6 Best RV Medicine Cabinets For Shallow Walls That Maximize Every Inch

That tiny RV bathroom feels even smaller when your toiletries are piled on the counter, threatening to slide off with every bump in the road. You know there’s usable space hidden in that wall, but standard medicine cabinets are built for houses with deep, forgiving walls. In an RV, where every inch is precious and every ounce matters, finding the right storage solution is a game-changer.

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Solving Storage in Shallow RV Bathroom Walls

The biggest hurdle in any RV renovation is the wall depth. Unlike a typical home with 2×4 studs creating a 3.5-inch cavity, RV walls are often built with 1.5-inch or 2.5-inch framing. This immediately disqualifies most residential medicine cabinets, which require a deeper recess.

This leaves you with two primary paths. The first is finding a true shallow-depth recessed cabinet designed specifically for these thin walls, allowing you to tuck storage inside the wall cavity. The second is opting for a lightweight, low-profile surface-mount cabinet that hangs on the wall, preserving its structural integrity. Each approach has significant tradeoffs.

A recessed cabinet is the holy grail for saving space, as it doesn’t protrude into your limited elbow room. However, it requires carefully cutting into your wall, demanding absolute certainty that you won’t hit electrical wires, plumbing lines, or crucial framing. A surface-mount cabinet is far easier and safer to install, but it eats into the bathroom’s footprint—and in an RV, four inches of depth can feel like a foot.

Jensen 1459: The Classic Recessed Solution

When you need a no-nonsense recessed cabinet that just works in a thin wall, the Jensen 1459 is the industry standard for a reason. It’s designed with a 2.5-inch recess depth, making it a perfect fit for the wall cavities found in many travel trailers and fifth wheels. This isn’t a fancy cabinet, but it’s a workhorse.

Built from painted steel with a simple piano hinge, its durability is its main selling point. It’s made to withstand the bumps and vibrations of the road without rattling apart. The installation is straightforward for anyone comfortable with a drywall saw; the rough opening is small and designed to fit neatly between standard 16-inch on-center RV wall studs.

The true value of the Jensen is the space it creates out of thin air. By sinking your toiletries into the wall, you gain critical clearance in front of the sink. In a bathroom where turning around can be a choreographed event, not having a cabinet jutting out is a massive functional win. It’s the definition of practical, purpose-built design for small living.

Zenith EMM1027: Simple Surface-Mount Pick

Sometimes, cutting into your RV wall just isn’t an option. Maybe you’re not confident about what’s behind the paneling, or you just want a fast, simple upgrade without the dust and demolition. For that scenario, the Zenith EMM1027 is an excellent surface-mount choice.

Its standout feature is its weight, or lack thereof. Made entirely of plastic, it adds minimal load to your wall, a critical consideration in any vehicle. The frameless, beveled mirror gives it a clean look that helps make a small space feel a bit bigger and brighter. Installation is as easy as it gets: locate a stud, drive a couple of screws, and you’re done in minutes.

The trade-off, of course, is its profile. At around 4 inches deep, it will project into your space. This is a non-starter for some ultra-compact wet baths, but it’s a perfectly acceptable compromise for the simplicity and safety it offers. If your priority is adding storage with the least amount of hassle, this is your cabinet.

Kohler Archer: Sleek and Modern Shallow Fit

If you’re aiming for a higher-end, more residential feel in your RV renovation, the Kohler Archer series is a fantastic option that bridges the gap between RV utility and modern design. While not strictly an "RV" product, its clever engineering makes it a great fit. It offers the flexibility of being either surface-mounted or recessed.

When recessed, it requires a depth of about 3.5 inches, which is too deep for standard RV walls but perfect for custom-built thicker walls or areas where you’ve added extra framing. Its anodized aluminum body is rust-proof and remarkably light, resisting the humidity of a small bathroom far better than steel. The adjustable glass shelves and clean, mirrored interior feel like a luxury upgrade.

Think of the Archer as an aspirational-but-achievable choice. It costs more, but for a full-time RVer or someone undertaking a gut renovation, the improved aesthetics and quality can be worth it. It proves you don’t have to settle for basic industrial finishes just because you live on wheels.

