EarthRoamer XV-JP "Northwest Edition"

[PaulJensen]

Portable Shower

I have owned a Zodi Hot Camp shower long before I got the Jeep... With some extended trips on the horizon, one luxury to look forward to will be a nice hot shower... The Zodi as it came from the factory is more bulky with the connected hoses than I have space for in the location where I will stow it...So like almost everything else, I modified it...

(above) The Aluma-Box on the rear door is home to the Zodi and a Coleman Grille... The yellow bag holds shower water hoses and some supplemental propane hoses...

(above) Before setting up the shower, the water bucket is filled from the drain tap on the water system... Easy...

(above) Next, the shower heater unit is hung up...Here on the driver side will likely be the preferred location... The bail handle hooks securely over the shovel handle and the heater is far enough away from the camper body to not worry about heat damage... Another concern is the shower water on the ground... On the driver side it will be on the opposite side of the Jeep that will be the outdoor living room... The Foxwing Awning will provide overhead cover and poles will be handy to attach a simple tarp shower enclosure...

(above) The factory water heater hoses were cut and pressure washer Quick Connects are added to all the hoses... The shower head is as simple as it gets... The shower head mount I found on Amazon and attaches with L-Track fittings...

(above) The braided stainless steel 10' hose from the water pump, in addition to the Quick Connect, has a small ball valve to control water flow to the heater core...

(above) The water pump was from another vehicle that I over-tighten a fitting on and broke the inlet connection... A new fitting was epoxied into the damaged inlet... Being non-pressured it works fine... A simple switch goes from the pump to a 12 volt cigarette lighter plug... The water pump is mounted with screws and bolts and a stainless steel backing plate to the plastic bucket... The bucket has drain holes...

(above) With the water pump plugged in and turned on, the water supply hose is dropped into the water bucket... This is the flow through the system... Starting with cold water, I like to turn the pump and heater on, and loop the water back into the bucket for a few minutes until it is the perfect shower temperature... It takes about four minutes to deplete the water bucket with the ball valve all the way open... To disconnect the system and stow it all takes a couple of minutes...

 

[patoz]

And I thought i was the only one that used pressure washer fittings on my shower systems! They are a little heavy weight wise, but so much better than that garden hose crap I see some people using.

Back in 1985, I built a system for my Toyota SR5 pickup truck using a marine engine heat exchanger plumbed into my truck's engine heater hoses. I used a 5 gallon bucket at first, and then a 6 gal water can to hold my water and recirculated it using a Sureflo 4.0 gpm pump, until it reached the correct temperature like you're doing. I could take a very comfortable shower even in the winter time.

 

[PaulJensen]

I considered a heat exchange system, but I want to leave the hoses in the engine compartment alone... If something goes wrong and leaks, could be big trouble... Also, from what I've read some heat exchange systems need a motor throttle in the engine compartment to help regulate the temperature... Not for me...

The system as it is now is portable enough to move the shower set up away from the vehicle if you want... For that matter, it can easily be transferred to my Sprinter or my back yard near the hot tub... Portability is a plus...

 

[patoz]

Yep, there are always advantages and disadvantages to everything we do on our vehicles, but then that's what makes building them fun.

 

[mhiscox]

Really clever, Paul. Nice use of what's already there, and the positioning is great given the Foxwing.

All the comforts of home in 25 square feet. Nano-tiny house, eh?

 

[PaulJensen]

All the comforts of home in 25 square feet. Nano-tiny house, eh?

Nano House...!!!... And it can sleep 4, maybe 5...

 

[PaulJensen]

Awning Room

ARB makes a great 8' x 8' awning, and they have a zip-on awning room that is fitted specifically to that awning...

(above) Once the awning is set up, the awning room fits onto the aluminum frame mounted on the Jeep through a slide on connector... Takes about a minute to mount the vehicle side of the room to the frame...

(above) The opposite side, away from the vehicle has a similar fitting, but has a zipper on it to do the final attachment to the front... Roof and pole clips complete the connection to the awning... Note, there are no guy lines here, but they are recommended...

(above) All the wall panels roll up...

(above) The front wall panel can be set up as as another awning if you want more shade...

(above) The wall panel next to the vehicle opens up to have access to the door and window... Remove the window screen and the sink is within reach...

(above) So many ways to set this up...!!!...

(above) Base camp just got better...!!!...

 

[GR8ADV]

Hey Paul. I had the annex room for my Rtt. Very nice, but it took up 1/3 of my storage room when packed out of the elements. How much room does take up packed away and where do you store it. Thx.

 

[PaulJensen]

Hey Paul. I had the annex room for my Rtt. Very nice, but it took up 1/3 of my storage room when packed out of the elements. How much room does take up packed away and where do you store it. Thx.

Fits in a stuff sack, that fits in a drybag, on the roof... Along with the Foxwing Poles and zip-ins... And the outdoor carpets... It's an amazing set-up when you have the time and space... Quite the base-camp... If you can bring the Fuso by Homegrown Trailers some week, I can let you take the Jeep out... Trade for a weekend...???...

 

[GR8ADV]

Cool. Can you post up a pick of it all stowed away? Thx

 

[PaulJensen]

(above) Within the dry bag is the Awning Room...

 

[PaulJensen]

Table

(above) The bed support that stores under the bench seat, now has angled, screw-in table leg brackets, mounted to plywood with T-nuts, epoxy and glassed to the table...

(above) Surprisingly sturdy...

(above) Dimensions: 29" high, 20.5" wide, 62" long...

 

[Victorian]

Thank you for the awning room pictures. I'm going to get one too. Makes a ot of sense when the weather is not great or the bugs are too bad.

 

[GR8ADV]

(above) Within the dry bag is the Awning Room...

Wow poles and all. Nice indeed

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

Thank you for the awning room pictures. I'm going to get one too. Makes a ot of sense when the weather is not great or the bugs are too bad.

Be sure to contact Matt at Kakadu Camping in Vancouver "Victorian", great service for us Islanders and a really great guy. Pretty sure you met him at BCOR last year?

Wow poles and all. Nice indeed

The poles fold into the awning on the side of the truck... but still all in they are very compact.

This rig is really coming together Paul, I like the new table setup!! Still need to meet in person one day! heh I feel like I know you through your work already.

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