Disappearing Shower
If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that showers are pretty fantastic. The ability to control an unlimited cascade of clean hot (usually) water to cleanse your body, for minimal cost and with basically no mess. What’s not to like? Most people make a habit of utilizing this modern luxury every day. For those of us that live in vans, however, the story is a little different. We revert back to sometime pre-1900’s (probably, I didn’t research the history of showering) where bathing was considered necessary, but still a luxury. Something to be enjoyed on the rare occasion when the facilities were available. And there’s nothing wrong with this. Having lived in a van for two years, including a four week hike and a five week stint on a sailboat where I showered a total of three times, I can confidently say that showering every day is overrated.
One can easily go three days, possibly even up to six, without showering, and notice minimal offensive odors or other detrimental symptoms. Especially if the tried and true hygiene methods of wet wipes, bandana sponge-baths, and old fashioned creek rinse offs are employed.
But when I started vanlife in my Sprinter, I was convinced that showers were quite important. And indeed, I still believe this, just to a lesser extent. I’m certain I could live without a shower in my van, but when it’s the middle of winter and you’ve been working up a sweat on the mountain for three days straight in the same clothes, being able to take a hot shower in the comfort of your van home is downright incredible.
Shower pan, during buildout when everything was so fresh and so clean
Since I was set on the 144” Sprinter, I spent a fair amount of time looking at other people’s designs to optimize space usage. I wanted to include all the amenities in my new home on wheels – bed, interior bike storage, kitchen, heat, toilet, shower, and plenty of gear storage. Items that do double duty, features that disappear when not in use, and space that can be used for multiple purposes are all key. Somewhere along the way I saw a shower that was built into the open space adjacent to the sliding door – aka front door – and I was sold. This is a space that stays open in virtually all layouts, so building a shower into it takes up basically zero real estate. I’ve seen similar concepts in a couple other vans, but can’t believe it isn’t utilized more often.
The main features that enable this open space to be used as a shower are a ceiling mounted track and curtain that pulls around 360 degrees, and a shallow pan recessed into the floor. I use a standard Moen mixing valve, and a low flow Oxygenics shower head, both mounted from the ceiling along the sliding door.
Ceiling mounted track and fixtures
The track I used is the RECMAR Bendable I Beam Track, which I was able to just bend by hand. It mounts to the ceiling on three sides, and sits lower under the shower fixtures on the fourth side along the sliding door. My shower measures 29″ x 36″, which is quite large. You could definitely get away with a much smaller pan, especially if you make the top (the track and curtain area) larger than the base. My track adds up to 130″ of length for the curtain to cover, which is larger than a standard curtain. To get around this, my curtain is actually three separate pieces sewn together. I use a velcro piece at the top to keep it closed while in use, although the seam between the two ends does tend to separate. Additional velcro or magnets attached to the two ends would be a good way to keep this seam together.
Velcro straps keep the curtain out of the way when not is use
To collect the water, I designed a welded sheet metal shower pan that sits flush with the rest of my finished floor. This pan is only about an inch deep, and sits on top of the factory metal floor. Inside this pan, I built up a false subfloor out of waterproof PVC trim material, and have my waterproof vinyl flooring adhered directly on top of this. There is a small gap between the false subfloor and edge of the pan. When I shower, I take some flat PVC pieces (cut to size from a sheet like this) and slot them into the gap so that they stand up and form a sort of shower curb about 6 inches high. The curb keeps the curtain and water contained inside the pan (mostly).
The bottom of the false subfloor, and the (constantly dirty) pan
PVC pieces inserted to form a curb
That entire false subfloor assembly stays in the pan all the time, and has drain holes which allow the water to pass through into the pan below. The PVC pieces conveniently have preformed grooves which run lengthwise. These allow the water to drain toward the low point of the pan, which is sloped toward the sliding door. As an alternative to this design, the false floor could just be totally removed when showering.
