Watermarked External Shower Box Kit for Caravans and RVs: Full Review

When choosing a shower system for your caravan, campervan or RV, you want something that delivers excellent performance, convenience and efficiency. Our Watermarked External Shower Box Kit is currently our most affordable option, yet it still excels in all three areas.

The kit includes a traditional thermostatic mixer that connects to your camper's plumbing system with both hot and cold inlets, so you can enjoy a comfortable, warm shower or a refreshing cold one on a sunny day. After use, everything packs neatly inside the box—you simply close the lid and lock it with the provided keys to keep the various items secure while driving.

The included showerhead features an integrated control lever that lets you adjust your preferred spray pattern. As we'll explain later in this review, you can also pause the flow while soaping up or shampooing—a simple yet vital feature that saves significant water and battery power.

What Is the Watermarked External Shower Box?

The Watermarked External Shower Box is a convenient exterior shower solution that never needs to be removed or disassembled after use. It features a lockable box with an integrated handheld shower fixture and the necessary fittings for assembly. After showering, you can stow everything inside the storage box, close the lid, and lock it with the provided key.

The shower kit uses a traditional double-tap thermostatic mixer—one tap for hot water and the other for cold—allowing you to manually blend the temperature to your liking. Its detachable showerhead connects to the mixer via a 1.2-metre chrome-finished hose, providing enough reach for bathing, rinsing gear, or washing pets.

For our customers, we also include a mountable holder that fits inside the lid. This allows you to securely dock the showerhead within easy reach when you need both hands free for shampooing, soaping or other tasks. For more details on this and other features of this handheld shower system, continue reading the full review below.

Key Features to Know Before Installing This External Shower Box in Your Caravan or Campervan

Affordability doesn't mean compromising on quality or performance. This kit is currently our most budget-friendly shower system, priced at around $150, yet it still delivers an impressive array of features and benefits to enhance your road trips or camping adventures.

What's Included in the Box?

When you unbox your kit, you'll find everything you need to get started, including:

• Lockable shower box — a mountable unit that houses the handheld shower set, featuring a secure lid with a keyed lock.
• Thermostatic shower mixer — a fixture that blends hot and cold water from your plumbing system to deliver a consistent, comfortable temperature.
• Shower hose — a flexible hose that connects the mixer to the showerhead.
• Showerhead — a fixture that disperses water in a steady spray for bathing, cleaning or rinsing.
• Soft backing gasket — a component that ensures a reliable, watertight seal between the shower box and the mounting surface.
• Shower holder bracket — a convenient mount that keeps the showerhead within easy reach between uses.
• User manual — a printed leaflet with installation instructions and technical details of this external shower kit.

Rugged and Durable Construction

Every component in this kit has passed the rigorous testing required to be certified under Australia and New Zealand's WaterMark plumbing standards for performance, durability and safety.

The shower box itself is made from high-impact ABS plastic that resists cracking and shattering—ideal for the vibrations encountered in campervans, caravans and RVs on rough terrain. The tap fittings are solid brass, offering excellent resistance to wear, rust, corrosion (even in hard water) and extreme temperatures. This ensures long-term reliability with minimal risk of leaks, even with daily use.

Moreover, the shower hose, tap knobs and showerhead feature polished chrome plating that offers protection against rust and tarnishing, further extending their lifespan.

At Campervan Builders, we back this kit with a full one-year warranty, so you can purchase with complete confidence knowing we stand behind the product's quality.

Sleek and Compact Design

Space is rarely abundant in vans, but this shower box solves that concern. It has a compact design—just 32.5 cm (W) x 20 cm (H) x 9.9 cm (D)—that requires only a small area on your vehicle's exterior to mount. However, the box's interior is still spacious enough to accommodate the full handheld shower set (mixer, hose and showerhead).

As for looks, the storage box has a clean, glossy finish available in white or black. The mixer, taps, hose and showerhead have chrome plating that adds a polished, modern metallic accent.

How Hard Is It to Install?

If you're a DIY enthusiast, this shower box is straightforward to set up. We rate the installation difficulty as moderate, however, because it requires cutting an opening in the side of your camper—a task that demands care and precision.

