TOILETS & SHOWERS
STEP 3
CHOOSING YOUR BATHROOM SET UP
Your decision for your bathroom will greatly impact your lifestyle. We always recommend having somewhere to comfortably go #1. #2 isn’t as much of a ‘must have’ for everyone.
We went with a tiled shower, shower pan base of 32x24 and a portable toilet with the rule that we only go #1 unless for an emergency (which has yet to happen). So far we are very happy with our decision and couldn’t live without our toilet.
SPACE: If having a shower or toilet is a ‘must have’ for you be sure to figure out where it will go in your layout, keeping in mind that showers will take up ample space where something else could go. So before you decide you need a shower, be sure you will use it often.
WEIGHT: Toilets shouldn’t affect the weight of your van. However showers are a different story. It’s important to be aware of the amount of weight you add to your van and showers will add a bit, however you can get around the heavy weight by not adding tile.
WATER HOOKUP: Do you need a toilet that is hooked up to water and grey tank which feels most like a regular toilet at home? Or are you okay with a portable toilet that you would have to dump and clean yourself regularly?
CLEAN UP: When choosing your bathroom, be sure to keep in mind the cleanup requirements. For example if you have one hooked to a grey water tank you will only be able to dump it at RV dump stations, having less flexibility than a portable toilet.
LIFESTYLE: Is this van a full time live in lifestyle or are you a weekend warrior? If you’re only taking your van out for weekend trips you can get by without a bathroom at all. If it’s longer than that we recommend some form of toilet.
We’ve curated a list of toilet and shower options below and things to consider to help make your decision.
PORTABLE TOILET
We went with a portable toilet for many reasons. Mainly the simplicity of it. You don’t need to hook it up to a grey water tank or to find a dumping station when it’s time to empty. You simply can go to any bathroom to dump and the clean up is so easy. They are also compact. We keep ours in our shower and love having it there to go #1 in the middle of the night and not have to worry about getting a flash light to go outside. We also love that we can easily move it out of our shower so that we have more room when taking a shower. The way it works is it’s made of two compartments stacked on top of each other. Depending which style you get, the top compartment is filled with water up to 2.5-5 gallons. When going to the bathroom there is an opening “pull” lever that releases the urine to the bottom compartment. Followed by a “flush” feature that moves some of the clean water into the bottom compartment. Close the pull lever and you’re done. It will let you know when the bottom compartment is full and time to dump. We only go #1 in our toilet and go #2 out in nature, gas stations, etc. If you’re going this route, you’ll want to purchase a Potty Trowel in order to do your business outside.
You really can’t go wrong with this great option while living on the road.
Factors to consider:
Costs between $140-$200
Easy to manage, clean & dump
Doesn’t take much space away from your design layout
It can smell slightly when you’re getting close to being full (buy tank deodorizer!)
Left Toilet Purchase Link - SHOP SERENE LIFE PORTABLE TOILET
COMPOSTING TOILET
The Nature’s Head Composting Toilet, is a fan favorite in the van life community. The main difference between this and a portable toilet is that you can comfortably go #2 in here without fear of smell or clean up. It has a simple system making it easy to work with and clean.
It is on the more expensive side so if you have the budget for it and you’re looking for ultimate convenience to not have to constantly figure out where to go #2, this is a great option.
Factors to consider:
Costs around $1,000
2 people using full time will empty every 4-6 weeks
Easy empty in 5 minutes
A bit more complex to install and permanent placement
NO SHOWER - NO PROBLEM
One of the biggest uses of space is installing a shower. The reality of living on the road is you won’t shower as often as you expect as you don’t want to constantly drain your precious, fixed, water storage. For those who would like to skip the shower to allow for more room in their van layout, can find other places to shower for free or low cost! The work around is getting a cheap monthly gym membership or staying at a camp site with showers once a week. The most common gym chosen for van lifers who need a place to shower is planet fitness with monthly fees of only $20!
OUTDOOR SHOWER
We love the outdoor shower option. It’s a great alternative when skipping an indoor shower to free up room in the van and a step up from having no shower feature at all. Most people with an outdoor carry a shower head that can connect to the main water tank from the back of the van. With the rear doors open they then hang a shower curtain between the doors creating a large and private space to take a shower. As well as a little wooden platform to keep feet clean. If you don’t choose to install a water tank hook up for your shower head you can purchase a solar shower. To heat up the water, simply lay it out in the sun for a few hours before taking a shower and add a hook to one of the rear doors to hang and shower comfortably. If you’d like a built in outdoor shower you can also look into the Roadshowers, which are mounted to the roof of the van and have a hose you can pull from when you’re ready to shower.
Factors to consider:
Will you be traveling in warmer climates? I feel this option only truly works if your lifestyle is amongst a warmer climate as you won’t be able to stand outside comfortably below certain temperatures.
This feature is incredibly compact as you only need to store a shower curtain, shower head or solar shower bag and a small foot platform.
INDOOR SHOWER
This is the ultimate convenience to getting clean. We ended up going with an indoor shower, however looking back, we could have gotten away with not having it. Yet, it does feel like a luxury and we love enjoying the perks of having one. The main benefits to having an indoor shower is there’s no set up or clean up and you can shower at any time, anywhere, in any weather.
Factors to consider:
Space - what size is your van and can you fit one in? Also how big are you? Most indoor showers are still very small so maneuvering inside a closed door shower can feel compact.
HERE'S A DIY GUIDE TO A FULL BATH & SHOWER IN A RAM PROMASTER
INDOOR SHOWER ALTERNATIVE
This is a design we came about after our van build and it’s one to definitely consider. When built right this style gives you the best of both world of having an indoor shower, being able to shower in any weather, along with feeling less cramped from having a flexible shower curtain surrounding you. The beautiful thing about this style is that you can design it in a way to be a multi-functional use of space and be light weight.
Factors to consider:
It does have some set up and clean up requirements but if installed properly you shouldn't worry about water getting out of the shower pan.