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Camper Wet Bath vs Dry Bath {What’s The Difference?}

Published on March 5th, 2019 by Ray & Tammy Roman
This post was updated on January 24th, 2022

The main difference between a camper wet bath and a dry bath is that the wet bath has the shower and toilet combined in one enclosure and is designed for both to get wet, and the dry bath has a separate toilet and shower like in your home.

A wet bath takes up less floor space than a dry bath. A dry bath gives you more storage and a separate shower/tub than a wet bath. Your personal preference will play a large role in your choice.

What is a Wet Bath?

A travel trailer wet bath included one toilet and one shower in the same space. A wet bath is usually found on smaller campers and on vintage travel trailers. A wet bath offers all the features of a standard bathroom but in a small more compact space.

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The photo below is a typical wet bath.

This is a wet bath

What is a Dry Bath?

A travel trailer dry bath is a bathroom that has the shower separate from the toilet. In other words, the shower has its own enclosure.

A dry bath is usually found on larger campers. They offer more of the typical shower and bathroom experience than a wet bath.

This is a dry bath

Pros and Cons of a Wet Bath

Let take a look at the pros and cons of a wet bath.

Pros

Wet baths have several advantages that you might want to consider. Since the toilet and shower are combined the footprint is small thus taking up less space in your camper.

The shower itself is larger since you are using the entire bathroom as a shower. Another nice advantage is that you can sit while you shower if you are inclined to do so. One final benefit is that you don’t have to clean your bathroom as often since showering removes dust and keeps it clean.

Cons

In spite of the pros of having a wet bath, there are some disadvantages as well. While some wet baths can be quite roomy, depending on the camper, many are very small. Storage can be a problem since wet baths have very little storage.

You have to be mindful of your RV toilet paper by making sure it is protected under the should or umbrella.

Wet Bath Maintenance Tips

Maintaining a wet bath is pretty easy. For starters purchase a small squeegee that you can keep in the bathroom at all times. Make sure the squeegee is small enough to fit into the tight spaces in your wet bath.

After you are done showering use the squeegee to remove the excess water on the walls. Then use either paper towels or a micro-fiber towel to dry things off.

Another tip is to replace the plastic shower curtain with a water-resistant fabric shower curtain.

Pros and Cons of a Dry Bath

Let’s now take a look at the pros and cons of a dry bath.

Pros

The first pro of a dry bath is that it is going to feel more like the one in your home. The separate shower and toilet also allow two people to be in there if needed.

You will find more storage space in a dry bath because many have a vanity or overhead storage.

In a dry bath, you don’t have to worry about getting your toilet paper wet. The shower area itself might be small than a wet bath so it might not allow for two people to shower at the same time. That really is not a deal-breaker for some but at the very least you should be aware.

Cons

There are a few dry bath cons you need to consider. Firstly since the shower and toilet are separate the dry bath takes up a larger footprint in your RV.

The larger footprint might take away space for storage to counter space in your kitchen.

A dry bath is going to require longer cleaning. You will have to dust and wipe larger walls and surfaces such as countertops, mirrors, etc.

Because you have a vanity and/or overhead storage you will have to frequently clean the inside of those as well.

Overall just a bit more work to maintain a dry bath but nothing so extreme that it would prevent you from choosing an RV that has one.

Camper Wet Bath vs Dry Bath

In summary, choosing a wet bath or dry bath is a matter of personal preference. The best travel trailer for us will have the dry bath and are willing to make the sacrifice of less livable space in our travel trailer of choice.

In the end, choose the one that works best for you and your family and of course your budget.

Related Questions

Do campers have showers? Yes, most campers have showers. Like we mentioned above some have a shower as part of a wet bath while others have a separate shower as you will find in a typical home.

What are RV showers made of? It depends on the age of your travel trailer. Old campers have a shower pan made of painted or ceramic coated metal.

New more modern travel trailers have showers made of acrylic or fiberglass.

Do pop up campers have showers? Surprisingly, even though pop-up campers are small many come with a shower and a toilet. Sometimes the toilet is the cassette toilet type. A cassette toilet is basically a toilet that is in plain view in the main living area, sometimes hidden behind a small bedside table.

Do truck campers have bathrooms? Most do not have bathrooms especially the truck campers designed for smaller trucks. They do however offer a port-a-potty. Some of the larger truck campers may have a wet bath.

How does an RV bathroom work? An RV bathroom works similarly to the bathroom you find in a home. The major difference is the RV bathrooms have their own sewer systems. In a house bathroom, everything drains into the city sewer system. In an RV everything drains into a holding tank that must later be emptied by the RV owner.