I was at a rally in the Outer Banks a few summers back and watched a couple try to rinse the beach sand off their dog using a garden hose from the campground’s central wash station, a good hundred feet from their site. They were managing—barely—but when I mentioned that their rig almost certainly had a plumbing stub-out on the exterior specifically designed for an outdoor shower installation, the look on their faces was priceless. The stub-out was right there on the utility side of their trailer, capped off from the factory, waiting for exactly this moment.
Outdoor showers are one of the most practical yet underutilized upgrade categories in the RV world. The plumbing rough-in is already there on most rigs—many manufacturers install a capped water outlet on the exterior as standard, because they know the demand exists even if they don’t install the hardware. All it takes to convert that capped stub-out into a functional outdoor shower is the right set of fittings, a shower head, and an hour with basic tools.
This roundup covers the best outdoor shower kits and exterior faucet components we carry at the RV Upgrade Store, from complete shower box installations to individual components for building a custom setup. Whether you’re rinsing off after a swim, washing a muddy dog, cleaning gear, or just wanting to conserve your indoor water supply on a longer trip, an exterior shower is one of those upgrades that becomes indispensable immediately after installation.
Best for: RV owners who want a clean, purpose-built exterior shower unit that mounts flush with the rig’s exterior and connects directly to the onboard plumbing
JR Products is a well-regarded manufacturer of RV hardware and accessories, and their exterior shower unit reflects the thoughtful design that distinguishes purpose-built RV components from adapted household fixtures. This is a complete, self-contained shower unit—it includes the mounting housing, the valve, and the connections to tie into your RV’s water supply—in a package that mounts cleanly and flush with your exterior wall.
The flush-mount design is what separates a professional-looking installation from an aftermarket add-on. Rather than a bracket sticking off the exterior wall with hardware dangling from it, the JR Products unit recesses into the wall with a finished surround that looks factory-installed. On a rig where aesthetics matter—and for most RV owners, they do—this kind of detail makes a real difference in how the finished installation looks from outside.
The valve design provides both hot and cold water access, which is a significant quality-of-life upgrade over cold-only exterior shower setups. Cold water is fine for rinsing sand and mud, but for washing a dog properly, cleaning gear, or rinsing hands after campsite cleanup, having warm water available makes the outdoor shower genuinely useful in a way that cold-only installations aren’t. Access to your RV’s hot water supply from the exterior turns the shower from a convenience into a real utility.
Installation requires cutting an opening in your exterior wall at the stub-out location, routing the water connections to your existing supply lines, and sealing the mounting flange carefully against the exterior skin. I always recommend applying a generous bead of Dicor lap sealant around the mounting flange after installation—every penetration in your RV’s exterior skin is a potential water intrusion point, and the outdoor shower location is exposed to direct rain and hose water during use.
Pro Tip: Locate the factory water stub-out before purchasing any outdoor shower hardware. On most RVs, it’s a capped 1/2-inch supply line on the utility side of the rig, typically in the same bay as your water hookup connections. If you don’t have a factory stub-out, you’ll need to tee off an existing supply line—still very doable, but it requires a bit more plumbing work during installation.
Buy the JR Products RV Exterior Shower Unit
Best for: Installations where quick, tool-free connection and disconnection of the shower hose is a priority, or where the shower is used intermittently and stored when not in use
The quick-disconnect valve from Empire Faucets solves a specific problem that anyone who’s used a fixed outdoor shower connection has encountered: the hose and shower head hanging off the exterior of the rig when you’re driving or when the shower isn’t in use. A fixed connection means the hardware is always attached, always exposed to road debris, UV, and the mechanical stress of travel vibration.
The quick-disconnect design allows you to detach the shower hose with a push-button release—no tools, no threading, no wrestling with a connection that’s been exposed to the elements and may have tightened up. When the shower isn’t in use, you remove the hose and store it inside. The valve body remains on the exterior as a flush-mounted fitting, and a cap covers the connection point to protect it from debris and water infiltration.
The 4-inch mounting footprint fits standard exterior wall installations with enough surface area for a secure, leak-free mount. Empire Faucets builds their RV fixtures with the kind of material quality that handles repeated connection cycles without the connection becoming loose or leaky over time. This is important because a quick-disconnect that develops play or a poor seal after a season of use defeats the entire purpose of the design.
