The Portable And Compact Camping Shower You Can Buy At Walmart For Under $30

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After a long day on the trails or setting up camp, few things are quite as rejuvenating as a hot shower. However, warm water is one of the creature comforts many campers sacrifice to spend the night deep in nature. But even in remote locations, the Coleman Shower Bag 5 Gallon PVC Solar Heated Water Camp Shower allows tired adventurers to wash up, ranking among the best camping gear for a comfortable night outdoors.

Featuring a 5-gallon capacity, the bag heats up after just a few hours in the sun — direct sunlight, not partial shade — a feat that impresses many reviewers. In fact, the water temperature can exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit in a matter of hours, per the warning printed directly on the bag. This quick warm-up comes courtesy of the bag's black PVC-coated exterior, which does a good job retaining heat. Despite the capacity, the unfilled solar shower weighs under 9 ounces and folds up small, making it a compact option for post-hike showers, hosing down gear, days at the beach, or dishwashing paired with this Dollar Tree camping hack for drying dishes.

The marketing material says the bag holds enough water for multiple showers, and reviewers agree. It comes with an on-off valve and has a hole in the bag material for convenient hanging. Campers can purchase the shower at Walmart for $27.39, at the time of writing, or on Amazon for $29.99, among other essential Amazon camping items to bring on any trip. 

Featuring 3.9 stars on Walmart with over 200 reviews and 4.2 stars on Amazon with over 2,400 reviews, the Coleman Shower Bag 5 Gallon PVC Solar Heated Water Camp Shower satisfies most customers, but has some design issues. Generally speaking, reviewers appreciate how quickly the water heats up and find the contraption easy to use and bring on trips. "I filled it and put it out on a level rock [at] about 9 a.m. and went out canoeing. After lunch, it was comfortably warm, so I hung it on a tree, and both my wife and I were able to wash our hair, and it was still half full," a canoer wrote in an Amazon review. 

Where the shower falls short is durability and leakage. Some reviewers reported that the valve fell off the hose when they tried to open it, causing water to empty rapidly from the bag. Others say water leaks out of the fill hole, which comes with a soft plastic plug instead of a screw cap. However, one camper solved this problem by keeping the bag at a 45-degree angle so the water level stays below the plug. Not so much a con as something to be aware of: The bag gets quite heavy when full. Each gallon of water weighs over 8 pounds, so if you fill the bag to capacity, it will weigh over 40 pounds.