IKEA LILLTJÄRN: Ultra-Lightweight & Compact

Leave it to IKEA to master the art of storage for tiny spaces. The LILLTJÄRN cabinet isn’t a traditional medicine cabinet, and that’s its strength. It’s incredibly small, incredibly lightweight, and designed to fit into the most awkward, unused nooks of a bathroom.

This is a surface-mount-only cabinet made of plastic, so it weighs next to nothing. Its tiny footprint makes it perfect for mounting over a toilet or on a small patch of wall next to the door where nothing else could possibly fit. It won’t hold a family’s worth of supplies, but it’s ideal for the essentials: a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a few small bottles.

Don’t mistake its small size for a lack of utility. In an RV, adding any dedicated storage is a victory. The LILLTJÄRN allows you to decentralize your storage, keeping daily-use items handy without cluttering your main cabinet or countertop. It’s a perfect example of a micro-solution that has a major impact on daily life.

Croydex Severn: Wide Storage, Slim Profile

The problem with many small cabinets is that they lack horizontal space. The Croydex Severn tackles this by offering a wide, panoramic design with a very slim profile. This surface-mount cabinet is an excellent choice when you have wall space above a wider vanity but can’t afford to lose depth.

Its key advantage is providing expansive shelf space without feeling bulky. The slim profile, typically around 4-5 inches, minimizes its intrusion into the room, while the sliding mirrored doors are a huge benefit in tight quarters where a swinging door would be impossible. The stainless steel construction is also a major plus, offering great durability and resistance to moisture.

This cabinet is ideal for couples or families who need to store more items but are constrained by a narrow bathroom layout. By going wide instead of deep, you get the storage capacity you need while preserving that precious floor space.

Zenith MC12CH: Maximize Awkward Corner Space

Corners are the black holes of small-space storage—awkward, underutilized, and hard to access. The Zenith MC12CH is a purpose-built surface-mount cabinet designed to turn a dead corner into a highly efficient storage tower. Its triangular shape fits perfectly into any 90-degree corner.

This is a supplemental storage hero. It won’t replace a primary medicine cabinet, but it adds an incredible amount of utility to a space that would otherwise be wasted. It’s perfect for holding extra soap, razors, or first-aid supplies, freeing up your main cabinet for larger items.

The installation is simple, and its vertical orientation draws the eye upward, which can help a small bathroom feel a bit taller. For anyone struggling to find just one more place to stash things, leveraging corner space with a dedicated cabinet is one of the smartest moves you can make.

Recessed vs. Surface Mount: Installation Guide

Choosing between a recessed and surface-mount cabinet comes down to a simple question: are you willing and able to cut a hole in your wall? A recessed cabinet is installed into the wall cavity, sitting flush with the wall surface. A surface-mount cabinet simply hangs on the wall, secured by screws.

For a recessed installation, your first step is investigation. Use a high-quality stud finder to locate the empty bay between two wall studs. You must also use a tool or your best judgment to confirm there is no plumbing or electrical wiring in that specific spot—drilling into a wire is a disaster. Once you’re clear, you’ll cut a precise hole in the interior wall panel, frame it out if necessary, and slide the cabinet box into place before securing it to the studs. The result is a seamless, built-in look that saves maximum space.

A surface-mount installation is dramatically simpler and less invasive. The most critical step is locating wall studs to anchor the cabinet securely. An RV is a moving vehicle, and you cannot rely on wall anchors alone to hold a cabinet full of glass bottles. Find the studs, mark your locations, drill pilot holes, and drive the mounting screws. The entire process can take less than 30 minutes.

So, how do you choose?

• Go Recessed if: Maximizing every inch of open space is your absolute top priority, you’ve confirmed the wall cavity is empty and deep enough, and you are comfortable with minor demolition.
• Go Surface-Mount if: You want a quick, easy, and reversible installation, you are uncertain about what’s behind the wall, or your walls are simply too shallow for even the slimmest recessed model.

Ultimately, the best RV medicine cabinet is the one that fits your wall, your skillset, and your daily routine. It’s not just about adding a box to a wall; it’s about making a deliberate choice that makes your tiny bathroom more functional, organized, and comfortable for the long haul. By weighing the tradeoffs between recessed and surface-mount—and choosing a model built for the realities of the road—you can reclaim valuable space and make your small home feel that much bigger.