Why You Don’t Need a Shower in Your Campervan Conversion

When planning a Sprinter camper van conversion, you may start off wanting a van shower as one of your build’s must-haves.

However, once you start to plan your camper van’s layout, calculate your van conversion budget, and really reflect on how and when and for how long you will be living in your Sprinter camper van, you may change your mind and decide that you don’t need a camper van shower at all… or at least not one inside the camper van itself.

If you are in the process of planning your Sprinter van conversion and working out what layout would work best for you and your conversion’s budget, here are the key questions you should ask yourself when deciding if you should have a van shower in your camper:

• Are you comfortable with washing outside?
• How often do you intend to use your Sprinter camper van’s shower?
• Where do you plan to camp? Mostly off-grid or in established campgrounds with facilities?
• If you’ll be camping mostly off-grid, how happy are you to wait for a proper shower until you get your van to a campground or gym to have one?
• How big is your Sprinter camper van (or what size Sprinter van do you plan to buy) – is there room for a van shower inside?
• How much water do you plan to you carry in your Sprinter camper van and where will you install the water tank(s) needed to carry enough water to shower with?
• How will you get hot water for your van shower? Have you budgeted for the electrical system or gas upgrades needed to power a water heater?

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The pros and cons of having a van shower in a Sprinter camper van conversion

When you are planning a van build, it is immediately apparent that space is at a premium, and so it pays to make the best use of that space to be the most useful to you in the way that you intend to use your camper van.

Therefore, you need to make the decision early on regarding whether or not to install a van shower in your Sprinter van.

Budget may also be a big consideration for you (for more information on how much a Sprinter camper van conversion costs, read this post).

To get an idea of what some of the specific components of a van build can cost, have a look at our curated list of recommended gear, materials and tools:

Here are the main pros and cons for and against having a van shower in your Sprinter.

Let’s start off with the pros and reasons you may feel you need a campervan with a shower, before diving into the cons, and therefore the reasons why many people conclude that you actually don’t need a shower in your van.

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Reasons to have a van shower in your Sprinter camper van

1. Privacy when you’re showering

Probably the number one reason many people feel they need a campervan with a shower is privacy.

That includes the ability to have a shower in your van, as opposed to a campground shared washroom.

2. No waiting or planning around bathroom access when you want a shower

You can shower any time you want if you have one installed in your van, assuming you have enough water on board to do so.

No need to wait until you’re camping somewhere with facilities!

3. Your van can be deemed fully self-contained

Assuming you install the means to store the waste-water generated by your van shower and meet other requirements (such as having cooking facilities, a bed and a toilet onboard) you should be able to register your van as being self-contained.

A potential advantage of being able to demonstrate your van is self-contained is that it may help you to re-register it from being a cargo or passenger van to an RV/camper classification, which can benefit you in terms of lower registration and insurance costs.

The prerequisites for, and ease of re-registering a Sprinter van as an RV can vary significantly between countries and states, so it’s worth researching how this would apply to you and your van, because having a shower may not be necessary for this type of registration.

4. You can use your internal van shower in any weather

If you plan to spend significant time camping in colder temperatures then perhaps an outdoor shower off the back of the campervan is not going to work for you, unless you love a brisk freezing shower!

That said, if you plan to camp in ski resorts and places with cold climates give some consideration to where you will store all the fresh and gray water for your showers – it may freeze if you have water tanks underneath, rather than inside your van.

5. You have the space to hang wet gear in your van

Not very exciting, but a practical consideration if you’re going to wash clothes while on the road, is how and where you’re going to dry them.

At least with a purpose-built van shower area, you have a wet-room where you can hang your gear out to dry.

The same could apply if you need to travel with other wet gear, such as wetsuits. It’s probably more aerodynamic than hanging your wet clothing out the window!

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Reasons why you don’t need a van shower in your Sprinter camper van conversion

1. To preserve space in your campervan

Probably the biggest reason many people choose not to build or buy a Sprinter van with a shower (or at least decide not to put in a fixed shower-sized cubicle) is the sacrifice of space that is needed.

Between the cubicle, water tanks, and any other items such as an electric water heater, for many people, it’s just not worth losing that much space that could be used for other things such as additional storage or seating.

If you think having a campervan shower is still worth the space, then it’s probably worth getting a longer-wheelbase Sprinter van that can more readily accommodate it.

Even so, if you’re planning to get into full time van life and live in your van (in which case our guide to starting van life will be a helpful read!), you may have other ideas for how you can better use that valuable space, and accept that you’ll be showering at the gym and campgrounds while you do so.

For an overview of the different length of Sprinter vans and which may be best for your conversion, read how to choose which Sprinter van is best for your conversion).

2. Weight and space of transporting water in or under your Sprinter van

Water is HEAVY and takes up a lot of space! Plus, depending on how you intend to shower, you could use a lot of water in just one shower – especially if you are not traveling in your van alone.

It may simply be impractical to carry enough water in your van to meet your needs, especially if you plan to shower in it every day – or you’ll need to frequently stop to refill your tanks during your road trips.

3. Condensation and ventilation

An internal van shower will naturally create moisture in the air, which, if not removed adequately, can lead to problems such as mold and rust.

This is a big reason why many people choose not to build or buy a campervan with a shower.

If you do, it is important to ensure you plan to install suitable fans and vents as well, to help remove moisture and ensure this doesn’t cause issues further down the line.

4. Additional cost of a campervan shower setup

For some people, the cost of installing a shower in their campervan does not justify the benefits.

The additional costs include having a larger freshwater tank than you would otherwise need, as well as a gray/black water tank, electricity to power a hot water heater (if you want to have a warm shower), and the additional ventilation provisions.

5. Possible smells

Many people may not experience issues with smells coming from their Sprinter camper van’s shower, however, it is a fact that if you’re going to have a wastewater drain and carry a grey/black water tank around with you in your van, that smells may emanate from it.

This can be managed in the same way many RV and boat owners do but it does typically require some extra care, chemicals, and maintenance.

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So… do you really need a van shower in your Sprinter campervan?

Having considered these cons, by now you may be rethinking your preference for installing a shower in your campervan conversion – and that’s ok!

For every person who decides that they still need a van shower and it’s worth installing, there are others who start out adamant that they want one in their camper and then decide it’s not worth the cost / space sacrifice / weight of installing it, especially when there are some reasonable compromises that work for many Sprinter camper van owners.

If you’re prepared to get a bit creative and have an open mindset then you can have a shower in your van without having a designated cubicle… or perhaps not having one inside the van itself.

For campervan bathroom design and layout ideas, check out the van builds showcased in this post.

We’ve seen some really innovative indoor shower solutions being shared on Instagram (have a look at the van interiors featured on our Instagram feed and you’ll see what we mean – or read this Sprinter van bathroom inspiration post next).

However, interior van showers – even those that have a tray and curtain that stow away – can still take up quite a bit of space, especially if you need them to dry out before putting them away after use.

So, many campervan owners opt for an exterior van shower and having a large enough internal kitchen sink that does a good job for quick washes.

This helps to conserve water, as well as the space, condensation, and gray-water tank considerations mentioned above.

A popular way to install an exterior van shower is to have one at the back of your van, that can be used with the double doors open – you can even install a shower curtain across the back for some privacy while you wash.

For an even more minimal showering setup, a couple of examples of portable van showers you can also consider are the Rinsekit and the Yakima Road Shower.

At the end of the day, whether or not you decide to go about installing a shower in your Sprinter camper van comes down to the big two: use of space and budget, as well as your personal preferences regarding how you intend to use your campervan.