I recently read an article on an overlanding forum the other evening. It was about how much living on the road fulltime sucks. The author has been living in a Sprinter van for 3 years. The two main drawbacks to “#vanlife”, the author wrote, were showering and using the bathroom. I read the entirety of the article and realized I had zero of the problems the author did, so I want to share how I go about showering and pooping while living in something with even less privacy, a rooftop tent.

With my Tundra setup, I have no shower and I have a primitive 5-gallon bucket toilet (don’t lose faith yet). Let’s start with showering.

To start, remember that showering daily is detrimental to your skin unless you are genuinely filthy. To keep your skin healthy, your body needs daily rinses and some soap every other day or even less frequently, similar to washing your hair. With that in mind, no one wants to smell like Bigfoot, so how do you stay clean without a bathroom?

Showers are going to be necessary, and they will be available no matter where you are. There are two options. A gym membership or $5-$10 at campgrounds per shower. If it is a shorter trip, less than a few weeks, you will need to do the math to see if a gym membership makes sense. For longer trips and fulltiming, plan on both.

Two popular choices for gyms are Planet Fitness and Anytime Fitness, and there are countless articles that discuss all the different gym chains. In the past, I used Anytime Fitness and had great experiences. I have recently switched to Planet Fitness just to see the difference. Some people have multiple gym memberships. A clean, hot shower is the only thing I do not want to sacrifice while fulltiming.

Campgrounds almost always have showers and Google Maps will be your friend in finding which are the cleanliest. They will be far more common than any gym, so even with a gym membership you will probably use a campground every now and then. Though no matter how clean, you’ll want to bring a spare pair of sandals for both gyms and campgrounds — no exceptions.

In between showers, you should use baby wipes every day. They will help you tremendously. As well as baby wipes, if it’s summertime, swimming will likely be a common activity, and that is a good time to scrub up – just remember to not use soap, even if it says it’s biodegradable. Half of being clean is feeling clean, and swimming in streams, lakes, and rivers will help you win that battle.

In summary, you will likely give up daily showers. But it’s not nearly as tragic as it sounds.

Using The Bathroom

As for more private matters, this is a far simpler problem.

Having a composting/chemical toilet or 5-gallon self-made toilet will be extremely helpful. But it is not necessary!

If you are in or passing through a city, every hotel will have a lobby restroom. They are professionally maintained throughout the day, but cleanliest in the morning. Gas stations have their place, but hotels are much nicer.

If you are off the grid, dig a hole! This is how it is done when you go hiking or camping, and cleanup is way easier than any other method. Dig a hole and cover your waste with at least 6” of organic material. Nature does the rest. Some people say you should pack out your used toilet paper, I disagree. The main issue with toilet paper is that people do not bury it well enough or bury it at all. Dig a deep hole, bury well, and there will be no worries. Not burying your waste will result in government agencies closing large swaths of land. This has happened in North Carolina recently.

Having a portable toilet is a good backup. I use the tried and true 5-gallon bucket method, but composting toilets are popular. For the bucket method, purchase a snap on toilet seat lid, 2 heavy duty trashbags, and kitty litter. If that does not sound enticing, you can buy bags online made specifically for human waste with chemical compounds included. For disposal, generally speaking, if you use some chemical agent, and have it sealed completely, you can dump these bags anywhere you would a diaper. But do your research on the area you’re in first, rules vary county-by-county.

If you keep this information in mind, there will be nothing to worry about! There are entire industries built around providing these services, and you are not the first to have these problems. Another great resource is the Youtube channel CheapRVLiving. Good luck!