Pop-up Campers with Bathrooms: All You Need to Know

Pop up camping is seen as a middle ground between a travel trailer and a tent, and as such it has certain benefits over each.

For one, it is smaller, lighter, and more easily maneuverable than a trailer, yet way more comfortable than your plain old tent.

Now, a way to significantly upgrade your camping experience is to try out some pop-up campers with bathrooms. 

In today's article, I will write about all you need to know about these contraptions.

Types of Pop up Camper Bathrooms

There are two main types of pop up camper bathrooms, and in this section, you will find a breakdown of both.

1. “Wet” Bathrooms

The more common kind are the so-called “wet” bathrooms. They essentially consist of a shower tray that has a built-in toilet pedestal inside of it.

These bathrooms get their name from the inevitability of getting all of their components wet as one takes a shower. Wet bathrooms are usually found in smaller pop-up campers as they are a great space saver.

It is not rare for them to have a hinged cover that can also be used as a counter or a place to sit.

If you use this surface for food preparation, be sure to clean everything up as bits of food might attract mice.

Those who encounter this problem should look this list of ways to keep mice out of your camper.

One of the downsides of this kind of bathroom is that you cannot keep toiletries inside of it as they would get soaked.

Also, the entire bathroom has to be wiped after each shower if you want it to be readily usable at any time.

Another thing you need to know is that, in most cases, small pop up campers do not have a fully enclosed bathroom, so you will have to get a shower curtain in order to secure some privacy and prevent the water from splashing outside of the shower.

2. “Dry” Bathrooms

Unlike its wet counterpart, “dry” pop up camper bathrooms do have a toilet that is physically separated from the shower.

To be more precise, the shower stall, sink, and toilet are still in the same space (room), but they are not merged into one whole. 

This means that you won’t splash the toilet every time you take a shower, and there will be no need for wiping down all of the bathroom’s components.

They are usually installed into larger pop-up campers and are much less common that the "wet" kind. 

The great thing about “dry” bathrooms is that you will be able to hold all your toiletries in them, and as they are fully enclosed, they can serve as a changing room.

Besides this, you won’t need to buy any shower curtains. Even though “dry” bathrooms are bigger than the “wet” ones, they are still relatively small compared to those found in RV’s and trailers. 

As far as pop up campers go, these bathrooms provide a lot of comforts and if you like this way of camping, then this style of bathroom will probably be preferable to the other.

Curtained or Fully Enclosed?

Besides the wet/dry division, pop up camper bathrooms can also be separated into two other categories: curtained and fully enclosed.

After reading this, a question that might come to mind is: “Which one is better?”

Well, it’s not so simple to give a one-size-fits-all answer as different people have various preferences.

However, what I can do is write about the pros and cons of both types and let you draw your conclusions from it.

Curtained

As you may already know, the “wet” bathrooms are the ones that will require curtains in the greatest number of cases.

They are significantly smaller than "dry" bathrooms, but this comes with an array of disadvantages, one of them being the curtain.

A shower curtain is not bad in itself, as a matter of fact, it is very practical, but it might be troublesome to put it up and take it down every time you want to bathe.

Fully Enclosed

Fully enclosed bathrooms usually belong to the "dry" type, and they are the closest thing to a real bathroom that you will be able to find in a pop-up camper.

For example, some bathrooms are enclosed with solid walls which are non-adjustable. On the other hand, certain models of pop up campers (especially the A-frame kind) may have foldable walls that can be folded down when the camper is in its “unpacked” state.

Once you fully set up the camper, you can “unfold” the walls and then have a fully enclosed bathroom.

The Practicality of Pop up Campers with Bathroom Facilities

While the idea of being a clean camper is very attractive, it is a bit harder to realize. The main issue with showering here is the amount of water that you will need for a decent wash.

Some of the largest water tanks available have a capacity that cannot cater to a single person’s showering needs, let alone more people.

However, if you really need a bath, having a pop-up camper bathroom is better than nothing.

2. Water heater

Most, but not all pop-up campers include a water heater. It is always good to have some hot water around, especially if you plan on taking frequent showers.

The heater's water tank can usually heat up a third of the total shower water. The downside is that it is pretty heavy and the space it takes up could be used for storage.

But, if you are desperate for some additional storage, just wrap the items that you want to the roof of your car and here are the best ratchet straps to do the job.

3. Toilet

This is probably the part of the bathroom that is used the most. The toilet system uses the water from the tank to flush down the waste into a cassette container.

Later, you can take out the cassette and dispose of the waste.

Discover more: How to Choose the Best RV Toilet in 2019

The Pop-up Campers with Bathroom Facilities

It’s really hard to say which pop up campers are the best as this is a very subjective issue. Still, one can say that some models are objectively better than others and you can conclude this from other people's experiences.

Therefore, if you are interested in a camper with a curtained, "wet" bathroom, then the Forest River RV Flagstaff Classic should be good for you.

Pop-ups with "dry" bathrooms are less common but still available, and one very good model is the Forest River Rockwood. There are plenty other models on the market, so make sure to do your research. 

Conclusion 

We have reached the end of my article, and I believe that this was all the useful info on pop up campers with bathrooms that I have for you.

You can always learn more as camping enthusiasts are more than happy to share their knowledge and experiences. Until next time, happy camping and good luck!