There are several different types of camping showers available in the Australian market right now. You’ll need to pick out the perfect out that’ll suit you and your situation best. We’ve narrowed down the search for you with 8 of the best camping showers in Australia. Aside from that, we’ve laid down a few guidelines and important tips to help make that wise purchase.
Quick Links
Our Picks for Best Camping Showers
10 Best Camping Showers
- Innhom Portable Shower for Camping Outdoor Camp Shower Camping Shower Camp Shower Pump
- HiVehicle Solar Shower Camping Shower Bag
- WADEO Camping Shower, Portable Handhold Outdoor Shower USB Rechargeable Batteries Outdoor Shower
- HiVehicle Portable Camping car Shower Set
- URPRO Portable Camping Shower, Outdoor Shower Head
- Iron Hammer Portable Shower Camp Shower Rechargeable Shower
- HUIEI Camp Shower，Portable Solar Shower Camping Bag 5 Gallon Ultralight PVC Black Bag for Summer Camping Outdoor Hiking Travel
- LIEBMAYA 12V car Cigarette Lighter Portable Shower Electrical Pump for Outdoor Camping
Camping Showers: The Buyer’s Guide
Shower conditions will always vary depending on the type of outdoor trip you are on. Here’s a guide to help determine what factors will be suitable for your situation, so that you can choose your camping shower accordingly.
The Different Types of Camping Showers
When looking into the types of camping showers, there are three main ones to look into and they are based on the flow method; how your water will flow from its tank or source.
Gravity
This is the most basic type of camping showers that you will see and encounter. It won’t need any complex or engine to keep the water flowing, but you may need a hook or a stand for your camping shower to hang on when you shower.
These are compact and portable showers that come in a bag or like a water bladder with a hose. The great thing about it is that it’s as natural as it can get for a camping shower. You don’t need any other mechanism to operate it. And you can opt to bring an empty one for easy packing and just fill it with water at a near freshwater bank from your camping site.
Pump
This type of camping shower will not use electricity but it will perform on a manual mechanism (a pump) that can be operated by foot or by hand. You’ll have to pressurize the water inside its tank or chamber by pumping air inside to let it flow out to the shower hose or handle. This is a more preferred type of flow method compared to the gravity type as you can control the flow of water more.
Electricity
This is one of the famous types of the portable shower but costs more than the others. It is equipped with an electric pump inside to push the water through the shower hose. This is most commonly known for having better or high-quality water pressure and heating capabilities. Other modern or premium variants will offer supplementary uses or added features like having a portable cubicle or boiling water. It will come in different subtypes, depending on the power source.
There are a few subtypes of electricity-powered camping showers and they are:
Solar-powered
This type of electricity-powered camping shower has many possibilities but has one detrimental requirement—the ray of the sun. It will not only power your electric pump to get the water flowing but it will also heat up your water before you take a shower.
There are a lot of varieties available for this and some can even be mounted on top of your vehicle if your showering system is installed there. One notable downside to this is that you may not be able to shower at night because of its power requirement unless it has a backup solar-powered rechargeable battery that can be used alternatively at night.
Battery-powered
This type of camping shower is one of the most portable and the most convenient to pack and carry around. Some will use a lithium-ion battery or rechargeable ones, while others will need the power of a car battery (this may be heavier and less portable than others).
Those rechargeable ones will just have a shower nozzle, a cartridge for its battery and mini machine, and a hose that you can conveniently submerge in any water container available.
Those that require a car’s energy are identified as “car fitted showers”. It actually needs your whole engine to run for its mechanism to work, so it requires both your battery and gas. It comes with a heat exchanger where you can attach to your vehicle under the bonnet and connect the pump and the two hoses (one for the water supply and one for the shower nozzle).
Gas
Another type of camping shower is the gas-powered units. There are high-end shower machine systems that will require gas instead of electricity. And this type is not too far or different from how a camp stove functions. This is the fastest way to heat your water and to a certain degree, depending on your preference. However, this would mean bringing along other attachments and gear like propane tanks.