I recommend this valve for RV owners who use their outdoor shower regularly but store the hose and head between uses, for rigs where road clearance makes a permanently mounted hose a problem, and for anyone who wants a cleaner exterior appearance when the shower isn’t in use.
Pro Tip: After installing the quick-disconnect valve, test every connection cycle ten or fifteen times before your first trip to break in the mechanism and confirm the connection locks positively each time. Quick-disconnect fittings have a small amount of break-in wear that settles the seals and makes the mechanism more positive after initial use.
Buy the Empire Faucets Quick Disconnect Shower Valve
Best for: Adding or replacing the shower head on an existing outdoor shower installation, or as the head component in a custom outdoor shower build
The shower head is the component you interact with most directly during every use of your outdoor shower, and the quality difference between a well-designed outdoor shower head and a bare hose end is immediately apparent. The Camco outdoor shower head provides a proper spray pattern, an on/off switch at the head for water conservation, and the weather-resistant construction necessary for a component that lives outside and gets used with a hose.
The on/off switch at the head is more important than it sounds in the outdoor shower context. When you’re rinsing sand off your feet, washing a dog who doesn’t want to cooperate, or cleaning muddy gear, you need to pause the water frequently without going back to the valve. Having the shutoff right at the head—within thumb reach while you’re holding the head and working with your other hand—keeps water consumption reasonable and prevents the awkward dance of dropping what you’re doing to reach the wall valve every time you need to pause.
Camco’s outdoor shower head is one of those products where the value-to-cost ratio is very high. It’s not the most sophisticated piece of hardware in this roundup, but it does its job reliably, and it’s priced in a way that makes it an easy add to any outdoor shower build or replacement. If your current outdoor shower head is dripping, has a spray pattern that’s become inconsistent, or simply lacks an on/off switch, this is a ten-minute swap that immediately improves the outdoor shower experience.
The weather-resistant construction handles direct water exposure, UV, and the freeze-thaw cycles that an exterior-mounted component experiences in northern climates. I recommend removing the shower hose and head and storing them inside during winter if you’re in a climate where the outdoor hardware will be exposed to sustained freezing temperatures—rubber components can crack when water freezes inside them, and a cracked shower head is a pointless failure of an inexpensive part.
Pro Tip: If you’re connecting the Camco head to a hose that has standard garden hose threads, use a small piece of plumber’s thread tape on the male threads before making the connection. This takes ten seconds and prevents the slow drip at the connection that develops on untaped hose connections over time.
Buy the Camco Outdoor Shower Head
Best for: Complete shower box installations where the hose and head are stored in a recessed exterior compartment for a clean, organized appearance when not in use
The Empire shower box is the most complete outdoor shower solution in this roundup—it includes the mounting box, the hose, and the shower head as an integrated unit that stores everything in a recessed exterior compartment. When you need the shower, open the compartment door, pull out the hose and head, and use it. When you’re done, coil the hose back into the box, hang the head on the bracket, close the door, and the exterior of your rig looks clean and uncluttered.
The box design addresses the single biggest complaint about aftermarket outdoor shower installations: the hardware hanging off the exterior of the rig. Even quality components look untidy when they’re dangling from a wall fitting. The recessed box gives everything a home when it’s not in use, protects the hose and head from UV and road exposure, and maintains the clean exterior profile that most RV owners prefer.
Empire Faucets builds this shower box with their characteristic attention to RV-specific material selection. The box housing is UV-stabilized, the hinges and latches are corrosion-resistant, and the included hose is rated for outdoor use rather than being a repackaged indoor shower hose. The complete kit approach also removes the compatibility questions that arise when you’re sourcing a valve, hose, and head separately—everything in the box is designed to work together.
Installation requires cutting a recess into your exterior wall and securing the box housing. This is a slightly more involved installation than a simple valve mounting, because the box needs to be positioned where there’s adequate wall depth and no internal framing or wiring in the way. I recommend checking behind the proposed installation location with a stud finder before cutting—RV exterior walls have internal structure that varies by manufacturer, and knowing what’s behind the wall before you start cutting is always the right approach.
