The best portable showers for camping

The Nemo Helio Pressure Shower is lightweight, durable, and easy to use, making it the perfect choice for campers who love to sleep outside but hate the dust and dirt.

If you were designing the perfect portable camp shower for use in the backcountry, chances are it'd look a lot like Nemo's Helio. Capable of holding nearly three gallons of water, while still managing to remain compact and highly packable, the Helio delivers plenty of functionality at an outstanding price.

While most camp showers use gravity to feed water to its spigots, Nemo's model features a different approach: An attached foot pump that adds air pressure to the reservoir. Generated pressure is used to create a stream of water and the tank is self-regulating, too, which means it's impossible to over pressurize it. The result is a surprisingly strong stream. Campers who are coordinated enough can add more pressure as needed throughout their shower, without having to stop to adjust anything on the Helio itself.

Because this portable shower generates a strong, sustained stream, its functionality easily extends to other uses, too. This includes washing dishes at the campsite as well as hosing down boots, bikes, and kayaks. Need to give your four-legged companion a bath while on the go? Helio handles that as well.

Despite the fact this shower compresses to a small size, it's still made of highly durable fabrics and materials — which isn't surprising from Nemo, a brand that routinely delivers durable and dependable camping equipment. The simple but effective design also means there aren't many moving parts to become damaged or dirty while on the go. Even the shower head and hose are of high quality, which bodes well for its long-term use.

Nemo says you can warm the water inside simply by filling the Helio's tank and placing it in the sun. Unless it's extremely warm outside, you're still likely to achieve lukewarm water at best. It can, however, accept water that's been heated on your camp stove, which would be much faster and warmer. If that's the experience you're craving, and you have plenty of spare fuel for your stove, you'll truly get the chance to see how this shower shines.

If there's a knock on the Helio, it's the narrow opening you have to use to fill it. Without a funnel, it takes some time to accomplish that task — even more so if the water happens to be hot. It requires a bit of patience and practice to get things right and a three-gallon tank can seem really large when you're trying to fill it by hand.

Its one flaw aside, this is a well-made and well-designed shower that's versatile, easy to use, and very handy. It also happens to be a relative bargain and is often on sale. After just one or two camping trips, you'll wonder how you ever got along without it.

Pros: Surprisingly lightweight and compact for what it offers, the Helio is durable, versatile, and offers excellent water pressure

Cons: Can be difficult to fill and doesn't heat up much in the sun

Built for those who count ounces but still want a few amenities while camping, the Sea to Summit Pocket Shower is the lightweight and convenient way to stay clean on the trail.

Casual backpackers and car campers don't tend to worry too much about the amount of gear they bring with them, nor how much it weighs. So long as they can get it to the campsite, they're happy.

But the ultralight crowd prefers to move fast on the trail, rarely bringing along anything that adds unnecessary bulk to their packs. An increasing number of those types of hikers are discovering the joys of showering while on an extended march. For them, Sea to Summit made the Pocket Shower.

Tipping the scales at just 4.25 ounces — including the cord that's used to suspend it from a tree — the Pocket Shower is among the lightest portable camp showers on the market. When not in use, it rolls into a six-inch-long tube that does nothing to give away the fact that it holds up to 2.6 gallons of water when filled. This makes it the perfect choice for the fast-and-light crowd, who may actually find it's worth carrying that minuscule amount of additional weight if it means a better hiking experience.

In terms of use, the Pocket Shower is dead simple to operate. You simply fill it up with water, hang it from a branch, and twist open the built-in showerhead. For a gentler, lighter sprinkle, turn the spigot a tiny bit. For a steady downpour, crank it all the way open. Either way, you're not going to get a tremendous amount of water pressure but overall it does quite well considering the circumstances.

Purpose-built for use as a shower, this model isn't quite as versatile as others on the market. Yes, it can be used to help wash dishes or clean gear but the Pocket Shower's lack of serious water pressure makes it somewhat limited in this regard. Add in the fact that it gets quite heavy to lift when filled, making it more of a challenge to get into a tree. Because of this, you're more likely to reserve its use for its intended purposes, helping you stay clean.

