Camping Panda
Returning to the origins – back in touch with nature – is fun, at least until you start to miss proper cleaning. Sure, campsites may have shower facilities, but they often come at a premium, or they aren’t kept very clean. Alternatively, you could bath in the nearest lake or river. Or, you could simply get a camping shower to turn your camping experience from meh to stellar.Â
There is a wide range of models available, to suit all needs and budgets. If you want to make a quick choice, check out our selection below to find the best portable shower for you.
Water Pressure
Is it adjustable?
Water Capacity
Is it large enough?
Temperature
Is it hot enough?
Usability
Is it easy to use?
Portability
Is it easy to carry?
Comfort
Is it designed for comfort?
Lifespan
Is it build for years to come?
Durability
Is it sturdy enough?
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Hours Researched
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Products Evaluated
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Reviews Considered
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Sources Researched
Topping the charts as one of the most popular camping showers, the ADVANCED ELEMENTS Solar Shower is one of your best bets. The kit consists of a shower head and bladder that is heated by the summer sun. Fill the bladder with water, place the darker backside in the sun and within no time you’ll enjoy a warm shower. Hang it from a tree branch from a nearby tree and gravity does the rest.
A capacity of 4 gallons is more than enough to clean yourself or wash some dishes. The insulated front panel keeps the water warm longer and the integrated temperature gauge tells you exactly how hot the water is. The portable shower packs to a compact dimension and is also easy to transport.Â
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The VIGLT Camping Shower Bag is the most affordable shower we have reviewed, but at the same time it does what it’s supposed to do. Give you the opportunity of a warm shower during your camping trip.
It performs well in the water-heating aspect thanks to its thick black PVC material. Place it in the sun, black side up and your water is hot in a matter of hours. The PVC tube inside the handle guarantees it keeps form when hanging it from a branch. What we really like is that this tube can be removed for compact storage. The comfort of a hot shower doesn’t need to be expensive after all.
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Although the RP Flow Pro Pressurized Portable Showever is a bit bulkier than many other showers in this list, we did award it our Premium Badge. Mainly because it is one of the few showers out there that doesn’t require gravity to generate pressure. Simply build up pressure with the pump and you’re good to go.
Make sure you don’t keep it pressurized while heating it in the sun as the plastic might bulge. This is easily prevented with the built-in blow-off valve. The pressure is not super strong but is good enough for a nice warm shower during your next adventure.Â
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Similar to the KEDSUM Portable Camping Shower, the Ivation is a no-frills portable shower to pack in your camping kit. While it doesn’t heat the water on its own, you can either leave a bucket of water to heat up in the sun or use it with hot water.
We like the pump system that allows you to keep the bucket on the ground rather than hang it at a height. Flow is not the fastest, but still fast enough for most cleaning and washing needs. Like the Kedsum, the shower comes with both a suction cup and S-hook. It misses a bucket, but it’s still a great choice for most purposes.
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Standing out from the crowd, the RinseKit is proof that you don’t need gravity or batteries to enjoy a shower while exploring the outdoors. This innovative pressurized shower makes use of the pressure from the garden hose or faucet to provide an adequate flow.
With a capacity of 2 gallons, it’s large enough for a quick wash. It can be filled with either cold or hot water, and also pairs with a pressure booster pump you can use on the go. Ideal for car camping, beach trips and tailgating, this portable shower is one of your best bets if you want home-like pressure without worrying about batteries.
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Gravity-fed portable showers come with a great advantage over all other types and that’s exactly why the Summer Shower by Advanced Elements is so popular. They are compact, easy to carry, and don’t require a pump to deliver a steady stream.Â
With a capacity of 2.5 gallons, it provides more water that the RinseKit. Simply fill it with water and keep it in the sun to warm it up, then hang the bag on a branch to enjoy a refreshing shower. The Summer Shower is light and occupies a little space in a backpack.
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If you like to shower a little longer then the Summer Shower might not hold enough capacity for you. The Stearns Sunshower 4.0 is an excellent in-between size. Smaller than most other solar shower, it has a 4 gallon reservoir, which should be enough for most people.
Its design is very similar to other models, however it does come with a screw valve on the shower head instead of a nozzle. This ensures no leakage whatsoever. The specially designed outer material entraps heat, even on days with lower temperatures.
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The OYOOQO Portable Shower might not look like a portable shower, but it’s proof that you don’t need too much money or too much hassle to keep yourself clean while exploring the outdoors. Very compact and very light, it’s perfect for short car camping trips or when you return to your car after a long backpacking trip.Â
Its greatest strength is the design that allows you to transform any standard water bottle in a portable shower. Just mount the straw and screw the shower head on a bottle filled with freshwater, leave in sun to heat it up, and clean yourself. That’s it! A no-frills, inexpensive solution for your washing needs.
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Similar to the VIGLT Camping Shower Bag, this item is made with a much heavier-duty material, making it a lot less likely to get damaged or punctured. We admit that this does make it a bit heavier to carry. But on the other hand you’ll have a product which, with proper care, will last you years to come.
