Niche Camping Innovations: Smart Gear for Off-Grid Touring

Start here: the All-in-One Camp Shower

The All-in-One Camp Shower shows where the range is heading. No 12V lead, no car battery, no hanging bag. The rechargeable battery sits in the handle, a light is built in for showers after dark, and one USB-C charge gives up to 90 minutes of runtime. Drop it in a bucket or click it onto a Niche water bladder, press the button and you're showering.

Customer feedback has been strong from the first batch:

“After using all of the others this shower is a clear winner. Just click the hose on to a bladder or drop it in a bucket, and it doesn't use much water.”

John, verified buyer ★★★★★

Storage and organisation

The Cargo Net Mesh Organiser creates storage in space that's otherwise wasted, roof lining, rear cargo area, caravan wall, rooftop tent ceiling. It's polyester mesh, 80cm x 54cm, 300 grams, built to hold light gear rather than heavy tools.

Moving fuel and water

Pumps split into two types: battery operated units that run on their own rechargeable cell, and wired 12V units that connect to a vehicle, caravan or boat's 12V system. Both do the same basic job, moving liquid from a bladder or container to where it's needed, but they suit different setups. Chapter 3 covers the difference in detail.

Keeping water clean and cold

The 3-stage inline water filter fits upstream or downstream of a bladder or other water source, and the XL 5.5kg silicone ice mould freezes a single large block that lasts longer in a cooler than bagged ice. Covered in Chapter 6.

Where to mount it

The Cargo Net Mesh Organiser is designed to fix to a roof lining, rear cargo wall, caravan storage bay or rooftop tent ceiling. At 80cm x 54cm it suits a section of roof or wall rather than an entire load area, so most setups use two or three nets across different zones, one for the tent ceiling, one for the boot, one in the caravan.

What to put in it

It's rated for light, loose gear, not heavy tools or full water containers. Torches, gloves, spare fittings, snack packets, a first aid kit, the kind of items that end up rolling around a footwell or falling out of an unzipped pocket. At 300 grams empty, it adds almost nothing to payload.

Fitting around a bladder setup

If you're running a Slim water or fuel bladder in a footwell or tray, a cargo net overhead or on an adjacent wall keeps loose items clear of the bladder and its fittings, so nothing sits on top of a hose connection or ball valve during transit.

Battery operated options

The SeaFlo Lithium Battery Powered Fuel Transfer Pump runs on its own lithium battery: 12 LPM flow rate, 3.0m head, roughly 2 hours of run time per charge, USB rechargeable. It's built for fuel, and Niche Outdoors' current listing also covers water (not drinking), antifreeze, light oil and similar liquids, so check the current product page before using it for anything other than fuel.

For water specifically, the Indflo 43-Series Portable Water Transfer Kit also runs off an integrated 7.8Ah lithium battery with its own 240V charging cable, and lists 12V, 3.0 GPM (11.3 LPM) open flow and 60PSI pressure off, built to move water in or out of a bladder, caravan or marine tank without being wired to anything.

Wired 12V options

The SeaFlo 280GPH Submersible and Inline Pump connects via a 5m cable with alligator clips to a 12V source, rated for 40°C diesel and 80°C sea water, 6m head, 17.9 L/min flow, roughly 20 minutes of continuous run time. Niche Outdoors also carries the SeaFlo 34-Series and 51-Series DC diaphragm pumps, built for continuous-duty water flow off a fixed 12V system, a caravan or an onboard installation, rather than portable transfer jobs.

Which one actually fits your setup

Go battery operated when the pump needs to move with you, boat deck one trip, campsite the next, away from any 12V source. Go wired 12V when the setup is fixed and you want continuous, higher-volume flow off a vehicle or caravan's existing electrical system. Most touring setups end up with one of each: a battery pump for fuel transfer on the move, a wired pump for the caravan or camper's water system.

Before you start

• Check the pump is charged (battery) or the 12V connection is solid (wired).
• Connect the correct adaptor between the pump and the bladder outlet, the fuel transfer pump adaptor is supplied free when a pump and bladder are bought together.
• Work in a ventilated area, away from ignition sources.
• Have a rag or absorbent mat ready for any drips at the hose ends.

During the transfer

Keep both hose ends secure and supported so they don't slip out of the tank or container mid-transfer. Watch the fill level rather than walking away, most bladder-fed transfers finish in a few minutes given the flow rates above. Stop the pump before disconnecting hoses, then drain the hose into the tank before removing it fully.

Diesel and petrol

Niche Outdoors' fuel bladders are ADG code compliant for diesel transport and storage; the material and fittings are compatible with petrol, but the bladders don't meet Australian Standards for petrol transport or storage. Read the current product pages for both the bladder and the pump before transferring petrol, and follow the regulations that apply to your setup.

Connecting the pump to the bladder

Run the pump's inlet line to the bladder outlet fitting, and the outlet line to your tap, shower head or hose reel. Keep the pump lower than or level with the bladder outlet where possible, gravity assists the draw rather than working against it. Secure both hose ends with clamps rather than a push-fit alone, vibration on a moving vehicle works fittings loose over time.

Matching the pump to the use

A single tap or the Portable Lithium Camp Shower doesn't need a high-volume pump. The 280GPH inline pump or a battery unit like the Indflo 43-Series covers most single-outlet setups. A caravan with multiple fixtures, a tap, a shower and an outdoor sink, suits the SeaFlo 51-Series, built to run several fixtures without an accumulator tank.

Filtering before it comes out the tap

If the water's going in a drinking cup rather than a shower, run it through the 3-stage inline water filter first: sediment, then kinetic degradation, then a final polishing stage. It's rated to 8L/min and roughly 3 to 6 months or 5,000L of service life before the cartridge needs replacing.

The inline filter

The 3-stage inline filter is a plug-and-play fitting for use upstream or downstream of a water bladder or other source. It's NSF 42 tested for chlorine, taste and odour reduction, filters to 20 microns, and handles up to 4 bar of pressure.

The XL ice mould

The 5.5kg silicone ice mould makes one large block instead of a bag of small cubes. A single large block melts slower than the same weight of small ice, so it holds a cooler's temperature for longer on a multi-day trip, useful alongside a fuel bladder-fed generator or fridge setup where losing cooler temperature isn't an option.