What Is An RV Shower Toilet Combo?

An RV shower toilet combo sounds both convenient and wacky. However, it can be a space-saving and efficient way for some RVers to travel. Let’s see if it’s right for you.

What Is An RV Shower Toilet Combo? 

An RV shower toilet combo packs everything you need in a bathroom into one compact space. The toilet and shower all share one room, however, the toilet sits inside the shower. This means that when you turn on the shower, everything in the space is going to get wet. This is why these RV bathrooms are also known as RV wet baths.

Pro Tip: Learn more about RV Wet Baths Vs. RV Dry Baths here!

RV manufacturers use the shower toilet combo as a practical solution for adding in bathrooms and showers into their RVs – particularly small travel trailers, teardrop campers, and small truck campers where floor space and weight capacities are limited.

What Are RV Shower Toilet Combos Like?

Often these combo units are made of a specially molded plastic where the walls curve right into the floor, allowing for water to run smoothly down the sides and to the drain. Others may incorporate sealant around the edges of the shower pan and toilet that you’ll want to keep an eye on as you use the space. You don’t want to get any leaks and cause water damage under your shower!

You’ll also find that the toilet paper is tucked away in these combo units to keep it dry for use. Cabinets and storage space are usually limited and if present is designed to keep water out. Some shower toilet combos do lack a sink.

Some RV shower toilet combos aren’t even floor-to-ceiling. They may be installed in pop-up campers and designed to be used with a shower curtain temporarily hung up when the camper is fully set up.

In terms of usage, some RVers try to find other shower facilities on a regular basis to avoid constantly having a wet floor in their bathroom or toilet area. Some RV shower toilet combos can incorporate a slatted floor insert to use in between showers to keep feet dry.

How Do RV Shower Toilet Combos Work?

While the toilet and shower are in the same space, they do not use the same drain. The toilet is separate and the toilet water either drains down into your RV black tank (if a standard gravity-fed) or into a cassette (if a cassette toilet).

The shower water goes through a separate drain on the floor and into the RV grey water tank. If you have a sink in your model, this will also drain into the grey water tank to be dumped later.

The Advantages of an RV Shower Toilet Combo

The major benefit of an RV shower toilet combo is to save space in the RV. RVers also enjoy how easy it is to clean! You can fit all the conveniences of a regular bathroom into a small rig with this kind of setup. Let’s take a closer look at the advantages of these RV bathrooms.

Better Than No RV Shower and Toilet

This may be setting the advantage bar pretty low, but often the alternative to having a shower toilet combo in your RV is to not have one at all. Some RVs simply cannot have a dry bath built-in because it takes up too much space.

One other option is for campers to use a portable toilet and/or an outdoor shower on the exterior of the vehicle. For many, the downsides of a combined wet bath area can be easily outweighed by simply having a separate room inside the RV for showering and sanitation.

Space Saving

Because the shower uses the entire bathroom, your RV shower toilet combo might afford you more shower space than a traditional RV bathroom does. True, the toilet shares space with the shower, but the stall may still be larger than what you’d expect from an RV.

RV shower toilet combos also save space over a dry bath, meaning you get more space for your RV living area, kitchen, or bedroom. Depending on your RV lifestyle, these areas may have higher priority to you.

Easy to Clean

A compact wet bath takes less time to clean. Because of its smooth material construction, wiping away dirt and grime is a cinch. Not to mention, most RV shower toilet combos are all-white, so seeing what needs cleaning is also easier.

Plus, as you use the shower, you can do double duty and wipe down the space to dry and clean it afterward. Because everything gets wet, there’s no better time to wipe down all the bathroom surfaces. 

Disadvantages of RV Shower Toilet Combos

While RV shower toilet combos have their advantages, they’re not for everyone. They can feel cramped, and getting wet feet to use the bathroom might get old.

Getting Wet

Whether the water drips down and accumulates on the floor or you brush up against the wall turning around, you’ll likely get wet if you use the shower portion of your combo bathroom.

Very Small

Because you’re saving space with a shower toilet combo, they can be pretty small. You may have enough room to wash up, but it will be in tight quarters. Smaller rigs mean smaller showers if they can accommodate one at all.

If you’re a bigger individual, you’ll want to understand the size before committing.

Little to No Dry Storage

Every time you shower, you’ll need to remove anything that needs to keep dry. You may have to get creative about storing your toiletries unless they can get wet.

Additionally, many RVers like to use the bathroom area in smaller RVs as additional storage when not in use. Anything you’d want to hang or store in this area may get wet from droplets or damp from leftover shower humidity.

Might End Up As Wasted Or Half-Used Space

One thing that might happen with an RV shower toilet combo is that you might not end up using it to its full potential. If you end up not using the shower part to avoid wet feet, you’ll still end up going to shower facilities at campgrounds when camping.

We’ve met many campers who don’t even use the toilet part. At this point, you might be better served either making the upgrade to a dry bath unit or going without a dedicated bathroom space altogether in favor of extra living space.

Are RV Shower Toilet Combos Worth It? 

That hinges on your needs and your rig. A shower toilet combo may offer an excellent option for a small rig that can’t otherwise accommodate a shower. However, if you can select a regular RV bathroom, that may be more attractive than a bathroom where everything gets wet all the time.

Consider your needs and goals, as well as the limitations of your rig. Depending on how you want to adventure in your RV, one bathroom may come out as the clear winner here. 

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