Shower solution -- cheap, simple, and effective?

[jk6661]

I've read lots of hot shower threads, but no one seems to have suggested:

1. Heat 3-4 gallons in a metal bucket on a powerful, large, stable stove.
2. Place a good battery-powered pump/sprayer (like this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IFHFJX...TF8&colid=1Z55ZYFWSPYRV&coliid=I29VDJ22YMQQWQ) in said bucket and shower away.

Wouldn't this work well? Am I missing something? Some people heat up water in the Zodi extreme canister on a stove rather than using the Zodi burner, but the shower head still sucks. This sprayer apparently doesn't suck, although I haven't used it.

 

[thefishhawk]

I said that in the sun shower thread down the page lol ;-)

The Ivation pump works pretty well on the cheap, it's not super duper strong but it's good enough for washing hair and the battery seems to last long. Easy to pack and store since it's rolls up small. Only issue I've had with it is the pump head end wanted to keep separating from the hose after about a year. More of a compression fitting and needs to be more robust. almost lost the damn thing in the river standing there holding the shower head. Some epoxy seems to have solved the problem. Versatile since you can just heat up some water however you want, or not. Even just doing the shower thing with cold water isn't nearly as cold as taking a dunk in cold water. Only small downside I've found is the charging cord is not regular micro-usb. USB on the power end that can be used with any portable charging solution, but the end that plugs into the device is it's own thing.

 

[Koabean]

That sprayer does a really good job. The wife and I used ours quite successfully for the first time a couple of weeks ago.

I heated up some water on the stove and mixed it with cold water in a plastic collapsible bucket until it reached a nice temperature. Stick the pump in, turn it on, and you get a nice steady flow. Plenty of flow for washing and rinsing. After a long day and some hot-weather hiking, the gadget got us just about as clean as we would have after showering at home. It is far superior to a gravity fed sun shower.

The only hassle is the on/off switch, which is both small and on the pump and therefore in the bucket when in use. So we just left it on the whole time; to save water, just drop the shower head in the bucket while soaping up and it will just recirculate the water around until you pull it out to rinse.

Highly recommended.

 

[robert]

I've recommended the Coleman version previously but I don't think they make it anymore. One of the nice features it has is a seperate foot switch so you can cut it on and off easily. It could also be screwed into Coleman water containers.

That said, I usually just carry a one gallon pump sprayer that I add hot water too and use. It's handy for rinsing gear off as well such as your bike after a muddy ride.

 

[siebermd]

On the cheap, this is the way to go. It's simple, will always work, and cost about $20.

 

[MzPriss]

View attachment 365355On the cheap, this is the way to go. It's simple, will always work, and cost about $20.

I painted one black, put a longer hose and a sink sprayer on the end of it. You never run out of batteries it's only on when you want it on and it works great.

 

[robgendreau]

Yeah, all you gotta do is heat water and then dump it upon yourself. Me, I can't see spending big $$$ to do that so I've never spent more than $10 (yeah, my LCI jerrycan was $25 but I use that for regular water storage too). It's always nice to have equipment that serves more than one use.

But I wouldn't use a 3-4 gallon metal bucket. Too heavy. Usually a rather small amount of water in sauce pan heated to boiling mixed into a bigger bag or whatever works better. I like collapsible dishpans or buckets.

 

[slvyj]

Yeah, all you gotta do is heat water and then dump it upon yourself. Me, I can't see spending big $$$ to do that so I've never spent more than $10 (yeah, my LCI jerrycan was $25 but I use that for regular water storage too). It's always nice to have equipment that serves more than one use.

But I wouldn't use a 3-4 gallon metal bucket. Too heavy. Usually a rather small amount of water in sauce pan heated to boiling mixed into a bigger bag or whatever works better. I like collapsible dishpans or buckets.

Agree, heat water, add to larger bucket. Get yourself wet, lather up, then rinse off.

 

[GeoRoss]

I've been using a solar shower for the past 20 years. I've been using the same one for the last 10 years with 30 days per year or more of use. The only problem I usually had was where to mount it. Then I just started putting it up on my vehicle and it has been easy ever since. Water too hot? Add some cold. Water too cold? Add some hot. Day spent driving? Add a lot of hot water. Cold/Windy/Rainy outside? Toughen up buttercup. :sombrero:

Granted I usually find myself far from prying eyes, so I've never used this in campgrounds without a tarp acting like a shower curtain. This past August I was lucky enough to be at a remote job site where there was a free pallet. Super Nice!