Explaining the Terminology
Water pump
This can either be a manual type or an electric type. This is the machine that regulates the water from the tank or bucket to help it flow upward and exit the showerhead.
Showerhead and Shower nozzle
These two can be mistakenly interchanged but they do have the function but the way of doing so is different. The showerhead has a wider opening and so the water is spread out giving it more coverage while the nozzle is a bidet-like contraption, it provides for limited coverage but stronger water pressure.
Car cigarette lighter socket
This is actually an automobile auxiliary power outlet. Typically, you’ll find an electrically heated cigarette lighter but you can take it out and place a DC car charger instead. This outlet is usually around 12V and so it’s compatible and safe to use as a power supply for some gadgets and gears.
Solar-powered
This pertains to gears or gadgets that can work with the use of the energy of the sun; thermal energy is converted to electrical energy to power contraptions. Natural shower bags means that their materials are designed to absorb solar energy naturally. So it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s wired for it to be solar-powered.
Camping Showers: Main Considerations
Size and Weight
The size and weight of a camping shower are two of the most important factors to keep in mind. These will be considered paramount when going on light trips like hiking or just for a weekend outdoors getaway. Even if going on an extended trip with a vehicle, you’ll also need to be watchful of the size and weight because you’ll have to fit all your other gears inside and it will be an additional load, especially for those more complex types of camping shower.
Camping Style
The type of camping activity you have planned will closely influence other factors, which are water availability and tank capacity—among others. Different camping styles will have different levels or aspects of needs. Mountaineering activities will less likely have water availability and so you will need to adjust your tank capacity so you can store more water before the trip.
But for activities such as RV camping or heading out to a commercial campsite, you will likely have a better chance of having convenient water availability and so refilling your shower tank won’t be so much of an issue.
Water Availability
You don’t want to get yourself stuck in the middle of nowhere and just realize you’re far away from any water system or a waterbody like lakes or rivers. You will need to consider water availability as an important factor when initially choosing the type of shower. Because you may want to go ahead and purchase a bigger and more complex shower with a big water tank capacity if you believe that fetching water for a refill or for when attaching a hose to a provided water source will be a big concern.
Some RV camping spots and other commercial camping sites will typically offer necessary commodities like water and even sewage drains for waste disposal. But that’s not a given and you will have to definitely double-check and secure that information before you even buy any shower gear or equipment.
Tank Capacity
The volume of the tank capacity of your camping shower will depend on a few subfactors as well like the number of people on the trip, showering method, the number of camping days, water availability, and camping styles.
You need to avoid finding yourself in a situation where you’re only just a day or two into your camping trip and you no longer have any water for showering left. It’s either you may need to cut your trip short, spend a huge amount of time and effort looking for a water supply, or continue with the trip without showering.
One thoughtful tip to conserve water is that you may want to make sure you won’t take as long and as rigorous a shower as you would at home. If you’ve bought a fairly limited tank capacity type of a camping shower, you may want to adjust on the manner of showering or on the other subfactors like the number of days allotted for the trip.
Heating capabilities
The wilderness can be naturally cold, especially when you’ve decided to camp during a cool weather season. You have to make sure you check out the heating capabilities of a portable shower before purchasing because some won’t have while others will offer only a certain degree of hotness that may not suit your preference.
You have to put it into consideration as well if you do need your camping shower to have heating capabilities. Most likely, these types of products will cost more than ordinary camping showers.
Powering capabilities
This might just be one of the most important or detrimental factors to consider when choosing a camping shower. The power capabilities of your camping shower will also affect its heating capabilities. Solar-powered one will likely provide enough power to heat your water but only to a certain low degree, while battery-powered or plugged-in types will have better chances to give you that nice hot shower that you might need after a day’s activities outdoors.
