How to shower while camping: methods, water and Leave No Trace
You can shower at camp in four ways: in a campground shower block, under a gravity or solar bag hung overhead, with a battery pump shower that draws from a bucket, or with a basin and a cloth. Away from a shower block, wash at least 200 feet (about 60 m) from any lake or stream, use as little soap as you can, and follow the campground's own rules for wash water.
What are the ways to shower while camping?
Advnture's guide to showering while camping lists six: campsite showers, truck stop showers, a portable solar shower, a sponge bath, a swim in a lake or river without soap, and wet wipes. Add the gravity bag and the pump shower and the choices look like this. The table is our own summary.
| Method | What you need | Suits | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campground shower block | Coins or a token, sandals, a towel | Developed campgrounds | Lines at peak hours, time limits |
| Gravity bag | A bag, a strong branch or rack above head height | Backpacking, where weight matters | Lifting a full bag overhead |
| Solar bag | A dark bag and direct sun | Sunny base camps | Water that is hotter or colder than you expect |
| Pump shower | A bucket of water and a charged pump | Car camping, rinsing gear, groups | A flat battery |
| Sponge bath | A basin, a cloth, a little water | Any trip, least water | Privacy and wind chill |
| Swim, no soap | Safe water | Hot days near a lake | Sunscreen and repellent washing off into the water |
| Wet wipes | A bag to pack them out | Dry camps | Wipes are trash, not something to bury |
Gravity bag or pump shower: which works better?
A gravity bag has no moving parts. You fill it, hang it above your head and open the nozzle. Sea to Summit's Pocket Shower is a typical light example: a 2.6 gallon (10 L) roll-top bag in black fabric with a built-in shower head, which the maker says gives about an 8-minute shower with the head fully open. The limits are the hanging point and your shoulders: that much water weighs 22 lb (10 kg), and it has to go up higher than you are tall.
A pump shower turns that around. The water stays on the ground in a bucket, and a small submersible pump pushes it up a hose to a hand-held head. Nothing has to be lifted or hung, and a bucket, tub or basin holds the supply. The price is a battery to keep charged.
The Restwild Portable Camp Shower is a pump shower of this kind: a submersible pump, a built-in rechargeable battery that charges by USB, a 6.6 ft (2 m) hose, a hand-held shower head and a holder for it. It runs for about 1 to 2 hours per charge and the whole shower weighs 1.4 lb (650 g). It pumps the water as it is and does not heat it, so for a warm shower, mix the water to lukewarm in the bucket before the pump goes in.
How much water does a camp shower take?
Far less than a shower at home. The US Environmental Protection Agency says standard showerheads use 2.5 gallons (9.5 L) of water per minute. Take the Sea to Summit bag as one example: 2.6 gallons (10 L) over about 8 minutes with the head fully open is roughly a third of a gallon (1.25 L) per minute. That division is ours, not the maker's, and its FAQ likens the bag to a 13 L dry sack, so treat the rate as rough.
Put the two side by side and one minute under a household shower uses about as much water as the whole bag holds. A full wash from a single bag or bucket is realistic if you turn the water off between steps:
- Wet yourself quickly, then stop the water.
- Lather with the water off.
- Rinse from the top down.
With a pump shower, the bucket is the limit, so you always know what you have left. Time a trial run at home with the bucket you plan to bring.
How do you get warm water safely?
There are three common ways, and none of them involves a flame near the tent.
- Sun. Dark bags warm up in direct sunlight. Sea to Summit says its black fabric soaks up the sun during the day at base camp. Lay the bag flat in full sun, and test the water on your hand before you use it: a bag left in strong sun can be hotter than you expect.
- Stove and bucket. Heat part of the water in a pot, then pour it slowly into a bucket that already holds cold water, before the pump goes in. Stir, and test with your hand before anyone stands under it. Aim for lukewarm, not hot.
- Timing. Shower in the warmest part of the afternoon, when unheated water is easier to take and you dry quickly.
Hot water burns faster than most people think. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission's alert on tap water scalds says most adults suffer third-degree burns from 150°F (66°C) water in two seconds, that burns also occur after six seconds in 140°F (60°C) water or thirty seconds in 130°F (54°C) water, and that even 120°F (49°C) could cause third-degree burns in five minutes. It urges households to set water heaters to 120°F and to hand-test water every time, especially for young children. Those figures are for tap water at home, but water from a camp pot is no different, and water near a boil is far hotter than any of them. Never pour straight from the stove into a shower bag, never heat a shower bag, a closed container or a pump on a stove or by a fire, and never carry a full pot of near-boiling water through camp in the dark.