While I did make my pan with a slight slope toward the door, I’ve decided this isn’t really necessary. Whenever I’m going to shower, I make sure that I’m parked so that the sliding door / sump are slightly downhill (I have a small RV level mounted in the van for this purpose). Since I do this anyway, the pan could be made with a flat bottom, which would simplify installation.
The Sprinter and Transit (sorry Promaster folks) conveniently have an entry step which is lower than the rest of the floor. The pan overhangs down into this step, which is where the collected water drains. I have a flexible hose connected to the pan which drains into a small sump I made out of an old plastic kerosene container. The sump houses a Seaflow marine bilge pump, which pumps the used water through another flexible hose into my gray tank located on the other side of the van. I use an inline check valve in this hose to ensure water doesn’t drain back into the sump.
DIY sump located in the step area (the submersible bilge pump is inside this sump)
After spending way too much time making this sump assembly, I later found that there’s already a product that is basically made for this, and is even the right size to fit in the Sprinter’s step area (if you cut the tabs off)! Definitely just use that.
Hot water comes from my Webasto Dual Top EVO 6, which is a diesel-powered combined air and water heater. For more information on this setup, check out my Webasto Dual Top installation writeup. I have a fixed fresh tank and grey tank, which are both inside the heated area of the van so that the water can be used year round. A Flojet variable speed pump supplies about 40 psi of pressure, so the shower operates and feels basically the same as one in a house.
Fresh tank and water pump, during buildout
This isn’t my only shower, I have an outdoor handheld shower as well (based on this valve) which is accessible through the back doors. I’ve probably used the outside shower less than five times though. It’s just rare that I’m in a secluded enough spot for it to be practical (and who showers in a swimsuit?). Plus, you don’t really need to shower when you’re out in the middle of the woods.
Rear outdoor shower
Van shower FAQs
Q: How well does this setup work?
A: Pretty well, considering you’re showering in a van. There are a few downsides listed below, but overall I’m pretty happy with it.
Q: How much water do you use?
A: As little as I can manage, which I’d guess is about 5 gallons per shower. I’m almost always “off grid” so it’s important for me to conserve water. I take military showers where I only turn the water on briefly when I need it.
Q: Would you use this system again?
A: Yes, absolutely.
Q: How do I get a shower pan like that?
A: That’s the tricky part. If there’s enough interest I’ll have a batch of them made up. They’ll probably be a few hundred bucks each though. Email or DM me if you’re interested. Or if you can weld, you can probably make it yourself (and aren’t asking this question). I can also sell you the drawings and you can find a local fab shop to make one.
Q: How much water do you carry?
A: My fresh tank is 34 gallons, and my grey tank is 20 gallons. That lasts easily a week with one shower. This seems to be about the right ratio, as my grey tank usually fills up around the same time I run low on fresh water.
Q: Where do you fill up / dump your water?
A: Any place I can, and whenever it’s available. Truth be told, this is one of my biggest vanlife pains. There are usually dump stations around, but you often have to pay for them and they only have fresh water maybe a third of the time. I’ve filled up at friend’s houses, gas stations, parks, campgrounds, and basically anywhere I see a spigot and trust that it’s potable water.
Q: Why do you catch your grey water instead of draining directly outside?
A: I ask myself that question too. It’s really nice to be able to use my plumbing in a city though and not be indiscriminately dumping water all over the place. I generally only use biodegradable products, but still feel better draining my water at a dump station than directly on the ground. I’d make the same decision to catch the grey water if I did it again.
The downsides
- It takes a few minutes to get set up to shower. But you’re in a van, so this probably isn’t a big deal.
- When you get done showering, you have a bunch of wet stuff right in the middle of the van which needs to dry. I use an extra towel to dry the floor and plastic curb pieces, but have to let the curtain hang open for a while to dry.
- Since there are gaps in the false floor, dirt tends to collect in the pan. I make a point of sweeping the pan out before I shower so this junk doesn’t get washed into the sump.