Camping Showers: Secondary Considerations
Ease of Set-Up and Portability
Some camping showers like the complex ones will take time and effort to set up. It will also be less portable than other types of camping showers. But they do provide better comfortability and convenience when showering.
For lighter outdoor travels, you may want to opt for more portable camping showers like those that come with a bladder and a hose or those that come with a compact carry bag.
Supplementary uses / Added features
Other camping showers can offer more features aside from their main use. Others, those with great heating capabilities can even boil up water for your coffee or tea. While there are some pressurized units that provide high PSIs which you can alternatively use to wash your camping gear items and even your vehicles.
Durability
You will be spending and investing your hard-earned money on this camping gear which is why you will need to make sure that it’ll last you long enough before you can finally decide that it’s time to buy a new one.
Also, if you go camping often, you’ll need reliable camping gear items and so you will have to make sure your gear won’t give up on you while you’re out and about in the wilderness. Or it won’t get worn out easily after a few trips. Check on the material used and how resistant it is from scratches, tearing, and corrosion.
Price
The type of camping shower you’ll choose, the features it will have, and its durability will depend on how much money you’ll be willing to spend on this camping gear. A camping shower may just be one of your least priorities when going out to shop for camping gears but it can be an essential item if you really come to think about it.
If you go camping often you may want to invest in a more durable and more premium shower gear as these are most likely to last long compared to the budget ones.
Section 6: The 8 Best Camping Showers Available in Australia
#1. innhom Portable Shower for Camping Outdoor Camp Shower Camping Shower Camp Shower Pump
Best Rechargeable Portable Shower
- 2 BATTERIES for 120 MINS RUNTIME: innhom portable shower for camping come with 2 detachable batteries and a charging cable, direct...
- MULTIPLE-USES PORTABLE SHOWER: Suitable for INDOOR/OUTDOOR showering, camping, BBQ, hiking, traveling, kid bathing, pet cleaning, car...
- EASY ASSEMBLY AND OPERATION: Attach pump and shower head to the hose. Fully immerse the pump in water and press the switch on battery...
Weight: 859 g | Dimensions: 21.4 x 21.3 x 7.2 cm
Standout features: Can be plugged in on car charger; 2 power supply option
The innhom Portable Shower for Camping Outdoor Camp Shower Camping Shower Camp Shower Pump might just be your next camping buddy. It’s extremely portable and it comes with quite a few accessories; it comes with its very own shower nozzle handle, plus both a hook and a suction cup for you to have more options depending on your use and environment. Conveniently use the hook when you’re in the middle of a campsite and the suction cup when using your vehicle for camping.
It has two power supply options; one is powered by a rechargeable 2200mAh battery that shall last you around 45 mins. of continuous use. It comes with a 5V USB charging cable and a mini car charger so can use it while plugged in inside your car.
You can submerge the end hose into your water tank and turn on your portable shower and get a 3.5 L/min. water flow. It also offers filters so you are assured that you’ll be showering yourself with clean water.
#2. HiVehicle Solar Shower Camping Shower Bag
Best Gravity-type Solar Camping Shower
- Durable High Quality Material:Made by healthy and durable toxic-free PVC material of leak-proof workmanship. Its strong enough that you...
- Heat Absorbing with Temperature indicatingThe fabric can efficiently absorb the solar energy to heat up the water inside the bag. You...
- .New Design Shower Head: This enhanced big shower head offers an easy ON/OFF switch with LOW to HIGH water flow. Bring you a better...
Weight: 431 g | Dimensions: 33.02 x 12.7 x 7.62 cm
Standout feature: Made with material that can heat up the water naturally
The HiVehicle Solar Shower Camping Shower Bag is a reliable gravity-type shower bag. The bag is made with a durable toxic-free PVC material that can naturally heat up your water with the use of solar energy. Because of its heat-absorbing characteristic, you can just place the bag on the floor or let it hang on a tree and it’ll take up some heat. You can also monitor the temperature of the shower bag through its indicator placed at the back of the bag.
