On climbing trips by van, you stay clean by treating campsites and their wash blocks as your bathroom: a proper shower there in the evening, a simple hand routine during the day, and lather only where the water goes into a drain. Never in rivers, lakes or on open ground. We know that's less romantic than the photos of a van door open onto an empty valley. It's also what the rules ask, and it gets easy after a day or two.
This article is part of our climber's hand, hair and body care guide. Here we stick to one situation: no bathroom on board, chalky hands on the steering wheel, a week of climbing ahead.
Where can you wash on climbing trips by van?
At a campsite wash block, first and foremost. Everything else is a backup for the days in between. The test is always the same: does the water end up in a drain? If not, it's not a wash spot.
| Place | What you get | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Campsite wash block | Showers, sinks, toilets, drains | Your default, even if you sleep in the van |
| Climbing gym or swimming pool | A shower on a rest day | Handy on travel days |
| Your van's own sink | Water for hands, face and teeth | Only if it runs into a grey tank you empty at a disposal point |
| Crag car park, river, lake, lay-by | Nothing | Not a wash spot |
Why can't you just park up and wash at the crag?
Because in most places our readers climb you're not allowed to sleep there, and soapy water on the ground is a problem of its own. Take Fontainebleau, since that's where so many of us are heading.
In April 2024, ONF, the French forestry office, announced that parking is banned between 22:00 and 06:00 on all car parks in the forests of Fontainebleau, Trois-Pignons and the Commanderie, and that you can be fined for it. The announcement describes vans and camper vans staying for days, and lists what came with them: fire risk, litter, noise and the spreading of waste water. The forest's climbers' charter adds that bivouac is only allowed in the three official areas or in campsites.
It isn't only France. Motoring club guidance says spending the night by the roadside or in roadside car parks is forbidden in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and several other countries. In Den Haag, for example, the rule fits in one line: sleeping in a tent or camper is for the campsite only. Rules differ locally, so check before you go.
Then there's the water itself. In the Cairngorms in Scotland, van users are asked never to let dirty water empty onto the ground, because it's contaminated with things like detergent and grease that can pollute the ground and rivers. Picture a washing-up bowl tipped under a hedge, or a shampoo rinse next to the sliding door. One looks like nothing. Twenty vans a night for a season is something else.
So our rule for every van trip is short: campsites and wash blocks only, and lather only where the water goes into a drain. Never in rivers or lakes, and never on open ground.
A quick founder note from Alexandre: as the founder of a brand that sells bars, I'll be honest, no bar solves this part. The drain does. What you wash with only changes the walk to the drain.
And that walk is real. It's dark, the wash block is 200 metres away, and you're carrying a towel and clean clothes. One solid bar for hair, body and face is one small thing in your hand instead of three bottles.
Shampoo, body and face wash, all in one bar. Cooling, refreshing and designed for those always on the go.
Whatever you carry across the campsite, the bigger win is a routine you don't have to think about when you're tired.
What does a realistic van wash routine look like?
One proper shower in the evening, hands and face at a sink in the morning, and a plan for the days you spend driving.
- Evening, back at the campsite: shower first, dinner second. Showering within two hours of coming indoors has been shown to reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease, and climbers at Fontainebleau are warned about ticks. So the shower doubles as your tick check.
- Morning: teeth, face and hands at the wash block sink.
- Travel day: a climbing gym or public pool on the route gives you a shower. See climbing gym showers and changing rooms for what to bring.
- No shower today: it happens. We've written about how to wash your hair without a shower and how soon to shower after training.
The gym or pool shower is the one where bottles let you down. Your wash kit shares a small bag with climbing shoes and a chalk bag, and a lid that works loose means shower gel on everything. A solid bar has nothing to leak.
Shampoo, body and face wash, all in one bar. Keep your hair and skin healthy on the go. Monoï-infused scent with a touch of vanilla. Designed for those always on the go.
That covers the big wash. The small one, your hands, comes up far more often, mostly around food.
How do you keep chalky hands clean when you cook in a van?
Wash them with soap and running water before you cook, and keep sanitiser for when there's no tap. Public health guidance lists before, during and after preparing food, before eating and after using the toilet among the key times to wash your hands.
