Camp Shower Showdown

[jrfromafar]

I bought some shower gizmo, attempted to use it once but went back to my primal way, and that is, heating up a gallon of water in a pot, standing buck naked in a small tub (just big enough for feet!) and sudz & rinz away. Can't figure out how I could get cleaner if I was in my shower at home
http://youtu.be/MwHWbsvgQUE

 

[Borrego60]

I have the Helton heat exchanger and love it. I use a 12gal tank in the bed of the tundra and a small water pump 12V that can handle hot temps, while driving to the camp site I just switch the pump on and the water will recycle to the helton and the tank. I have a temp gauge on the dash when it reaches a certain temp I turn it off.

 

[Deleted member 48574]

I have the Zodi Hot Tap, and love it. It's nice that it works independently of my vehicle so I can loan it to friends (two dear friends have a baby girl so running warm water at camp is nice).

You do have to keep the water flowing full time or else it will get superhot and burn up the coils. I keep the pump going and use a 5 gallon bucket as a water vessel; when I'm not spraying the water on myself I'm spraying it into the bucket and as such just recycling the water. Once it cycles long enough I can just turn the burner off and I'm good to go.

Currently use the stock pump with D batteries but am going to upgrade to a bilge pump on 12 v eventually. The Rubi is handy as it has a 12v outlet off the back of the cargo area. Next I need to make a platform to stand on to keep my feet out of the mud.

Quite a few folks I noticed using privacy shelters; that may forego the need for a platform.

 

[madmax718]

No privacy shelters still need a platform, unless you get the one with the drain, and those get icky real fast.

Privacy shelters let you scrub your privates in peace! In the days of internet and instagrams, the last thing I need is to be somewhere where some punk kid or middle aged woman snaps a pic of my beached whale body for the world to see before Im even finished.eepwall:

 

[Deleted member 48574]

Ha! For me, the joke will be on them. Those camera's aren't cheap, and by the time I've spent enough time outback to need a shower, taking a pic of me is sure to break 'em!

 

[bluejeep]

I have the Zodi Hot Tap, and love it. It's nice that it works independently of my vehicle ........

You do have to keep the water flowing full time or else it will get superhot and burn up the coils. I keep the pump going and use a 5 gallon bucket as a water vessel; when I'm not spraying the water on myself I'm spraying it into the bucket and as such just recycling the water. Once it cycles long enough I can just turn the burner off and I'm good to go.

Currently use the stock pump with D batteries but am going to upgrade to a bilge pump on 12 v eventually. The Rubi is handy as it has a 12v outlet off the back of the cargo area.....

Quite a few folks I noticed using privacy shelters; that may forego the need for a platform.

Yep, same here. I have a piece of a rubber mat with holes in it to stand on, doubles as a floor mat on the passenger side when not in use. Let me know how your bilge pump project goes when you get to it. I don't like relying on batteries, and tho the pressure of the 6V (4 - D's) is fine, I wouldn't mind a bit more. Might even get away with using less water if more pressure = quicker hair rinse.

 

[magentawave]

I priced out the components to make my own Zodi Extreme shower http://www.amazon.com/ZODI-Outback-Gear-Extreme-Shower/dp/B000RYWQP6 thinking I could save money and if I built it with a 3 to 3.5 gallon stainless steel garden sprayer like this http://tinyurl.com/ktmat7j or this http://tinyurl.com/kuljtb6 I was surprised to find that it would cost about the same or more to build than what the Zodi costs.

A few questions about the Zodi Extreme and portable showers in general please...

1) Why the heck didn't Zodi make the tank black so you could solar heat it too?

2) Has anyone painted the tank of their Zodi with a high-heat flat black paint so you could put it on a stove and also put it in the sun?

3) How many gallons does the Zodi Extreme tank hold?

4) Has anyone rigged their Zodi Extreme hose with a quick-release fitting?

5) How many times can you re-fill those little Coleman 1 pound propane tanks?

Thanks

 

[vtmactech]

I plan on getting an extreme and painting it w/ black bed liner material all but the bottom 2 inches. Most of the time it should be warm enough for a shower and if not I can still warm it up w/ burner.

 

[magentawave]

But wouldn't the black bed-liner stuff insulate the tank a bit thus making it slower to heat up from the sun? How about some flat black paint meant for high heat?

 

[Deleted member 48574]

Yep, same here. I have a piece of a rubber mat with holes in it to stand on, doubles as a floor mat on the passenger side when not in use. Let me know how your bilge pump project goes when you get to it. I don't like relying on batteries, and tho the pressure of the 6V (4 - D's) is fine, I wouldn't mind a bit more. Might even get away with using less water if more pressure = quicker hair rinse.

Rubber mat is a good idea; that may be a cheaper/easier alternative to my plan. I was going to use braided para cord, teak strips, and some copper pipe.

I'll be sure to detail pics of the bilge pump project and report back. Fair warning though -- this next weekend is my last chance to head out, and then I won't likely be able to again until next season, so it may take some time before I do this job.

Cheers
Craig

 

[Woods]

I wonder how the cgear sand free mat would work as a shower floor

 

[MANUCHAO]

1) Why the heck didn't Zodi make the tank black so you could solar heat it too?

2) Has anyone painted the tank of their Zodi with a high-heat flat black paint so you could put it on a stove and also put it in the sun?

3) How many gallons does the Zodi Extreme tank hold?

4) Has anyone rigged their Zodi Extreme hose with a quick-release fitting?

5) How many times can you re-fill those little Coleman 1 pound propane tanks?

Thanks

1) don know

2) no

3)about 2.5 to 3 gal

4) no a quick release fitting but a hand sprayer? what is the idea for a quick disconnect ? other than a quick disconnect... I fail to see the benefits

5) I dont know but you can only fill them up half way.. You are better off getting a propane gas hose/fittings to a large propane tank.

We have been able get two showers out of a single fill up from the Zodi

 

[El Solis]

I got the road shower (roadshower.com) and love it. Carries 5 gals, mounts to the roof, water is hot when you get to camp (really nice after a long dusty day), it's potable so can have access to water all day for cleaning etc, and can be pressurized. As for a shower mat I bolted some 2x4's to a scrap piece of chicken coop flooring (stuff used for roof rack).

 

[luk4mud]

1 gallon bug sprayer with kitchen nozzle. Cost is less than $25. Heat up 1 quart of boiling water, dump into tank, add to 3 quarts in it, take shower. Simple, cheap, better than baby wipes or rags or a solar shower. Better than a Zodi? You decide.

My shower mat is my rubber mat from the Jeep.

 

[madmax718]

Lol, mine too. I use it upside down though, it doesn't hold as much dirt, then do a final rinse. Store it upside down until it dries, this way air gets under.