- Sometimes the bilge pump is dry and won’t prime itself. This is actually really annoying, as I have to get out of the shower, open the cabinet where the exit hose runs, and squeeze it a few times to help it prime itself. Not sure what the fix is for this one, maybe a higher quality pump?
- The sump sits down in the step area, where there isn’t much insulation or heat. In the winter, it can freeze, which makes the shower unusable. I thought about running a small heat duct to that area or maybe putting a 12V heating pad on it, but ended up just getting some RV antifreeze (for water lines) that I dump into the pan in the winter after showering. Seems to do the trick.
The takeaway
You definitely don’t need a shower in your van, but it’s a really nice luxury to have. If you’re trying to conserve space (you should be), this is a great way to do so. It’s a bit complicated, but so are a lot of aspects of building out a van. Let me know in the comments if you have additional questions and I’ll do my best to help out!
Note – if you’re buying any of this stuff and use the links here, you’re helping support this blog. Thanks 🙂
This is great! Did the sprinter have a water backing where the shower and and controls are, or was that something you modified as well? Love that the fan is there to help the area dry later too. The light positioned above the shower was also a great idea, it can be surprisingly challenging to shower in low light. Thanks for posting this.
Hi Isa, I’m not sure what you mean by a water backing. I ran water lines from my tank up to where the shower fixtures are located.
Yes, it’s great to have the fan in the shower area. The light there is also really nice, but that actually wasn’t planned, it just worked out well!
Thanks for the response.I was wondering if the wall where the fixtures are is waterproofed material. Look forward to seeing more on your van, looks great!
Gotcha. No, that’s just painted wood. There isn’t much water that gets up there, just some splashes.
Have you seen this video?
https://youtu.be/U5_AZj1wrJ4
They have solar powered radiant floor heating, and a RECIRCULATING HOT SHOWER, allowing them to take 15 minute showers using 2 gallons of water!!!
I first saw the idea of a temporary shower when I looked at videos of expidition vehicles based on military vehicles where they go up 3-4 steps to get to the living space. Several of them put the shower in the stairwell.
I’m definitely adding a shower like yours to my ProMaster when I get to the final stage of my build.
I just realized that in the ProMaster there is a ~3″ in step up into the cab, so I can just extend the cab floor height for the shower pan (leaving as much head room as possible). What is the lowest profile you think you make the shower pan? I think I have 2-3″ of “spare” headroom.
The other possibility is using a storage box as a shower pan, just add a drain plug to it. So when you take a shower you remove whatever is stored in it, add in a false floor and dump it into catch tank when done.
Hi Paul,
I had not seen that video, but I did see a more recent iteration of that recirculating shower in a van just a few days ago. What a great idea! I think it’s really clever, as water usage is definitely one of the biggest drawbacks of showering in a van. I’d be real tempted to try to use that setup in any future builds.
The pan itself can be pretty shallow, mine is only about an inch thick. The only issue I see is fitting a bilge pump into that space as well (assuming you want to catch your grey water, which you’d certainly need to do if you were going to do the recirculating shower). The bilge pump I have is probably 3″ high, so maybe if you put it directly in the pan you could make it work in that amount of space.
Yes, there are definitely other solutions like your storage box idea. Figure out what works for you and make it happen!
Hey Steve, I found your page after seeing Holland Roden’s videos with you helping with her van, and the most intriguing thing to me was that recirculating shower system.
Got a question or two for you, I hope you see this comment and are open to replying 🙂
1) I saw you used some smallish heat exchangers – how are these rigged up, i.e. where’s the heat coming from? I assume from whichever diesel heater is installed – are you just stepping down a hose the ductwork from that unit to fit the port on the exchanger?
2) What’s the method of switching from the main water feed to the feed from the sump? Is that flow pushed around by the bilge pump or do you have another water pump (like Shurflo) in the mix just for this system?
