finished point the drain hole out the door to drain the water, or use the same pump to pump the water back into the bucket.
If he needs to take the chill off, Jeff heats some water on the stove to add to that in the bucket. To me, it would make far more sense to heat in a solar shower bag like this one, even if you poured the warm water into a bucket like Jeff’s. They really work! But the dog pool for shower pan is ingenious.
For those camping in vans, teardrops, truck campers, tiny trailers, and the like, Jeff’s portable DIY shower can be a real game changer!
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I carried a SunShower portable shower bag with me during Desert Storm. Probably the only person forward with The Big Red One who has a hot shower every other day. Be warned this type of shower can produce very hot water.
Yes, I had one and that water can get very hot. But they do work great. For me, I would do that rather than trying to shower inside like in the video. I know myself, there would be a big mess afterwards. LOL
We have a motorhome with a shower, but that tub is still going in my cart. I FOR SURE could have used it last night to soothe some muscles and soak a little after a day of hard work.
Always used a Sunshower when I used to go ghost-towning in NV decades ago. No problem getting a hot shower when needed. Like Cheri said though, the water could get VERY hot so we had to be careful.
I have used a SunShower but now I use a pump up sprayer with a foaming head. It works very well and the foaming head keeps you from getting that sting when the water gets low and begins spitting. If you paint the container a dark color it will warm up in the sun just like the SunShower