The integrated Velcro strap is ideal for hanging your towel while showering and the mesh pocket fits a small soap bottle. The extra large fill cap makes filling a breeze while the handle with quick-release clip lets you hang it effortlessly from a nearby tree branch.
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In contrast to the Ivation Shower, this model has an external power source. It comes with two detachable batteries, separate from the pump, which are easily recharged through their USB ports. Two different shower heads provide you with a narrower more pressurized stream and a gently wider 1 gallon per minute water flow.Â
It packs a little bigger than other similar showers but therefore you get the advantage of being able to switch out batteries when one runs low. The hose is long enough for the majority of users and you can always put the bucket on something, like a chair. This shower is the perfect choice for when you return from your day hikes to the comfort of your base camp.
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We would want to create the best outdoor experience and make it a positive outdoor living lifestyle. Portable showers may arguably be not a necessity for all outdoor activities, but we can all agree that they are a must-have after a day at the beach.
Even though portable showers only have one main function, which is to keep your hygiene up, there are many features to pay attention to before deciding on a unit. Check out this buying guide to help in your decision making.
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There are three types of portable camp showers: solar-powered, battery-powered, and propane-powered.
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Portable showers have three water flow methods or the manner of how the water will be supplied to the shower.
Electric: This type has a better water pressure compared to the gravity types. Electric water pump is submerged in the water container to push the water through the hose.Â
Gravity: This is the most compact, and cheapest type of portable showers. They’re typically a bag that you have to fill with water first, then hang it on any steady pole and let gravity take its course.
Pump: This type of portable camp shower uses either a hand or foot pump to pressurize a water chamber so water can be sprayed out via a nozzle.
Between the three, the gravity type flow system has the lowest water pressure. There is also a challenge in finding a higher pole to hang the portable shower. The place where the portable shower will be hanged plays a crucial role in ensuring that the flow system will work, otherwise, your portable shower will be rendered useless.
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Finding the right tank capacity for your portable camping showers will depend mainly on the flow system that you’ll pick. And secondary on how long your trip will be and how intensive do you plan to use the shower.Â
For short trips to the beach where you’ll probably just want to cleanse the sand away, 2 gallon tank capacity like the Reliance Products Flow Pro Pressurized Portable Showever is a good choice. For longer trips, we recommend OYOOQO Portable Outdoor Camping Shower which has a 5 gallon capacity.
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As always with any camping gear, weight is of utmost importance. The weight of the portable shower usually adds up with the water tank capacity for situations that the camp does not have a water supply. If water supply is available, then you only have to consider the weight of the shower bag or the tank, either are relatively light.Â
For example, your intended campsite has no water source, if you opt to buy a shower bag weighing 1lb with a 2 gallon capacity, you’ll roughly have to carry 17 lbs. of water.
Shower bags will be relatively lighter compared to units with durable tank reservoirs. Take a look at RinseKit Portable Shower weighing 9 lb, compared to a 2 gallon tank capacity shower bag like the Advanced Elements Summer Shower weighing 0.64 lb.
The KEDSUM Portable Camping Shower does not have a reservoir with it and is in proportion very lightweight weighing 1.57 lbs.
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Portability and easy set-up is also a great factor to consider when buying your portable camping showers. The Stearns Sunshower 4.0 is one unit to consider, no installation is needed, it is compact and it rolls up easily for storage.Â
Another easy to use camping shower is the KIPIDA Solar Shower Bag. But this stood out for us because of functionality and user in mind design; the Velcro strap in the shower bag body is intended for you to hang your towel in it and it has mesh pockets for your soap storage.Â
This really depends on what kind of camping trip you’re planning. If you’re the person who wants to go on a hike and weight and being compactable are important, then the Advanced Elements Solar Shower is your best bet. If you’re mostly doing day hikes from an established base camp, a safe choice is the Reliance Products Flow Pro Pressurized Portable Showever. If you want a home-like shower experience out in nature and don’t mind hauling some additional weight, you should definitely go for the OYOOQO Portable Outdoor Camping Shower.
If you let the water run continuously, a five gallon gravity shower will last you between 5 and 10 minutes, depending on the brand. This might seem not very long, but this should be enough for multiple quick showers. There are solar showers on today’s market which have a higher capacity than 5 gallons.
The price range for a portable shower is anywhere from a few dollars to several hundred dollars. The most affordable ones are gravity showers, heated by the sun’s energy. The more luxurious models are either battery powered and some even have integrated heating elements for those cold and cloudy days.
A lot of battery-powered camping showers work pretty straightforward. You submerge the small pump in a body of water, like a bucket, and it pushes the water through the hose up to your shower head. Most battery powered showers only pump up the water without heating it. On the other hand, solar showers use the heat of the sun to warm up the water inside within a few hours. When the water reaches the desired temperature you hang the water reservoir in an elevated spot and gravity pulls the water through the hose. And there you go; a warm shower!
The majority of camp showers on the market today have a capacity of 5 gallons. How quickly the reservoir will be empty depends on the shower head and if you keep the water running while soaping up. There are however smaller and also bigger sizes available for when you want to take shorter or longer showers.
