Every RVer likes to do things a little differently. Some cook outside for every meal possible, some delight in making full use of their indoor kitchen. Some have dogs, some have cats, some have kids. Some RV solo, enjoying the freedom to take comfortable solitude with them all over the country. But there’s one thing that every single RV adventurer should be particular about, your bathroom design and RV wet bath.
The way you design your RV bathroom will have a serious impact on how you experience and enjoy your adventures. Do you tend to get really muddy? Then a larger shower or even a small tub might be appropriate. Do you like your space, or are you cool with cabinet-sized efficiency? Today, we’re here to talk about not just what’s available, but how to design an RV wet bath that is efficient, comfortable, and suits all your personal needs for self-care on the road.
There are a surprising number of ways to build custom a travel bathroom for your RV or travel trailer, from a chemical toilet stashed in a cabinet to complete luxury bathrooms with a full-sized tub. You can build a luxury bathroom that looks like a tiny slice of a hotel, a camp bathroom with minimal features, and everything in between. However, by far the most popular (and efficient) solution for an RV bathroom is your classic wet bath design.
What is an RV Wet Bath?
For first-time RVers who aren’t familiar with them, an RV wet bath is an all-in-one bathroom compartment. It is the size of a tidy toilet stall with a little sink for hand washing and tooth brushing that also includes a showerhead and a drain in the floor. Slightly larger designs might feature an extra two or three feet for a separate shower with the option to use the entire space. In other words, everything gets wet. Hence the title of wet bath.
The idea is that since some people will need space to shower, you might as well make a bathroom that can handle being soaked and cleaned a million times over. This way, you don’t have to worry about splashes, mess, or damaging anything. Everything is a wet bath is made of plastic or other water-resistant materials and in many, the features are designed to be multi-purpose or fold up into the wall for more room.
What you may not know is that not all wet baths are created equal. Some are significantly better than others and it’s all about the feature design. How comfortable the shower is, and how easy it is to dry your bathroom out after a shower, will depend on the quality of your fixtures. Choose wisely for a comfortable wet bath experience in your RV or travel trailer.
Temperature and Pressure Knobs
Most home showers have a knob that only controls temperature, while pressure is determined by local plumbing and the showerhead. In a travel shower, however, having a pressure knob is incredibly useful. In combination with your shower head, a pressure valve can help you carefully balance comfort with water use. Lower pressure showers use less water per second while higher pressure will help to blast off grit and soap.
A pressure knob next to your temp knob (or a 2-in-1) will allow you to decide exactly how much water to use, allowing you to conserve when running of your tank or luxuriate when connected to a water hook-up.
Toilet Paper Cover
In a wet bath, everything can potentially get soaked no matter how far it may seem to be from the showerhead. Even if you have a little shower stall and a curtain, it’s best to protect your toilet paper to avoid the risk of a uselessly soggy roll. In all well-designed wet baths, your toilet paper holder should come with a cover that effectively seals shut or at least provides a protective ‘hutch’ for your toilet paper so that the water rolls harmlessly over it without soaking the paper itself.
Fortunately, toilet paper covers are easy to install even if you find a great deal for a wet-bath RV or trailer that doesn’t have one yet. Or if you discover your shower more enthusiastically than your bathroom design allows for.
Fold-Out Sink
One of the biggest challenges in an RV or trailer wet-bath is the sink. Most RV owners don’t want to waste another two feet of bathroom space on standing room for their sink but you still need somewhere to wash hands, shave, and brush teeth. Many RVs feature a microscopic sink that could double as a soap dish for your shower, but there’s a better option.
Fold-out sinks set the basin into the wall, often right above the toilet to take up the minimum amount of space. This allows you to have a reasonably sized basin and even a medicine cabinet/mirror without sacrificing the standing room you need for a comfortable shower.
Wood Slat Floor
Finally, there’s the wet floor conundrum. After your RV shower, everything is damp including the floor. A drain in the floor prevents puddles but for comfortable feet and little to no risk of slipping, accept no substitute for a wood slat floor. These are removable square or rectangular bathmats made of wood or bamboo that allow water through and create a half-inch of space between you and slippery plastic.
A removable wood slat floor not only dries faster than plastic, but you can also set one out in the sun for a quick-dry or even keep a spare for an instant dry bathroom floor after a shower.
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An enjoyable RV or travel trailer bathroom is all about balancing function and comfort. You need enough space to move around in and all the right features for a complete morning, evening, and post-hiking cleanup routine. These features, all of which can be installed post-manufacture, are great ways to balance the classic wet bath design. For more tips on how to customize the perfect bathroom in a home, business or recreational vehicle, contact us today!
