The best portable showers for camping

• It used to be that whenever you embarked on an extended camping or backpacking trip, you'd go several days without taking a proper shower — for backpackers, this required them to maintain hygiene in other ways.
• Times have changed and while modern outdoor enthusiasts still enjoy pitching their tents in remote locations, they're now able to tote a few luxuries along with them, including a portable shower.
• Though they may not replicate the feeling of stepping under the warm running water of your home shower, they do well in providing a better method for daily cleansing than resorting to a bucket full of cold river water.
• Our top pick, the Nemo Helio Pressure Shower, is a highly durable camp shower that features an easy to use foot pump capable of generating a sustainable high-pressure stream.

Portable showers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, yet tend to feature a similar design. They often come equipped with a reservoir of some sort that's used to hold water, as well as a hose and shower head that controls water flow. Most portable showers feature a gravity-fed design, which is a fancy way of saying the water drains from the reservoir after being hung someplace high — typically from a tree branch or rock ledge.

But just because you pack a portable shower for a camping trip doesn't necessarily mean you'll be enjoying a hot shower along the way. Most of these products don't have hot and cold options but simply provide a way to rinse off some of the dust and dirt from the trail. Many won't even hold enough water for a full-blown shower.

That said, there are a few models that use solar energy to warm water or offer battery-operated solutions to provide a bit of warmth, too. The surest way to get a hot shower while camping however is to heat up the water using your camp stove first. This can provide a surprisingly refreshing campsite experience, although it comes at the expense of burning extra fuel.

In addition to providing campers a way to stay clean, camp showers prove themselves to be quite handy in other ways, too. For instance, the same shower you use to rinse off with at the end of the day can be just as useful when it comes to cleaning up pots and pans after meals. They can also be used to keep gear and clothing clean, which helps to maintain durability and performance over time.

This higher level of versatility, coupled with lightweight designs and better all-around performance, even prompted veteran backpackers to reassess their thoughts regarding camp showers. What was once thought to be frivolous and unnecessary became a staple at many campsites, which is why you might want to consider bringing one along on your next outing.

We've tested dozens of different models to find the showers that deliver the best all-around experience. If you're considering adding a portable camp shower to your campsite, here's what we recommend.

• Best portable shower overall: Nemo Helio Pressure Shower
• Best ultralight portable shower: Sea to Summit Pocket Shower
• Best portable shower for car campers: Zodi Zip Hot Shower

Updated on 6/10/2020 by Rick Stella: Updated the intro to spotlight other ways to use a camp shower, checked the availability of each pick, and updated the prices, formatting, and links throughout.