Douche de surf

Keep a filled portable pressurised shower in the van or car and you can rinse off in the car park, on the beach path or at the roadside wherever your session ends. The NewFlow 8 Litre Portable Shower is hand pumped, so there's no need for a beach tap or a power supply. Fill it before you head out, pump it up when you're back at the car and rinse salt and sand off your skin, hair and wetsuit in a couple of minutes. It works just as well at dawn on a January beach as it does in August, and you'll never queue for a coin operated shower again.

Yes if you want it to last. Salt dries into crystals that stiffen the neoprene, wear the seams and make the suit smell, and sand grinds away at the stitching every time you pull it on. A quick fresh water rinse after each surf is the single best thing you can do for a wetsuit. Use cool or lukewarm water, never hot, because heat damages the glue and neoprene. A portable shower at the car means the rinse happens straight away rather than the next morning, and eight litres is plenty to rinse a suit inside and out.

An 8 litre tank comfortablycovers a full rinse of one surfer plus their wetsuit, or a quick rinse for twopeople. Because the spray only runs while you press the head, you're notpouring water on the ground while you peel off your suit. A typical routine isa minute on yourself, a minute inside and outside the suit, and a quick blastover boots and gloves. If you're surfing with mates, keep a spare water carrierin the van for a refill.

Yes. Fill the NewFlow with warm water from a kettle or flask mixed with cold before you leave, and the 5mm neoprene sleeve keeps it warm through a two hour session. The tank takes water up to 50°C, never boiling, and a comfortable rinse is somewhere around body temperature. After a cold water surf a warm rinse takes the edge off the wind chill while you change, stops the post surf shivers and makes getting into dry clothes far quicker. Use lukewarm rather than hot water on your wetsuit, though, to protect the neoprene.

For UK surfing the best portable shower is one that doesn't rely on sunshine, batteries or a campsite, because you'll rarely have any of those in a January car park. The NewFlow 8 Litre Portable Shower is pressurised by hand, weighs around 2 kg empty, fits in a footwell or boot, and its 10 mode head on a 3 metre coiled hose gives you a proper overhead rinse rather than a trickle. The insulated sleeve keeps warm water warm, which is what makes winter surfing bearable. Pair it with the NewFlow Shower Holder on the van window or boot lid and you can rinse hands free while you change. For the full rundown, read our guide to the best portable shower for 2026.

You can in a pinch, but fresh water is the whole point. Rinsing with seawater just moves the salt around, and salt left in the tank and spray head will eventually cause wear. If you do fill it from the sea to rinse sand off a board or boots, run a tank of fresh water through afterwards and leave it to air dry. The best routine is to fill at home or a campsite tap, keep the shower in the car and use the fresh water for you, your suit and your board.

Yes, a quick fresh water rinse keeps everything in better shape. Salt and sand work into leash swivels, fin boxes and the velcro on your leash cuff, and dried salt leaves the board looking tired. Rinse with cold water only, because warm water will melt your wax. A portable pressurised shower makes this a 30 second job at the car: gentle mode over the deck, a firmer jet through the fin boxes and leash swivel, then stand it up to drip while you change. It's also the quickest way to get sand out of a board bag.

Park with the boot facing away from the crowd, put the NewFlow Shower Holder on the boot lid or side window, and rinse hands free from under a changing robe or a towel. Stand on a changing mat so your feet stay clean and dry. The NewFlow Waterproof Beach Dry Bag and Changing Mat opens out flat to stand on, then rolls up around your wet suit and towel so nothing drips through the car. The whole thing takes a few minutes and you drive home clean, warm and dry rather than sitting in a salty suit.

No. The NewFlow shower is hand pumped: fill it, close the lid and pump 10 to 15 times to build pressure. There's nothing to charge and no cable to plug into the van, so it works the same on a remote Scottish beach as it does at your local. If the pressure fades during a rinse, pump a few more times. The simplicity is deliberate, because the last thing you want after a cold surf is a flat pump.