German company Bath2Go has come up with a unique and interesting solution to the dreaded van life problem of sharing, or rather lacking, a bathroom in a tiny space. They have taken the bathroom out of the van and attached it to the toe hitch instead, creating a tiny and extremely portable outhouse to take on your adventures, whether that be in a van, a car or a 4×4.
The Bath2Go unit simply mounts onto the back of any vehicle.
Bath2Go are currently retailing two models of their ultimate portaloo: the Basic and the Comfort.
Both models will feature a Thetford toilet with 15L tank, a folding sink with tap and a shower tray built into the unit’s floor. The Comfort edition will come with a gas-heated shower, heated by a propane-powered Ecotemp CE-L5 10kW heater, which will be mounted on the outside, while the Basic edition will feature a simple solar shower. The hot water heater, pump and fresh and waste water tanks will not be included in the Basic version either, but both models will include a mirror with LED light.
“Home is where my bathroom is” says the company’s slogan.
The cleverest part of the design is the Bath2Go’s flip-up roof, which increases the indoor standing headroom up to 1.95m (6.4ft), but folds away down to 140cm (4.6ft) to allow the vehicle to pass under height barriers.
The Bath2Go box measures around 1m x 1.6m (3.3ft x 5.3ft), giving the user 72cm x 135cm (2.4ft x 4.4ft) of floor space on the inside, which means it does not add much length onto the vehicle when mounted. The Comfort edition weighs 120kg (265lbs) and the Basic weighs just 95kg (210lbs), which will add hardly any weight onto the vehicle when mounted using the Cate carrier included, although the actual Cate mounting hardware is sold separately.
An overhead look at the layout of the compact yet functional Bath2Go.
Your optional extras include a wooden panel which sits over the shower tray when not in use, a transparent magazine holder, rollable mounting posts, a 12V/230V electric heater, and the Bath2Go can even be painted to your exact vehicle colour.
The main advantage of having a detachable outhouse is that when you don’t need it you can simply leave it at home. It reportedly takes around 3 minutes to mount and 5 minutes to secure, and then a further 8-10 mins to assemble once parked, using rollable crank stands.
Having your bathroom isolated from the main van cabin could be both a huge advantage in terms of privacy and, well, odour, and a huge annoyance in terms of convenience. Plus driving around with a giant toilet box mounted on the outside of your van is a little, shall we say, obvious.
In camping situations the Bath2Go could risk being a little overkill, but perhaps as an addition or an alternative to festival toilets it certainly has a strong appeal.
A poo with a view: living the vida vanlife.
The Bath2Go Comfort can all be yours for just €7000 ($8,300 or £6,220), or you can order the Basic model for a slightly reduced price of €5995 / $7100 / £5330).
While the term “outhouse” conjures images of days gone by when you would need to walk to the end of your garden to relieve yourself, the Bath2Go is in fact exceptionally modern and imaginative. Could this in fact be a solution for both space and privacy for the average camper or van dweller after all?
No thanks, my toilet & shower INSIDE my van cost under $100.
$8k for an external bathroom!
I think the idea is good, they could update with an idea I’ve got, but the price will make it prohibitive outside of the UK
This is a great concept BUT the price will be quite inhibiting, since you can buy a camper with a bathroom already installed for that price here in the U.S.