That's also why gel on its own doesn't cut it after climbing. Hand sanitisers may not work well when hands are heavily soiled or greasy, and the public health advice is to use soap and water instead. Hands that have spent a day in a chalk bag, then gripped a dusty steering wheel, are a fair example.
So wash at the campsite sink before you start chopping. For what chalk means for your skin, see climbing hands: washing off chalk and caring for skin, and for shared holds there's bouldering hygiene.
What goes in a van wash kit?
Less than you'd pack for a hotel, all in one grab bag by the door.
- Something to wash hair, body and face with
- Two quick-dry towels
- Flip-flops and a headtorch for the wash block
- Toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant
- Hand sanitiser, sunscreen and a tick remover
- Nail clippers and a skin file
A van has no bathroom shelf, so things live in door pockets, and that's where the leaks happen: a shampoo bottle on its side, slowly emptying onto your one dry towel. A solid bar can't do that, though it does need air. Let it dry in a ventilated tin or mesh pouch, as we explain in how to store a soap bar.
Shampoo, body and face wash, all in one bar. Cooling, refreshing and designed for those always on the go.
Speaking of things that need air, shoes in a closed van get their own article: climbing shoe smell. For the list beyond the van, see our climbing trip packing list.
Summary
Climbing trips by van work best when the campsite is your bathroom: ONF has banned night parking on the Fontainebleau forest car parks, and roadside overnighting is forbidden in Belgium, the Netherlands and beyond. So shower at the wash block, wash your hands before you cook, and lather only where the water goes into a drain. Never in rivers, lakes or on open ground.
Frequently asked questions
Can you sleep in your van at Fontainebleau?
Not on the forest car parks: ONF has banned parking there between 22:00 and 06:00. Book a campsite and check ONF's notices first, as it was reported in August 2026 that around a fifth of the forest was still closed after the July fire.
Do I need a campsite every night?
In most places our readers climb, yes. Motoring club guidance says overnighting by the roadside is forbidden in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and several other countries, so check each area's rules.
Where can you shower on a climbing road trip?
At a campsite wash block first, even if you sleep in the van. On a rest day or travel day, a climbing gym or public swimming pool on the route gives you a shower.
Can I wash in a river or lake if I only use a little soap?
No. Lather only where the water goes into a drain. That rules out rivers, lakes and open ground, whatever you wash with.
Can I wash at my van's own sink?
For hands, face and teeth, yes, but only if the sink runs into a grey tank you empty at a disposal point.
Where do I empty grey water from a van?
At a waste water disposal point, so ask at campsite reception where theirs is. In the Cairngorms in Scotland, for example, van users are asked never to let dirty water empty onto the ground.
Should you shower straight after a day of climbing outdoors?
Yes: shower first, dinner second. Showering within two hours of coming indoors has been shown to reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease, so the shower doubles as your tick check.
Is hand sanitiser enough after climbing?
Not on its own. Hand sanitisers may not work well when hands are heavily soiled or greasy, so wash with soap and running water before you cook and keep sanitiser for when there's no tap.
What should I pack to wash on a van trip?
Something to wash hair, body and face with, two quick-dry towels, flip-flops and a headtorch for the wash block, a toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant. Add hand sanitiser, sunscreen, a tick remover, nail clippers and a skin file, and keep it all in one grab bag by the door.
Can two people share one bar in a van?
That's a personal call. We've looked at what the research says in is bar soap hygienic?
Sources
The facts in this article are based on the sources below, checked in October 2026.
- Forêt de Fontainebleau : fin du stationnement nocturne sur les parkings. Office National des Forêts, 2024.
- Together, protect the forest (climbers' charter). Office National des Forêts, via Fontainebleau Tourisme, 2022.
- La forêt de Fontainebleau rouvre un mois après un terrible incendie. L'Echo touristique with AFP, 2026.
- Kamperen onderweg: wat is toegestaan en wat niet?. Touring, 2023.
- Overnachten met tent of camper? Alleen op de camping. Gemeente Den Haag, undated.
- Campervans and motorhomes. Cairngorms National Park Authority, undated.
- Preventing Tick Bites. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024.
- About Handwashing. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024.
- Hand Sanitizer Facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024.
