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Solar shower for camping UK

Updated: 23 October 2026

A solar shower for camping UK is a 20 litre bag for a short rinse when the pitch has fresh water, a hang for about 20 kg, and a point for the waste. Thick cloud will not heat it, and it will not replace the site drains. Peter F. used the listings in the [solar shower comparison](/hub/garden-watering/solar-shower) and waste guidance from the Camping and Caravanning Club and CaMPA, saved on 21 October 2026. The wash sequence is on [how to use a solar shower bag](/hub/garden-watering/solar-shower/sub/solar-shower-how-to-use). A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

A solar shower for camping UK is a 20 litre bag for a short rinse when the pitch has fresh water, a hang for about 20 kg, and a point for the waste. Thick cloud will not heat it, and it will not replace the site drains.

Our top picks

RISEPRO RISEPRO 20 L black

Best overall

RISEPRO RISEPRO 20 L black
8.7/10about £8.90
View offer
RISEPRO RISEPRO 20 L green

Best value

RISEPRO RISEPRO 20 L green
8.3/10about £7.40
View offer
TRIXES TRIXES 2 x 20 L

Alternative

TRIXES TRIXES 2 x 20 L
7.9/10about £12.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What a bag can do on a pitch
  2. 2.Water in, waste out
  3. 3.When the pitch has no sun or nowhere high
  4. 4.Packing it home

What a bag can do on a pitch

On a bright day the bag gives you a gravity rinse, the sort reviewers describe at festivals and at a Guide camp. TheFestivals treats a 20 litre bag as the practical size, filled at free water taps and hung from a tree, a fence or a friend. A van can be the hang. Reviewers mention a roof, a bonnet, a T5, a high-top and barn doors. Whatever you tie to has to hold about 20 kg, the weight of a full bag, not a published rating for your roof rack. If you still need one name before you pack, the conditional pick is the best solar shower bag.

Water in, waste out

Take fresh water from the pitch tap or the festival bowser, and keep that container apart from anything that has held soapy water. The Camping and Caravanning Club tells you not to mix fresh and waste containers, and not to discharge waste on the road or in a lay-by. A hedge is an option only if the site owner says so. Soapy shower water is grey water. CaMPA says it goes to the designated campsite point, not a parking area, and not to the chemical-toilet point. Follow the point the site provides. Do not tip the bag back into a drinking container. The TRIXES listing is not drinking-water storage. If you fill from a hosepipe, take the hose out. WaterSafe's backflow warning applies on a site tap as it does at home.
RISEPRO RISEPRO 20 L black

Testsieger

RISEPRO RISEPRO 20 L black
8.7/10about £8.90
View offer

When the pitch has no sun or nowhere high

A grey festival day leaves the bag lukewarm. Campfire Magazine already expects that from a RISEPRO-style bag in Britain. If you cannot hang the bag high, you can sit and use a trickle, and the bag still has to be off the floor enough for water to leave the hose. A full 20 litre bag was too much for a normal shower tent in one review. TheFestivals also warns that a bag left out all afternoon can become scalding. When the pitch has cloud and no high point, stop treating the bag as the shower. A rechargeable pump can move water you have warmed another way. That split is the solar shower versus an electric camping shower page.

Packing it home

Empty the bag before you strike camp, leave the valve open, and dry it so the next trip does not start with a damp bladder. Pack the hose as straight as the stuff sack allows. A hose that travels folded is the hose reviewers struggle to open on the next pitch, and a 25 inch hose has little length to spare once a kink has set. A festival queue is a fair reason to pack a sun bag only when the forecast, the hang and the waste point are all there. If one of those three is missing, the site showers are the plan.

Common questions

Will a solar shower work at a British festival?
It works when the day is sunny, the site has a water tap, and you can hang about 20 kg from a tree, a fence or a van. Reviewers mention Glastonbury, Leeds Festival and Camp Bestival. TheFestivals warns that a bag left out all afternoon can become scalding, so test the stream before you stand under it. A wet, grey weekend will not heat the bag on a printed timetable of three hours.
Where do I get the water?
Use the pitch tap or the festival's free water point, and keep that fresh water in its own container. Do not refill the drinking container from the shower bag afterwards. The TRIXES listing is not for drinking water, and the other PVC bags are the same sort of bladder. If a hosepipe is allowed, fill the bag and then remove the hose so it is not left submerged.
Can I hang it on the van?
You can hang it on the van when the roof, rack or door frame will take about 20 kg and the hose can reach you without being pulled. Reviewers mention a van roof, a bonnet, a T5, a high-top and barn doors. That 20 kg is the water in a full bag, not a published rack limit for your vehicle.
Is one 20 litre bag enough for two people?
It can cover two short rinses. One review of a full black bag reported two showers including hair, which is a single account, not a rule for every pair of campers. If you both want a hair wash, plan a second fill and a second spell in the sun. A twin pack is a spare bladder, not a larger single shower.
Where do I put the used water?
Put soapy water in the site's grey-water point. The Camping and Caravanning Club says not to discharge waste on the road or in a lay-by, and to use a hedge only if the owner agrees. CaMPA directs grey water to the designated point, not a parking area. Grey water is not chemical-toilet waste.
What if the weekend is cloudy?
Expect lukewarm water, or a rinse you do not bother to heat. A three-hour path to 45°C is a sunny-day claim on a listing, not a forecast from the Met Office. You can still use the bag for a cold rinse if you can hang it. If you need a warmer spray under cloud, you heat water another way and move it with a pump.

Related pages

Solar shower bag buying guide

Solar shower

Best solar shower bag UK for a sunny festival pitch

How to use a solar shower bag safely in the UK sun

Solar shower vs electric camping shower: which tool

Sources

Public UK sources listed in the research digest. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts are the saved listing lines for these five products. Last reviewed 22 October 2026.

  1. HSE, legionella sources (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. HSE, scalding (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, Schedule 2 paragraph 15 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. WaterSafe, hosepipe backflow (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. NHS, burns and scalds (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Met Office, Southern England climate (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. GOV.UK, solar thermal technology note (retrieved 22 October 2026)