The Pocket Shower uses thermal energy pulled from the sun to heat the water inside its reservoir, too. As is typical with these types of showers, your mileage varies. In direct sunlight in the middle of summer, the water can actually get quite comfortable. But set your expectations accordingly, as taking a hot shower in the backcountry probably isn't going to happen. You just might be surprised by what this lightweight and easy-to-use model can do.

Pros: Lightweight, inexpensive, and easy to use, this is the portable camp shower for those who want a few luxuries but are also concerned about overall pack weight too

Cons: Doesn't heat up water very quickly on its own and not as versatile as some other options

The Zodi Zip Hot Shower truly does deliver an extremely warm and soothing shower while camping but thanks to its reliance on batteries and propane, it's best for car campers.

Car campers don't have to worry about how much equipment they take with them to the campsite, which is why the Zodi Zip Hot Shower is a perfect solution for them. This device actually delivers a shower similar to what you get at home, providing consistently warm water with little to no waiting.

All you need to replicate that experience while camping is access to a water source to feed into the Zodi Zip's heating element, which is powered by four D-cell batteries and a propane tank.

Once set up, the Zip's built-in water pump draws water directly from the source, while it's onboard heater warms that water up to 100ºF in roughly 10 seconds. As long as the pump remains in the water, it provides excellent water pressure, while also filtering out debris.

An integrated shower head is attached to an 8-foot cable, making this not only a good way to scrub the dirt off your body but also for keeping your cooking supplies and other gear clean, too. The Zip even comes with a push-button ignition to get the propane burning.

Despite its excellent performance, there are a few drawbacks to consider. The most obvious is its weight, which is substantial when you factor in its batteries and propane tank. And since this model isn't equipped with its own reservoir, you'll also have to camp fairly close to a water source in order for the pump to do its job. The alternative is hauling buckets of water to your campsite, which is a long and laborious task.

Make no mistake, the Zodi Zip is an extravagant luxury item for anyone camping in the backcountry. But if you're driving to your campsite, chances are you're already bringing propane tanks and you won't care about the added weight anyway.

Pros: A hot shower just about anytime and anywhere with a fairly minimal set-up process

Cons: It's heavy and requires both batteries and propane to operate; must camp close to a water source to take advantage of its capabilities

If you're camping with a large group of people, the Risepro Solar Shower Bag is ideal with its large reservoir that holds enough water for everyone.

Probably the most important feature you'll look for when selecting a portable camp shower for a group or family is its water capacity. Using a shower with a small reservoir means you'll need to refill it multiple times per day. It also means that the last person to go is probably getting a cold shower (if they get a shower at all).

Those won't be issues you'll face with the Risepro Solar Shower Bag, however. This portable shower boasts a water capacity of 10 gallons, making it the largest on our list. That should be enough water to allow all but the largest group of campers to share, with the entire party getting a turn under the nozzle.

The showerhead on this model comes with both an on-off switch and a high-low setting, and though it doesn't have as granular of controls as we've seen on other models, it should be sufficient for the campsite. Fortunately, the spigot is fairly large and offers good water pressure. It's also attached to a long hose, which makes it easy to use without getting tangled.

Made from durable, heat-absorbing materials, the Solar Shower Bag suffers from the same issues as most other portable showers. Yes, it can heat up the water inside but in most cases, the result is lukewarm at best.

This model does separate itself from most others thanks to a built-in thermometer that lets you know the current temperature of the water inside. This is useful for indicating whether or not the water is ready for use or if you want to let it warm in the sun for a bit longer.

The challenge that comes with using this particular shower is taking full advantage of its capacity. If you fill it up directly, the Solar Shower Bag quickly becomes extremely heavy, making it awkward and difficult to move.

It also makes it challenging to hoist into a tree, which is where it'll need to be to engage its gravity feed. Buckets of water can be carried to the shower of course but that takes time and effort. It also means you'll need to bring a bucket with you to the campsite, which isn't always convenient either.

Still, when it comes to providing warm showers to everyone in your camping group, the Risepro Solar Shower Bag does a great job of keeping the group nice and clean.

Pros: Very affordable and has a large water capacity, making it easy to keep the entire group feeling clean

Cons: Gets very heavy when full and isn't efficient at heating the water using the sun