Campervan with Toilet and Shower: Your Options

Do You Need One?

A toilet is not a legal requirement. The DVLA’s guidance on converting a van into a motor caravan lists seats and a table, sleeping accommodation, cooking facilities and storage as the internal features it expects, and a toilet is not among them.

Whether you want one is a different question. For site-based holidays, where there are shower blocks and toilets a short walk away, many owners manage without. For wild camping, cold weather or travelling with children, most people end up wanting at least a toilet on board.

The real decision is how much space you give it, and that depends on the size of the van.

Toilet Options

Portable toilet. A self-contained unit such as the Thetford Porta Potti, which you carry to a disposal point to empty. Thetford lists the 335, 345 and 365 models with waste tanks of 10, 12 and 21 litres. It needs no plumbing and can live in a cabinet or under a seat, which makes it the usual choice in compact vans.

Cassette toilet. A fixed toilet with a removable waste cassette that you slide out through an external hatch. Thetford’s cassettes hold around 17–19 litres depending on the model. It needs a fixed position against an outside wall and a hatch cut into the body, so it belongs in a washroom.

Separating (composting) toilet. Liquids and solids are kept apart, which removes the need for chemicals. Makers such as Trelino and Separett produce compact versions for vans. You empty the liquid tank more often and dispose of the solids bag separately.

Whatever you choose, empty chemical toilets only at a dedicated chemical toilet disposal point, which campsites and many motorhome service points provide.

Showers: Indoor or Outdoor

A fixed washroom holds the toilet and a shower tray in a small cubicle, with hot water from the van’s water heater. It is the full motorhome experience, but it takes a real slice of floor space and adds water, weight and a grey waste tank.

An outdoor shower fitted at the rear doors or sliding door, fed from the fresh water tank, is the compact-van answer. It is ideal for rinsing off after the beach or a muddy walk, and it costs almost no interior space.

Plenty of owners find the outdoor shower plus a portable toilet in a cabinet does everything they need.

Which Vans Have Room

Large vans (Fiat Ducato, Mercedes Sprinter, VW Crafter, full-size Ford Transit) are where fixed washrooms live. A long-wheelbase van can fit a dinette, kitchen, washroom and fixed bed.

Mid-size vans (VW Transporter, Ford Transit Custom, Renault Trafic) usually take a portable toilet in a cabinet and an outdoor shower. A few layouts squeeze in a small washroom, but only by giving up seating or bed space, so try the finished layout before you commit.

Small vans (Caddy, Berlingo) have room for a portable toilet at most.

Water, Waste and Weight

A shower means a bigger fresh water tank, a water heater, a pump and a grey waste tank. Our water system guide explains how those fit together. Water is heavy, so a washroom build eats into payload quickly, particularly in a mid-size van.

Grey water (from the sink and shower) also has to go somewhere. The Camping and Caravanning Club advises emptying it at proper disposal points, only emptying it on the ground where a site owner tells you to, and never on roads or in laybys.

What to Ask a Converter

• Which toilet do you fit, and where will I empty it?
• How big are the fresh and grey water tanks?
• How is hot water heated, and does it work off hook-up as well as gas or diesel?
• If there is a washroom, what did you give up to fit it?
• What does the finished van weigh with full water tanks?