It’s super easy to carry with or without water inside as it has a durable handle strap with a lock catch so you can attach it to your bag and a portable storage bag so you can safely store the shower bladder inside your backpack when not in use.
#3. WADEO Camping Shower, Portable Handhold Outdoor Shower USB Rechargeable Batteries Outdoor Shower
Most Handy Rechargeable Portable Camping Shower
- ??【Chargeable】The Portable Camping Shower comes with a USB charging, but only charge this device with A 5V adopter or less. DO NOT...
- ??【Built-in Water Filtartion System】There is a water purification filter attached in the water pump to guarantee clean water...
- ??【Safe and Convenient 】Our water-resistant pump and water filter system guarantee clean water. The suction cup and hook are ideal...
Weight: 800 g | Dimensions: 24.6 x 20 x 7.6 cm
Standout features: Offers interchangeable shower nozzle; 2 way power supply option
The WADEO Camping Shower, Portable Handhold Outdoor Shower USB Rechargeable Batteries Outdoor Shower is another great option to consider when looking into rechargeable portable camping showers, just like the Innhom brand.
This Wadeo product, however, offers an interchangeable shower head to a nozzle. Both are included in the package. It also comes with a showerhead holder, a hook and a suction cup. What we are missing here is the charging socket but you may already have that installed in your car already. If not, be wary when purchasing this portable shower as you’ll need the car charger USB output, if you’re planning to power it up using your vehicle. Nonetheless, the portable shower can run for up to 60 mins. continuously in a single charge.
The only major downside we found with this is that you have to be careful when submerging the machine into the water when not using its charging port. It comes with a locking nozzle to keep the water from seeping inside, so you have to assure that you’ve securely locked the nozzle in.
#4. HiVehicle Portable Camping car Shower Set
Best Car-Powered Lightweight Portable Camping Shower
- 1.Multifunctional product——HIVEHICLE portable shower set is a multifunctional tool . Not only you can use it for a simple shower,...
- 2.Portable design-- Light weight, small volume, all the shower parts can be put into a complimentary durable bag for easy packing. Fits...
- 3.Stable water——The pump is turbocharged, provides strong water pressure ,the amount of water can be kept at 2.5L/min, just like...
Weight: 272 g | Dimensions: 24.13 x 21.34 x 6.1 cm
Standout features: Extremely lightweight; Long power cord and hose length
The HiVehicle Portable Camping car Shower Set powerful multi-functional tool. Although it can just be powered by your 12V car cigarette socket but because of its long power cord that is about 16f long, the possibilities of its uses are endless. You are not limited in strictly using it beside or near to your car.
It has a strong water pressure that powers at 2.5L/min., just like your regular bathroom shower. You can also control the water volume with its metal adjuster. It’s made with the thinnest but the most durable material; a high-quality polymer material that is designed to prevent leakage. It comes with a portable carry bag as well, and nozzle support, a hook, rubber rings, and a suction cup.
#5. URPRO Portable Camping Shower, Outdoor Shower Head
Best Portable Camping Shower with Safe Battery Placement
- POWERFUL - This camping shower head can work for up to 45-60 minutes with a full charge of continuous use. The water flow is up to 2...
- DURABLE- It comes with a detachable USB rechargeable 2200mAH battery (w/ external on/off switch) which is separated from the pump. This...
- EASY TO ASSEMBLE AND OPERATE: Just fully submerse the pump in your bucket/tub of water and switch on the power supply then position the...
Weight: 699 g | Dimensions: 24 x 20.9 x 7.19 cm
Standout feature: Keeps battery and power source out of water submersion
The URPRO Portable Camping Shower, Outdoor Shower Head brings an alternative and safer design that will prolong your battery life. The battery power supply is not built alongside the pump so you won’t need to submerge as well. In fact, because it is detachable you have the option to keep the battery power supply out of the water’s reached. But your distance will just be limited to less than a meter, as the power cord is only around 0.8m long. Nonetheless, that will definitely suffice.