The shower box requires a cut-out of approximately 27.5 cm x 15.0 cm, which can be oriented horizontally or vertically. The box comes with pre-drilled mounting holes, so once the opening is made, you simply insert the unit and secure it with stainless steel screws.

Tip: Be sure to install the soft backing gasket, as it prevents water from the shower, rain or vehicle washing from seeping into the interior.

Easy to Operate

Another of the best features of this kit is its ease of use. Once mounted in your chosen location, you simply turn the hot and cold taps on the thermostatic mixer to start the water flow. Then, adjust the taps carefully to achieve a comfortable, warm temperature that you can touch without scalding.

Finally, when water is flowing through the hose, you just press the trigger lever built into the showerhead to release the spray.

Decent User Comfort

This external shower system offers decent overall comfort. Water starts flowing out of the showerhead nozzles upon pressing the built-in trigger lever, and the intensity of the spray depends on how firmly you squeeze the lever.

The 1.2-metre flexible hose allows you to direct water to your feet, back or anywhere else with ease and without kinking. Remember, we also supply a holder that mounts inside the box lid, keeping the showerhead conveniently within reach when you need both hands free for applying shampoo, shaving, scrubbing your back or other tasks.

Nonetheless, you should know that the showerhead is intentionally compact to fit comfortably inside the box with the lid closed. As a result, the nozzles are concentrated on a small surface area, giving you a narrower stream of water. The showerhead also lacks a lock-on button for continuous flow—a deliberate choice—which means releasing the trigger lever stops the water immediately.

Extensive Versatility

Beyond showering, this unit is ideal for quick rinses after a run, walk, swim, or whenever you feel too hot. The focused, narrow stream is also excellent for targeted cleaning of your off-grid gear, equipment, or even pets.

Excellent Water and Power Efficiency

Although the absence of a lock-on button may seem like a limitation, it was a deliberate design choice. Our manufacturer used it to promote responsible water use—an essential habit in caravanning and RVing, where water supply is always limited.

By conserving water during showers, you also reduce the demand on the connected water heater, leading to fewer heating cycles. This, in turn, saves energy from your leisure battery—another valuable resource when travelling and camping off-grid.

Maximum Security and Space-Saving

After use, the mounted shower box lets you securely lock the showerhead and hose inside with a key. You never have to worry about them coming loose—even when travelling at high speed or over rough, high-vibration terrain.

Furthermore, this eliminates the need to remove and stow these items inside your vehicle, and the space you would otherwise have used for them is now free for other gear.

Watermarked External Shower Box Kit vs EZY RV & Caravan Shower Kit

This shower box kit is an excellent choice for adventure vehicles, particularly when space is at a premium. However, how does it stack up against the popular EZY RV & Caravan Shower system? Below is a quick summary of the key features of the two shower systems:

Final Thoughts

In a nutshell, this is everything you need to know about our Watermarked External Shower Box Kit for caravans, campervans and RVs. It's an affordable, durable and user-friendly system that's highly versatile for both travelling and camping off-grid.

That said, the kit has a compact showerhead, resulting in a narrower stream of water, and the trigger lacks a lock-on feature, requiring you to hold the lever for continuous flow. But these two are intentional choices to ensure the showerhead fits neatly inside the box with the lid fully closed, and to encourage responsible resource use.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's included in the external shower box kit?

The kit includes the lockable shower box, a thermostatic shower mixer, a 1.2-metre shower hose, a showerhead, a soft backing gasket, a shower holder bracket and a printed user manual.

What size cut-out does the shower box need?

It requires a cut-out of approximately 27.5 cm x 15.0 cm, which can be oriented horizontally or vertically. The box has pre-drilled mounting holes and is secured with stainless steel screws.

Does the shower box support hot and cold water?

Yes. The double-tap thermostatic mixer has both hot and cold inlets with 1/2-inch BSP male brass fittings, letting you manually blend the water temperature to your liking.

Is the shower gear secure while driving?

Yes. After use, the showerhead and hose lock inside the box with the provided keys, so they stay secure even at high speed or over rough, high-vibration terrain.

Ready for refreshing showers on the road? Order the Watermarked External Shower Box in white, or grab the black version, at Campervan Builders today.