What you need to make a Portable Bathroom for Camping

When you camp in a van or other small camper without a bathroom, you may want to build a portable bathroom for camping or have a way to use the bathroom inside your camper . This may be as simple as having a port-a-potty in your camper, or extensive as having a free-standing tent to use as a bathroom.

If you are looking for more info on using the bathroom while backpacking or in the woods – you can find more information about that here.

What you need to Make a portable bathroom for camping

Camp Shower tents and privacy tents

Please note *Many campgrounds have bath houses and do not allow shower tents in the campground, so check ahead for rules about shower tents before making your portable bathroom for camping.

A free standing privacy or shower tent is the basis for a portable bathroom for camping. You can purchase a simple “pop-up” shower tent, but I recommend a better quality tent as the pop up versions do not hold up well in the wind or a rainstorm.

The KingCamp Shower tent is a 2 room shower tent – a 2 room tent is nice because you can shower in one side, and have a dry area to get dressed. This shower tent has a rain fly, a floor, and pockets for storing your items.

If you are looking for a smaller tent, the G4Free Privacy tent is a single room tent. It also comes with a rainfly and hook to hold a portable shower. For more tent options check out our Top 5 Tents for Teardrop Trailers article.

Camp Bathroom Tent Lighting and fan

This is the perfect light/fan combination for your shower tent. I like this fan because it is USB rechargeable and long lasting, the 3-speed fan will help to dry out the tent and keep it cool on a hot day and provides light at night. You can also use it to recharge your phone or other small electronics if needed.

Portable Showers for camping

A tankless water heater may be a bit large if you have a small van or camper, but if you can’t do without a hot shower, the space it takes up may be worth it. You can also use the tankless water heater to do dishes in your camp kitchen. Will work best at campsites with water hookups.

One of the most common camp portable showers – a solar shower uses the sun to heat the water – just fill it up, lay it in the sun for a few hours, and you will have a warm shower in your portable bathroom for camping!

The innhom Portable Shower uses a pump submerged in a bucket of water (or lake!) to provide a stream of water for your camp shower.

For use with your portable shower – the Luxtude Collapsible Bucket carries 5 gallons of water.

Best Portable Toilets for Camping

There are many choices for a portable toilet from fancy to simple. Here are some of the most popular, keep in mind your mobility – you may want something higher off the ground if you have issues getting up from a low position.

The GO Anywhere Portable Camping toilet folds up discreetly, and uses the Go Anywhere Single Use Toilet kit for ease of use.

These bags can be used with other styles of camping toilets as well. These are fantastic, they have a bag that you can use as a liner for the portable toilet, and the bag has a substance in the bottom that will turn the liquid into a gel. You then pack the bag into a thicker baggie type bag. Each kit comes with toilet paper, so you have everything you need in a discreet small kit that packs easily.

I like this version of the portable folding toilet because it it shaped like a toilet vs the round version from many manufacturers. Comes with storage bag.

The Camco 5 Gallon Bucket with seat is a camping classic! I switched the 5 Gallon bucket with a lower 3 gallon buck for my tent and teardrop camper to save space.

A bedside Commode Chair will work great for people with mobility issues – it is larger to carry and store, but does fold up for travel. The side handles can give you a bit of leverage to help you stand.

Bath Kit/Bag for camping

When you are camping in a small camper or van, it’s nice to have one place to store all of your toiletries, and this water resistant hanging bag is perfect for that. You can hang this in your shower tent, camper, or campground shower stall, and have everything you need handy. Besides your shampoo, conditioner and soap, consider adding a baggie with emergency toilet paper. And don’t forget your toothbrush, toothpaste and comb or brush. This bag comes in many colors and sizes. I keep mine packed and ready to go in my camper.

Camping Towels

When looking for a camping towel, I like to have several oversized towels soI can use them for drying off, used as a picnic blanket or cover for a picnic table. I even use them as privacy curtains for my camper van. Look for microfiber towels that dry quickly and are sand resistant. This towel comes in many patterns:

I hope this is a helpful guide for making a comfortable portable bathroom for camping!