Thanks!
Can you share the links or pictures you saw that helped you developed your idea?
Nicely done btw!
Hah, I wish James. It was quite a while ago and I don’t have the link anymore. It was on a T1N Sprinter, maybe on an overlanders forum though. And thank you!
No worries.
I really like your idea but I don’t think I have the skill set to accomplish your shower pan.
I think I will copy your idea for the fixed shower head / valve and use a small plastic tub to stand in.
Good idea James! That’s definitely a much simpler solution than my fixed shower pan.
Do you have any pictures of the area behind the shower head and valve?
or a kids inflatable paddling pool. Us that for my camping shower with 12v kit
So many things I like about your build. The shower has to be #1. The location of the faucet and shower head are genius! I’ve never seen that before! The fold-up section for the bed/sofa. Then the drop down bench area and the storage cube that lives beneath. These are true multi-use items that make your van so “fantastic” (sorry, had to go there)!
I think I would probably do a teak floor over the shower pan to let wet things (like hiking boots or snow boots) drip dry and remove the floor prior to showering. The parking on a slope is a great idea because it should save on cost (as well as installation) of the pan. If the pan is a magnetic surface, then you could use curtains with the magnets at the bottom to attach to the pan.
I’ve camped a lot in my life and we would use the water from a boat water cooling system for our shower water and showered in a 30” square of PVC WITH 2 overlapping curtains, so to have the curtain attached to the ceiling would be so much easier.
To have a Maxair fan above the shower is awesome for first ventilation and 2nd drying of the curtain. You definitely have an engineer brain.
Your stove area…is just leave the stove in the cubby hole under the counter and just open it when I wanted to cook.
So many great ideas! Thank you!
If you went with a ford transit, with 6’8″ ceilings you could use 2×8 stringers build a trap door have a sunken shower pan say 3 inches, have reservoir under shower for recirculating shower. same curtain except make it so it folds into a vertical box so its more stealth and better looking without the curtain hanging out all the time.
filters for the recirculating pump could go under floor or under a sink by the kitchen door. Also you would have all your water on one side by that door. Maybe even utilize your kitchen faucet as your shower and have a holder for it nozzle above the door.
Also with 7.25 inches under the floor you can easily store 50 gallons or fresh and 50 gallons of grey between 2×8 stringer joist.
this would still allow for 5’11-6′ ceilings assuming your using 1″ thick ceiling and floor material.
Hey, Steve. Somehow I missed this entry about your shower. Since I probably will not be experiencing van life and the need for such engineering genius, the main thing that I took away from it was that you wrote it on Grandpa’s birthday. Had he lived to see it, he would have turned 100 that day! He would really have enjoyed this post. He was a big fan of conserving energy and living simply! Oh, and a VERY big fan of combining a continuing education with enginuity, perseverance and talent. He would have been SO proud to call you his grandson!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsW7lrxgsi3/
Very nice van- like the shower idea – does someone make these conversions ? or, maybe someone could replicate this one- thanks much for the great video
[…] with the shower head being fixed in an overhead cabinet. I’m taking a lot of inspiration from this shower build, but plan on making the shower pan into a large, 10″-ish tall drawer. There are […]
I was thinking about doing a foldable kiddy pool with drain, hula hoop curtain rod, bucket and battery shower version of this. However, having seen this and the video that shows where your toilet is, I think the permanent mount track for the “bathroom” would be well worth it. It also would potentially give you a “changing room” if you had a guest and either of you were skin shy (for instance if one was dressing and the other still sleeping).
Question, I noticed that you didn’t mention the shower curtain sticking to you. I have a temporary shower set up and the curtain is always glued to me. Is your shower size large enough that it doesn’t happen to you?
Yes, my shower is about 30×36, and so there is enough space to stay away from the curtain. I can imagine this would be an issue if it was smaller, but I also have a relatively heavy material for my shower curtain which probably helps too.