 

[jk6661]

Thanks for the replies. For those of you who mix boiling water with cold, can you give me an idea of the ratio and resulting temp? Obviously it depends on the temp of the cold water.

 

[Coachgeo]

one gal. of this stuff ( https://www.amazon.com/Clean-Life-Products-Bottle-Gallon/dp/B000SOOICO ) Will give you enough "washes" for hmm... 500 full body wash times? It is mixed with water..... but trust me... guess how much water it uses then divide by 100. So with that in mind..... all you need to heat is say less than 6oz of liquid per person and you only NEED to do that in the winter for comfort. Rest of the time... its a total waste to heat it. Pretty sure you can find tons of ways to easily heat a 6oz of liquid in the winter. Use throw away baby wipes as the cleaning cloth. Let them dry and use them as fire starter. You can store 40-50 baby wipes in same space as one wash cloth. Also your less "wet" so your drying towel can be significantly smaller. In warm weather..... you don't even need a towel.

This also works good but you use it up faster. Helps with cleaning up greasy hands from field repairs as does regular "liquid" hand soap which honestly can also be wiped off as well instead of water rinse. Not a concentrate. Labeled as it does NOT have to be water rinsed off. Can be wiped off instead. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Equate-Beauty-Gentle-Skin-Cleanser-16-fl-oz/36916881

For nasty sweaty clean ups... one can follow up with isopropyl cut way-way down to like 5-10% Iso rest water.

Hair? Well they make no rinse shampoo too. Also one Gal. uses little more water than body wash surprisingly. I can't use it. Acid PH too high; makes my scalp itch something bad. All shampoo has an acidic PH. Have considered adding a little of a base to bring that down some. Maybe just Baking Soda is all need to add? https://www.amazon.com/Clean-Products-No-Rinse-Shampoo-Gallon/dp/B0061XH1NO or cut it with water at a higher than recomended ratio?

Course these days I only need the body wash since I got no hair on my head. ...... keep it cut bald. Charge your portable elec. razer before you go. Mine last a week without "needing" recharge. can go two and half weeks but then it startes getting to slow to keep a head bald.

both the No-Rinses has been used in hospitals, Nursing homes etc. for decades with folk who must receive bed baths. You do not "need" water to rinse because it is NOT a Surficant "like" soap. Soap brings dirt to the surface thus it must be Rinsed away afterwards or it stays on the surface.

With all of these no-rinses products and esp. any low % Iso... use a little body lotion afterwards could be wise to help replenish skin moisture.

PS- similar no-rinse product; if not same, is probably what baby wipes are soaked in anyway.

 

[RedF]

 

[robert]

There's always the Simple Shower as well; the person who developed it is/was on expo. I bought one to leave in the truck so I didn't have to carry around a pump system or sprayer. The narrow mouth of water bottles makes them more of a pain to fill with warm water but if I know I'm going to use it I will typically leave a liter bottle of water on the dash so it's warm when I get back. It works well for rinsing mud off of your legs after a dirty ride or hike, after swimming/surfing, etc.

https://www.simple-shower.com/
No affiliation, just happy with the product.

 

[99Yota]

I picked up a Zodi Hot tap on sale but still paid a pretty penny- and haven't looked back.

Not having to pre-heat water in a bucket which will eventually need to be filled is important because I go camping with my fiancee. With the Zodi, all I have to do is either fill the storage box (which doubles as a water reservoir) or find a nearby stream. About the only thing you'll need with the stream option is ecofriendly soap such as: https://www.oars.com/blog/5-best-eco-friendly-soaps/


Not sure if would get the dual burner model if I had to do it again. While the dual burner is nice, it is perhaps a bit overkill in that if the water is cold enough that you need to run both burners on high, it is probably too cold to be taking a shower out in the open. When I accidentally brought an empty propane bottle, I was able to run one burner on high and have decently warm water. I've since picked up a refill nozzle to refill the 1lb propane bottles with a bulk propane canister which ought to bring the operational costs down further. Rechargeable D batteries for the pump will be next.

 

[Geodoc]

Thanks for the plug robert. As a reminder, the cap comes off the Simple Shower, leaving one with a funnel that makes the bottle easy to fill.

For those unaware, the Simple Shower fits most standard 1, 1.5, and 2 liter bottles, including most collapsible bottles (e.g., Platypus). Weighs less than an ounce, made in the USA, and hopefully will help me pay for my daughter's college tuition next year