Pro Tip: When routing the water connections to the shower box, use flexible braided supply lines rather than rigid copper or PEX. The exterior location means the connections are exposed to more vibration than interior plumbing, and flexible lines accommodate that movement without developing fatigue cracks at the fittings over time.
Buy the Empire Faucets RV Shower Box
Best for: A high-quality shower head with water conservation features for outdoor installations where minimizing water use is a priority
Phoenix Products manufactures plumbing fixtures specifically for the RV market, and the quality difference between their components and generic fixtures is immediately apparent in the hand feel, the spray pattern consistency, and the longevity of the finish. The single-function shower head with trickle shut-off is designed for the RV owner who wants a proper shower head performance outdoors—not just a hose-end nozzle—while maintaining the water conservation discipline that responsible camping requires.
The trickle shut-off is a more sophisticated water management feature than a simple on/off switch. Rather than fully closing the flow when you pause, it reduces the flow to a trickle—just enough to maintain the hot water temperature in the line without wasting significant water. This means when you resume full flow after pausing, you get hot water immediately rather than waiting for the cold water that’s settled in the hose during a full shutoff to clear. For outdoor showers with longer hose runs from the wall valve to the head, this temperature maintenance feature is genuinely useful.
The single-function design means there’s one spray pattern, optimized for coverage and efficiency. Multiple spray patterns sound appealing but add mechanical complexity that introduces failure points—in an outdoor environment with temperature cycling and UV exposure, simplicity translates to longevity. A well-designed single-function head that performs consistently for years is more valuable than a multi-function head whose spray selector seizes up after two seasons.
Phoenix’s chrome finish is rated for outdoor use and holds up to the UV and moisture exposure that deteriorates lower-quality plated fixtures within a season or two. The quality of the finish reflects the quality of the base materials underneath it—Phoenix uses materials appropriate for the RV environment rather than decorative plating over materials that corrode.
Pro Tip: Mount the Phoenix head at a height that’s comfortable for your shortest regular user when standing, not for the average height. Outdoor showers tend to be used for leg and foot rinsing far more than full-body rinsing, and having the head low enough to aim comfortably at a muddy shoe or a dog’s paws without crouching makes it significantly more practical.
Buy the Phoenix Trickle Shut-Off Shower Head
Before purchasing anything, locate your RV’s exterior water stub-out. Most rigs have one on the utility side. If it’s there, your installation is straightforward. If not, you’ll need to plan a plumbing tee from an existing supply line.
A wall-mount valve with a hose and head stored inside the rig is simpler to install. A shower box with integral storage is cleaner in appearance and more convenient. Your wall construction and available depth determine which is feasible.
Any outdoor plumbing installation needs to be winterized when temperatures drop below freezing. Ensure you can drain and blow out the outdoor shower lines as part of your regular winterizing procedure, or plan to leave the valve open so residual water can drain.
An outdoor shower is one of those RV upgrades that feels small on paper and becomes indispensable in practice. The first time you rinse sand off at the rig instead of tracking it inside, or wash your dog without flooding the bathroom, or clean your hiking boots before they come through the door, you’ll wonder why you waited to install one.
Every product in this roundup is purpose-built for outdoor RV use—weather-resistant materials, appropriate connection standards, and designs that account for the environment they’ll live in. Pick the combination that matches your installation situation and how you plan to use the shower, and you’ll have a reliable outdoor water point that serves you for years.
If you have questions about which products are compatible with your RV’s specific plumbing configuration, give us a call at the store. Outdoor shower installations are something we help customers plan regularly, and the right advice at the start saves a lot of time and unnecessary parts ordering.
I’m Bill Rowell, the founder of RVupgrades.com. In 2002, I launched the business to help fellow RV enthusiasts find unique and hard-to-find products. Over the years, it’s grown to offer more than 15,000 items, with a warehouse in Eastlake, Ohio. Having owned and repaired nearly every type of RV, I bring over two decades of hands-on experience to the table. For me, this isn’t just a business – it’s a passion and a way of life that I love sharing with the RV community.
Follow me on LinkedIn