For us, a shower in the van was a priority from the very beginning. After all, we live and work from here, attend video meetings, and don’t want to attract attention with unwashed, greasy hair.
This is how we implemented our shower in the van:
We built an enclosed area for our shower, which we first lined with fiberglass and then painted with bathtub paint (this keeps water from getting outside and it’s easy to keep it clean). Our shower area has this layout:
About our Layout:
We decided against a square shape to make room for entering the van via the side door. There is enough room for the toilet – if you place it at a slight angle. For showering, too.
The details in short:
We installed a compost toilet, installed a small computer fan, a waterproof LED light, and a folding door from Amazon that you can cut to the appropriate height.
For the shower we bought a pump pressure sprayer for the garden which holds 5 liters – The 5 liters are enough for me (I have medium length hair) and my husband (5 liters each). Often there is even something left over after the shower. At the pressure sprayer, we installed a water hose connection with a spray nozzle (for saving water it must be possible to run the water only as long as you need it). You can also connect a regular shower head – but that was too inconvenient for us. The spray nozzle we use has several spray functions – also quite a pleasant setting for showering. Close to the pump, we installed a quick connector. So we can store the container separately from the shower hose (which we keep hanging in the shower).
A few more photos of the shower in our van:
We have been getting along with it for 2 years now. Our conclusion:
Pros:
- You have your privacy. If a van gives you the space, a closed shower is super recommended.
- The pressure sprayer is cheap and works without any electricity.
- You can also use it to shower outside. Comes in handy especially if you’re going to the beach and don’t want to bring the sand into the van.
- When showering, the bathroom practically cleans itself
Cons:
- The pressure sprayer is in the way during showering.
- Heating water in a pot in advance takes time. More luxurious would be a water heater tank, which you turn on before showering. By the way, you get quite a good feel for how much water you need to heat in the pot in advance to achieve a comfortable shower temperature.
- The pumping (to create pressure) can be a pain. With our 5 liter container, you pump about 5 times during one shower.
Tips – This is what we would change in the next build:
- Upgrade to a water tank with an electric pump: you do not have to pump. A super luxurious upgrade would be a hot water tank. But we’d have to think twice about whether this makes sense from an energy point of view.
- Install a small window in the wet room
- Toilet to extend and retract –> reduces the size of the shower, and increases the space in the van.
- Self-built door from the beginning, instead of the plastic folding door from Amazon.
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