Campsite Shower Ideas For Glamping
You might already have some fantastic campsite shower ideas, but will they actually work? Simply put, you just have to get the showers right. There is no room to scrimp and save here without massive negative consequences.
When planning in your campsite shower ideas, it makes total sense to also consider the toilets you will provide, as they will likely need to be sited together. The post Campsite Toilet Ideas For Glamping will be an important read too.
Reviews
A cursory look at ‘travellers’ pictures on Tripadvisor and similar will reveal just how important these facilities are to guests, and the Glamper is no exception to this, perhaps more so.
Traveller pictures are those submitted by the guest and when filtering the images it’s possible to see a good proportion of those pictures are of the bathroom area of their accommodation:
Keep in mind that hotels and such have plenty of areas to photograph (dining room, function rooms, lobby etc) whereas a glampsite will have just a few by comparison, so your toilets and showers will feature more heavily in your guest’s photography and reviews.
Cold, miserable showers are just not acceptable!
This very basic of human needs simply has to be met, with whistles on! If your site is off grid and you don’t have a dedicated shower block at the ready, there are alternatives for you to consider. We’ll take a look at those in a moment.
Electric Powered
If you have an electricity supply to work with, use it. This is most certainly the most reliable option. You may need to extend your existing supply using a local electrician. Of course, this will attract an additional cost but will be worth it for peace of mind in the long run.
Off Grid
There are two main types of off-grid solution to consider; solar and gas powered. Wood-fired is a possibility too, but requires a lot of well-timed effort in order to get the water up to temperature. This can be annoying for the guest who require hot water on demand. Nobody wants to plan 3 hours ahead of time when they might fancy a shower.
Solar Powered
Systems range from a simple 5-20 litre black bag which heats up when exposed to the sun and so heats the water within, to fully customised systems.
That said, there don’t seem to be any great movers on the UK market that specifically supply solar showers to campsites. This is likely due to the high number (and cost) of panels required to heat enough water for commercial use and their unreliability. It’s risky to rely on the sun to heat water at a UK glampsite.
Gas Powered
Gas-powered hot water is the preferred off-grid choice for site owners. Different models include those with their own small tank, and others that can be connected to a larger tank. Of course, the larger the tank the less frequently you will need to refill it, and so the size can work to your advantage.
In all cases, consideration will need to be paid as to how the waste (grey) water is dealt with. Some will choose to dig in a soak-away into which the water can be conducted, whilst others will choose to collect and dispose of the water themselves.
There are companies who offer off grid toilet and shower solutions that can be fitted pretty much anywhere. Shower Shack is one such example – they “build luxurious and affordable pop up bathroom solutions for campsites, glamping businesses and outdoor venues.”
To reduce the environmental impact (and to satisfy environment agencies) your guests should be encouraged to use eco-friendly soaps.
Consider supplying eco-soaps yourself, to ensure compliance and to add to that ‘hotel feel’. There are plenty of bulk buying options on the market with Faith in Nature being a good place to start. Selling in 5-20 litre denominations, their soaps can be dispensed into pretty, individual dispensers. Their soaps are supplied in recycled plastic containers and sustainability is at the top of their agenda. These are all things you can shout about when setting out your ‘stall’.
