Trent’s van has no indoor shower
No wet bath. No gray tank filling up from a five-minute rinse. No thousand-dollar plumbing job before he could start van life.
His bathroom is outside: a stainless steel turkey pot on a propane burner, a shower tent, a rechargeable pump, and a shower head. Water is shower-hot in about five minutes. He’s used this setup for five years.
I have a wet bath in my Travato. I still use his outdoor shower when I don’t want to deal with dumping and shuffling stuff around.
It goes the other way too. Sometimes he showers in my Travato when we can’t set up the outdoor shower outside — wind, a tight site, weather, nowhere decent to put the tent. The outdoor setup is still a great option to have. It isn’t the only shower. It’s the cheap, ready one when the day allows it.
This is not “our shower.” It’s Trent’s setup. I borrow it. He borrows my wet bath when the tent can’t go up.
How we actually shower (gym vs tent)
Trent and I both already have a gym membership. When we’re in a city area, that’s the easy shower — hot water, no setup, no propane.
Trent (and I, sometimes) mainly use the outdoor setup when we’re not close to the gym.
That’s the whole system:
- City / near the gym → gym shower.
- Not near the gym, and we can set up outside → turkey pot + tent.
- Can’t set up the outdoor shower → he uses the wet bath in my Travato. I still have it.
- I skip my wet bath on purpose when I don’t want to dump gray water or shuffle the bathroom around — then I use his outdoor shower.
You don’t need one perfect bathroom. You need a shower that matches the day. The outdoor setup is a great option to have — not the only one.
What the setup actually is
Nothing fancy. Nothing permanent.
- 35-quart stainless steel turkey pot (this is the water heater)
- Outdoor propane stove / burner (about 5 minutes to shower-hot)
- Shower tent
- Rechargeable pump + portable shower head
- Propane — buy it anywhere (hardware store, grocery, gas station). No Amazon link.
Shop / what we use (Amazon)
Same kind of setup. These are affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The visible URL is the link.
- 35 Quart Stainless Steel Cooking Pot: https://link.amazon/B0gowytzP
- Outdoor stove burner: https://link.amazon/B0f2CMJdP
- Portable shower head + rechargeable shower pump: https://link.amazon/B0aUaE3xA
- Shower tent: https://link.amazon/A0e5hlvKv
- Propane: skip Amazon. Grab a tank wherever you already fill or swap — hardware store, grocery, gas station.
The part that makes it feel easy: the tent and pump go up while the water heats. When the water’s ready, he’s ready.
- Put the stainless steel turkey pot on the propane burner.
- While it heats, set up the tent, pump, and shower head.
- Drop the intake in the hot pot. Shower. Done.
Low maintenance. No indoor plumbing to winterize, leak, or repair. The honest tradeoff: you set it up each time.
That’s the deal. Cheap and simple in exchange for five minutes of setup — and those five minutes overlap with the water heating, so you’re not standing around waiting.
Why I use his (even though I have a wet bath)
A wet bath is convenient until it isn’t.
Hot shower inside my Travato means gray water, and gray water means dumping. It also means the bathroom is a wet box I have to shuffle around — toilet, shower, drying out, all in the same small space.
Some days I don’t want that chore. I use Trent’s outdoor shower instead. Heat the pot, tent goes up, I’m in, I’m out. No extra dump just because I wanted to wash my hair.
If you already have an indoor shower, this is still a useful backup. If you don’t have one, this can be the shower.
And if you camp next to someone who does have a wet bath: sometimes he just showers in my Travato when the tent can’t go up. That’s fine. The outdoor setup is still worth owning.
Who this is for
We highly recommend this if you don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on an indoor shower build.
It’s ready to go and cheap whenever you want to start van life. You can leave next week with a turkey pot and a tent. You do not have to wait for a custom wet bath, a plumber, or a van that’s “finished.”
Good fit if you:
- don’t want a wet bath (or don’t have space for one)
- already shower at a gym when you’re in town
- want something that stores in a bin and doesn’t leak into the van
- would rather set up for five minutes than spend four figures before your first trip
Skip it (or keep a gym plan) if you:
- hate any setup, every single morning
- need a shower in freezing wind with no cover
- want a catalog bathroom in the van, period
Honest notes
- Propane + hot water outdoors. Level ground, watch the pot, don’t leave the burner unattended, keep the tent a safe distance from the flame.
- Keep it decent — tent up, zipper closed. This is a shower, not a show.
- Not sponsored. No free gear. Product links above are affiliate and may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The URL you see is the link.
Would I start van life this way?
If I didn’t already have a wet bath? Yes.
Gym when we’re in town. Turkey pot when we’re not and the tent can go up. My Travato wet bath when it can’t. That’s enough to be clean without a thousand-dollar indoor shower — and enough to leave when you’re ready, not when the build is perfect. The outdoor shower is a great option to have.
More van life how-tos: https://trailnado.com
Disclaimer
This article shares personal experience with Trent’s outdoor shower setup (stainless steel turkey pot on a propane burner, shower tent, rechargeable pump). It is not professional plumbing, fire, or RV-build advice. Propane burners and hot water can cause burns, fire, and carbon monoxide risk — follow the burner manual, use outdoors with ventilation, and never heat water unattended. Tent, pump, and pot models vary. Confirm local rules for gray water / outdoor showers where you camp.