If you’re comparing portable showers for camping, one of the biggest decisions is whether to go with a simple gravity-fed solar bag or a manual pressurised portable shower.
Both can give you access to water away from a bathroom, but they work very differently once you’re actually at camp. A manual pressurised portable shower keeps the water in a tank on the ground and uses a hand pump to create pressure, which means you can carry it to wherever you need it and use the water for far more than just standing underneath it.
That becomes surprisingly useful when you’re dealing with sandy feet, muddy dogs, kids, surf gear, fishing equipment or anything else you’d rather clean before it goes back into the tent or car.
For most campers, that versatility is where a pressurised portable shower starts to make much more sense.
Why a pressurised portable shower works so well for camping
Camping tends to involve a lot more cleaning than you expect. You might only be planning to use your shower at the end of the day, but it usually doesn’t take long before it gets pulled into other jobs around camp.
A manual pump shower builds air pressure inside the tank, which pushes water through the hose and shower head. Because the tank stays on the ground, you can use it beside the tent, at the back of the car, near the beach access or wherever the mess happens to be.
You’re not tied to a shower block, a power source or a particular tree branch. You simply carry the shower to where you need water.
For camping, that freedom is often more useful than the shower itself.
Pressurised water is useful for much more than showering
A gravity-fed shower can give you a basic rinse, but pressurised water is much more useful when you’re trying to actually clean something.
Sand stuck to feet, mud on the dog, salt on surf gear, dirty boots and camping equipment are all easier to rinse when the water has some pressure behind it. Beach Soul showers also have multiple shower-head spray modes, so you can change the spray depending on what you’re using it for.
This is why we tend to think of a portable shower as a portable source of pressurised water rather than something you only use to wash yourself.
Once you’ve got one at camp, it usually ends up being used throughout the day.
No electricity or batteries required
There are plenty of camping showers that use rechargeable or 12V electric pumps, and they can work well. The trade-off is that they introduce another powered item into your setup.
A Beach Soul portable shower is manually pressurised, so there’s no battery to charge and no electricity required to create the water flow. You build pressure using the hand pump and top it up as needed while you’re using the shower.
That simplicity is particularly handy when you’re camping off-grid or heading somewhere without easy access to power.
You can use warm or cool water when you want it
A pressurised portable shower doesn’t need to heat its own water, which means you can fill it with warm or cool water depending on the trip and the conditions.
Warm water is great for an evening rinse when the temperature drops, while cool water after a hot hike, surf or beach day can be exactly what you want during an Australian summer.
You’re not waiting for the shower itself to warm up before you can use it. If you have water at the temperature you want, you’re ready to go.
It goes where the mess is
This is one of the biggest advantages around a campsite.
Instead of everyone walking over to wherever the shower has been set up, you can take a pressurised portable shower to the car, tent, dog, kids or gear that needs cleaning.
That might mean rinsing sandy feet before everyone climbs into the car, cleaning muddy legs before the kids get into their sleeping bags, washing the dog after a walk or giving salt-covered gear a quick fresh-water rinse.
It’s especially useful on family trips, where keeping dirt and sand completely out of the car or tent is probably unrealistic, but keeping at least some of it outside is definitely achievable.
So where does a solar shower bag fit in?
A solar shower bag is a simpler type of portable shower. You fill a soft bag with water, leave it in sunlight to warm and then hang it above you so gravity creates the water flow.
They’re lightweight when empty and can be a low-cost option if all you want is an occasional basic rinse.
The compromise is that you need somewhere high and strong enough to hang the bag, and a full bag gets heavy very quickly. Ten litres of water weighs roughly 10 kilograms, so lifting it above head height and finding a suitable hanging point isn’t always as convenient as it sounds.
The shower also stays wherever you’ve hung it, and the water flow relies on gravity rather than pressure. If you want the water warmed naturally, you’ll also need enough sunlight and enough time for the bag to heat up.
For very simple trips that may be perfectly fine. For people who want a shower they can move around camp and use for cleaning people, pets and gear, a pressurised system is much more versatile.
Pressurised portable shower or solar shower?
The easiest way to decide is to think about what you actually want the shower to do once you’re away.
A manual pressurised shower may suit you better if:
- You want pressurised water rather than gravity-fed flow
- You don’t want to find somewhere to hang a full water bag
- You want to use the shower beside the tent, car or campsite
- You want something useful for kids, pets and outdoor gear as well as showering
- You’re camping without electricity or easy access to charging
- You want to fill the shower with warm or cool water when it suits you
A solar shower bag may suit you if:
- You mainly want a basic personal rinse
- You’re trying to keep packed gear as light as possible
- You have somewhere suitable to hang it
- You’re happy with gravity-fed water flow
- You don’t mind relying on sunlight if you want naturally warmed water
What size portable shower is best for camping?
Once you’ve decided a pressurised shower suits the way you camp, the next question is usually how much water you want to carry.
Beach Soul portable showers are available in 5L, 8L and 10L capacities, and the right size depends on how you travel. A smaller shower can make sense if space and weight are important and you mainly want quick rinses, while a larger tank gives you more water for families, longer trips and general campsite clean-ups.
Our Original 8L sits nicely in the middle and works well as an all-rounder for camping, beach days, surfing and outdoor use. The larger 10L PRO gives you more capacity when the shower is likely to be used by several people or for multiple jobs around camp.
It’s worth remembering that every litre of water adds roughly another kilogram when the tank is full, so the biggest option isn’t automatically the best one. The right capacity is the one that gives you enough water without becoming something you don’t want to carry.
Which type of portable shower is better for camping?
If you only need a basic rinse and want something inexpensive and lightweight when empty, a solar shower bag can still have its place.
For campers who want something more practical and versatile, though, a manual pressurised portable shower is usually the better option. It stays on the ground, doesn’t need electricity or batteries, can be filled with warm or cool water and can move around camp with you.
More importantly, it keeps being useful after you’ve finished having your shower. You can rinse the kids, clean the dog, wash sand from your feet, freshen up your gear and deal with the general mess that comes with spending a few days outdoors.
That’s what makes a good camping shower worth packing in the first place.
Frequently asked questions
What is a pressurised portable shower?
A pressurised portable shower stores water inside a sealed tank. A manual pump creates air pressure inside the tank, which pushes the water through the hose and shower head.
Does a portable camping shower need electricity?
Not always. Beach Soul portable showers use manual pump pressure, so they don’t need electricity or batteries to create water flow.
Can you put warm water in a portable shower?
Yes. Beach Soul portable showers can be filled with warm or cool water, allowing you to choose the water temperature that suits the conditions.
Can you use a portable shower for dogs and camping gear?
Yes. A pressurised portable shower can be used for showering as well as rinsing dogs, sandy feet, wetsuits, boards, boots and other outdoor gear.
Does a solar shower need sunlight?
A solar shower can still release water without sunlight because gravity creates the flow. However, sunlight is needed if you want the bag to heat the water naturally.
What is the difference between a solar shower and a pressurised portable shower?
A solar shower bag normally uses gravity to move water from a bag hanging above you. A manual pressurised shower uses air pressure created by a hand pump, so the tank can stay on the ground while the water is pushed through the hose and shower head.
Is a manual pump shower good for off-grid camping?
Yes. Because it doesn’t rely on mains power, batteries or charging, a manual pump shower can be particularly useful for camping and other off-grid trips.
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