Heat the water outside. The same commission's carbon monoxide advice is never to use portable fuel-burning camping equipment inside a home, garage, vehicle or tent unless it is specifically designed for an enclosed space and has instructions for safe use there. A shower tent is a tent.
Where should you wash, and what about soap?
The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics states the rule in its third principle: when you wash yourself or your dishes, you carry the water 200 feet from streams or lakes and use only small amounts of biodegradable soap. Two hundred feet is about 60 m, or 70 to 80 adult paces by the Center's own count for the same distance.
The label on the bottle does not change that. In the Center's words, "Soap, even when it's biodegradable, can affect the water quality of lakes and streams." Its advice is to minimize soap, always wash away from the shoreline, and rinse with water from a pot or jug so the soil can act as a filter. It also says not to wash directly in a lake or stream, and it notes that lotion, sunscreen, insect repellent and body oils can contaminate water sources where fresh water is scarce.
In practice, with any shower:
- Fill the bag or bucket at the water, then carry it the 200 feet.
- Stand on rock, gravel or bare ground, not on plants.
- Use a few drops of soap, or none for a rinse.
- Let the water soak into the soil over a wide area, away from camp.
Is lake or creek water clean enough to shower in?
It is not drinking water. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's advice for swimmers is not to swallow the water, because even water that looks clean can carry germs that make you sick, to stay out if you have an open cut or wound or cover it with a waterproof bandage, and to avoid unusually cloudy water. Applying that advice to a shower is our own step: keep your mouth shut under the spray, and use treated water for brushing your teeth.
What do campgrounds allow?
Developed campgrounds often set stricter rules than the backcountry, and they differ from place to place. One example is Capitol Reef National Park's campground regulations, which say:
- Wash dishes, bathe and use only completely contained solar showers at your own site.
- Washing of any kind is not permitted at spigots, drinking fountains, the RV dump station, restroom sinks or gray-water sinks.
- Water from dishwashing, bathing and solar showers must be collected and deposited in the gray-water disposal sinks.
So in that park you may shower at your site, but the water must be caught and carried to a gray-water sink, not scattered on the ground. Other campgrounds have other rules. Read the notice board or ask the host before you set up, and bring a tub large enough to stand in if the water has to be collected.
How do you get some privacy?
Advnture's advice for a sponge bath is to find a private spot that is not close to other campers. A few more options: a pop-up shower tent, a tarp between two trees, the open doors of a car with a towel hung between them, or simply a swimsuit, the simplest answer in a shared campground. Site choice and where to put a wash area are covered in how to set up a comfortable camp.
Dry off properly afterward. Going to bed damp is one of the ways to get cold at night, as our guide on how to sleep warm in a tent explains.
Gear mentioned: the Portable Camp Shower with Rechargeable Pump. See all Restwild gear.
Frequently asked questions
How much water do you need for a camp shower?
It depends on the method, and two published figures give the scale. Sea to Summit says its 2.6 gallon (10 L) shower bag gives about 8 minutes with the head fully open, while the US Environmental Protection Agency puts a standard home showerhead at 2.5 gallons (9.5 L) per minute. Turning the water off while you lather makes a bag or bucket go much further.
Can you use biodegradable soap in a lake or stream?
No. The Leave No Trace Center says soap can affect the water quality of lakes and streams even when it is biodegradable. Carry the water 200 feet (about 60 m) from the shore, use a small amount of soap and let the soil filter the rinse water.
How do you heat water for a camp shower?
Leave a dark bag or container in direct sun, or heat part of the water on a stove outdoors and mix it into cold water in a bucket until it is lukewarm. Test it with your hand first: the US Consumer Product Safety Commission says burns occur after six seconds in 140°F (60°C) water.
Are you allowed to shower at your campsite in a campground?
It depends on the campground. Capitol Reef National Park, for example, allows bathing and completely contained solar showers at your site, bans washing at spigots and restroom sinks, and requires the water to be collected and emptied into gray-water sinks. Check the rules where you stay.
