RVs are generally equipped with some sort of facilities that can be used for showering and using the toilet. Many of the larger motorhomes and campers have separate shower and toilet areas that you would commonly find in a home. However, in a smaller RV, like a camper van or a small trailer, there just isn’t enough room for the standard types of facilities.
That’s where a wet bath comes in handy.
A wet bath is an area that includes a shower and toilet area together in one small space. This space can also contain a sink, mirror, cabinets, and other features. The entire space will get wet when the shower is running which is why it is called a wet bath.
The main benefit of a wet bath is that it saves space. It allows you to have the convenience of a full shower and toilet but has a smaller footprint than it would if these two areas were separate. A wet bath is perfect for small campers where space is limited. Anything that can be done to save space is welcomed in a small RV such as a Class B.
Some people love wet baths and some people hate them. I have heard people say that they are perfect for weekend getaways or occasional trips but would not want to use one in a full-time situation. I agree that they can be a bit inconvenient but the space-saving that you get from one of these can make up for any inconvenience that they may be.
I have one of these in my camper van and I am happy with it. However, mine isn’t fully a wet bath because I can remove my cassette toilet easily and use the shower only. It’s also possible for me to leave my toilet in the shower while I am taking a shower as I have done before.
There are benefits to this kind of set up but also some disadvantages that you might want to know about if you are looking at getting one of these types of bathrooms. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of wet baths below.
Pros
1) Saves Space
One of the best features of a wet bath is that it takes up less space than any other type of shower and toilet combination. This is extra important in a small RV or camper and can be an excellent choice for a camper van. A wet bath contains everything that you need to clean yourself and to relieve yourself.
Everything is contained in one small unit and this small unit takes up minimal space. Having everything together in one unit is a convenient way to still be able to have these features without taking up a lot of space.
Wet baths are usually found in smaller RVs. These are commonly seen in camper vans, small travel trailers, and some class C motorhomes. They work very well for campers of this size since you are working with limited space, to begin with.
You wouldn’t want to create a separate shower and toilet area in something as small as a camper van so a combination of both of these in the same space makes sense.
2) Easy To Clean
Since everything in a wet bath is designed to get wet, cleanup is easy because you can just wipe everything down once you are finished. This makes it easy to spray bathroom cleaner all over the place and then wipe it down without having separate areas to worry about.
Since most people clean their wet bath right after using it, it stays clean most of the time after it has had time to dry out.
Cleaning a wet bath can be as simple as using the shower head wand to spray down the entire area after you have finished using it. This makes it easy to make sure all of the soap and dirty water has been rinsed out of every crack and crevice. Once this has been done and you are fully finished with your shower, you can simply wipe it down with a towel or chamois.
3) Give You A Place To Sit While Showering
Having a toilet inside your shower can be handy for those times that you want to sit down while you are taking your shower. It becomes a bench that you can sit on and this makes it easier to wash your feet or clean areas that may be easier to clean while sitting down.
This is also great for those who need to sit down for a specific reason while they are taking a shower.
4) Can Be Used As A Drying Space
Another great thing about a wet bath is that you can hang or put wet clothes and other items that you don’t want in your living space. I often use my wet bath as a place to hang wet or sweaty clothes after I have been on a long hike or bike ride. It is also handy for putting wet umbrellas or wet clothes that have been hand washed.
You can hang stuff in the bathroom and not have to worry about the area getting wet. This comes in handy especially in small spaces and allows you to get things out of the way so that they don’t get the living space wet. There is often a lot of room inside a wet bath since it spans the space of a shower and toilet all in one. This gives you a sizable area to handle all of your wet belongings.
5) More Spacious For Showering
Once it is time for you to take a shower, you will generally have a more spacious set up than you would in other separate showers. Since the toilet, sink, and shower are generally all in one confined area, the space of the entire area can feel larger when taking a shower.
This gives you more elbow room to work with and makes it so that you don’t feel the walls closing in on you as you are lathering and rinsing.