A fully charged battery will give you 45 to 60 mins. of continuously use, with a 2 to 5 charging period window. The shower hose is fairly long as well, as it measures around 1.8 meters. Meanwhile, the shower’s water pressure is approximately 2 L per minute which gives you around 5 to 7 mins of shower time with 10 L of water.
#6. Iron Hammer Portable Shower Camp Shower Rechargeable Shower
Powerful Water Pressure for a Portable Shower
- √ Built-in High-energy Lithium Battery and Shower with Water valve:The portable electric shower is built-in 4800mAh rechargeable...
- √ Water Flow Stalls Adjustable: Intelligent design of two water flow stalls conversion button, the perfect washing pressure. The...
- √ Charging Convenient and Safe:The Portable Electric Shower equipped with battery charge and discharge protection circuit, Use 5v USB...
Weight: 839 g | Dimensions: 11.43 x 6.35 x 6.35 cm
Standout feature: It has a power level/ charging indicator; 3L/min. – 4L/min. water pressure
The Iron Hammer Portable Shower Camp Shower Rechargeable Shower is a great option to consider because of its longer battery duration. It is equipped with a 4800mAh rechargeable battery, which generally lasts around 4 to 5 hours but will depend on the use. It has an adjustable water pressure of 3L/min. for the lowest and 4 L/mins. as its highest. With this, it may eat up more power but the type of battery lasts longer, generally speaking, compared to the other batteries used by the other products on this list.
The charging time for the portable shower will last about 3 hours depending on the charge you use. This 3-hour time frame is based on a 5V/2A charging output. Also, there’s a light indicator or charging indicator for when the battery is low (red) and for when the shower is turned on (blue) so you can avoid leaving the gear on without knowing.
#7. HUIEI Camp Shower
Highly-Durable Gravity-Type Shower Bag
- [Portable]:Ultra-lightweight and foldable, easy to carry, easy to store, suitable for home shower and outdoor camping travel hiking...
- [Environmental protection]: Solar heating 3 hours only, you just hang shower bag somewhere can enjoy a shower(with PVC balance tube...
- [PVC]: Flexible PVC material, non-toxic, light, durable and wear-resistant, no water leakage.
Weight: 420 g | Dimensions: 60 × 40 cm
Standout features: Durable material support; Natural heat absorbing
The HUIEI Camp Shower is a shower bag powerhouse. It can store about 5 gallons of water and heat it up naturally through solar energy but only for a maximum of 3 hours. It has a temperature gauge as well to help you monitor the temperature of your water—make sure it’s safe to use.
The main material of the shower bag is made with a non-toxic and flexible PVC material that’s excellently lightweight but quite durable and wear-resistant. One factor that’s noteworthy is that the inside of the bag has no insulation so when you achieve a certain temperature preference you may want to take a shower right away.
#8. LIEBMAYA 12V car Cigarette Lighter Portable Shower Electrical Pump for Outdoor Camping
Longer Coverage Car-Powered Portable Camping Shower
- Water pressure ist adjustable on the shower head, On/Off switch on the power cable
- Voltage: DC 12V to car cigarette lighter
- Fixed with Suction cup or double hook
Weight: 1.02 kg | Dimensions: 37 x 29.7 x 7.5 cm
Standout features: 5 meters cable length and 2 meters hose length
The LIEBMAYA 12V car Cigarette Lighter Portable Shower Electrical Pump for Outdoor Camping makes sures=e you won’t be restricted within a short distance from your car where the portable shower is plugged in. You have 5 meters of cable length and a 2-meter hose to make you feel freer.
On the physical aspect alone, the portable shower looks durable already, especially with the material of the hose. It comes with its own holder, as well as a hook and suction cup.
The shower head has a metal adjuster for the water pressure. It also has a power button somewhere along the hose line. It is powered by a DC 12V car charger output. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a USB output alternative. The whole product is simple looking and is surely easy to use.