Likewise, as you use your toilet, you have more space to do your business. This space allows you to move more freely and easily than you would by just having a small dedicated toilet space. Although the entire footprint of the wet bath may be small, the elbow room and moving around space that you might have can make up for the small area.
Cons
1) Everything Gets Wet
The biggest con is that when you take a shower in a wet bath, everything inside will get wet. Although it is designed to be this way, it sometimes can be a challenge and an inconvenience. I often find myself trying my best to not splash so much water around so there will not be so much to dry off after I am finished.
If you have toilet paper and other toiletries inside, you will need to make sure that they are in an area that won’t get wet. It’s common to have a waterproof toilet paper holder that allows you to keep the toilet paper dry as you run water throughout the showering area.
However, I have found that sometimes these are not fully waterproof or may not be fully closed and water could get to the toilet paper and turn it into a soggy mess.
Although easy to clean up, the water can get to be a lot and many people learn how to conserve water better the more they use one. By conserving water and learning how to spray yourself without creating as much splash, it is easier to manage the wetness.
2) A Wet Bath Can Be A Hassle
Having a wet bath isn’t always a good thing. Many people find them to be a hassle since everything inside gets wet. This can lead to moisture problems in your RV if you do not keep up on drying it. The wetness must be managed regularly and this can become a hassle for those who are not used to having one of these.
Those who are used to taking a shower at a house may be in for an unwelcoming adventure when using a wet bath. It can take a little while to adjust to the hassle that is required to maintain one of these types of setups.
3) They Are Small
If you have a small camper, a small bathroom can be a benefit. However, it can also be a disadvantage because if you have a small shower like this, it will be more difficult to use than a larger area would be. Larger people may have a difficult time using a small wet bath that can be found in small RVs. Everyone is different and will have to decide for themselves whether or not something like this is too small.
Personally, I like the size of a small wet bath. I don’t use it all the time and it’s nice to have the option without taking up so much space in my van. Yes, it is small once I go to use it but I can get the job done without much inconvenience. It’s not a big deal having a small shower like this and it can certainly be a welcoming feature when you are dirty and in need of a cleanup.
4) You Have To Spend Time Drying It After Use
It’s best that you always dry your shower and everything else inside of it after each use. This adds a little more time to your normal routine because you have to plan for the time it is going to take you to dry everything off. You have to get down into corners and crevices to make sure that everything gets properly dried out after you have run water throughout the entire area.
Although this is not difficult by any means, it does take extra time and if you had a separate shower you probably would not need to do this. It’s important that you do this to maintain a dry area in your van so that it doesn’t become a humid, mold creating space. You can make this process easier by having a dedicated towel or another absorbent device that soaks up a lot of water.
5) A Wet Bath Doesn’t Have Much Storage
In a wet bath, you will not find a lot of storage. Besides a few crevices and shelves, there isn’t a lot of room to store toiletries and other items. Even the items that you do have located in the area will possibly need to be removed when you use the area to take a shower.
Some of these types of areas do have watertight cabinet areas that can be used for storing items. By using the spaces, you won’t have to worry about water penetrating and getting the contents inside wet.
However, many of these types of areas are minimalistic and do not have a lot of room to store items.
Conclusion
A wet bath can be a great addition to a small camping space. If you have a Class B motorhome or a small travel trailer, you probably know all about using one of these. If you have a larger one, this type of showering area may be foreign to you.
They don’t take up a lot of space and they serve multiple purposes. Anytime that you can have something like this that serves multiple purposes in a small place, it is going to be ideal. Although it is not as luxurious as a full separate shower and toilet area, it gets the job done and allows you to have these conveniences even in a very small space.
There are pros to having this type of system but also cons so each person will need to decide if this is something they will want or not. These make a great solution for those people who use them occasionally. For those who mainly do their showering and bathroom using at a campground facility, they are perfect.
For those who live in small spaces, it’s hard to beat the convenience of having a shower and toilet like this. It may be difficult at first to get used to but the more you use it, the more you will appreciate the convenience that it offers.