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Old 12-12-2008, 12:26 AM   #1
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We have been searching for a good warm shower solution, and this one seems to be the most portable, and self contained that we have found. Has anyone used one of these before?

http://www.trailmasteroutdoors.com/product...076&type=73

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Old 12-12-2008, 01:03 AM   #2
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Hi April,

No I've never seen one, but it looks interesting. I like that it can double as a camp stove. Have you seen one? Is the shower (water) part very big? I didn't see the size or weight of the combination, or how much it holds. Looks like it would be great for doing dishes outside for people who do dishes.

Looks too tipsy for me to try to use. Wonder if that top part is sold alone so one could put it on the indoor cooktop? We generally try to find public showers when we need them and just use the tea kettle hot water for daily cleaning.

Report back if you get one and tell us how it goes.

Nancy
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Old 12-12-2008, 01:12 AM   #3
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Since you're checking out options, I'll throw one in that worked for me while living aboard (a boat) and keeping it simple.

I used a garden sprayer, like this one,


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It's about two gallons, and the dark green helps with solar gain. I got it at Lowe's for about $30

Link: http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=prod...&lpage=none

I lengthened the hose (because I wanted to keep it strapped in a certain place) and then cut down the length of the wand to make it easier to use as a shower. I've also thought of putting one of those kitchen sink sprayer handles on the end instead. You pump it up with a few up/down strokes of the handle, and it stays pressurized until either you use the water or you release the pressure. The nozzle can be twisted for more of a stream or a mist.

I kept it filled with water and when the sun shone on it it was often a great showering temperature with no adjustment. If there was no sun, or the water hadn't had time to heat up, a shot of boiling water from the tea kettle sorted it out. When you pump it up, the pressure is great, and in fact it can kind of "blow" some of the soap off and in that way really make the water go a long way.

I found plenty of other uses for it once I had one: Rinsing off muddy feet, "pre-washing" dishes, rinsing the dog, etc.


No electricity needed, and it uses the "flame" of either the sun or the kitchen stove you already have.

Even though I didn't really answer the specific question you had about the water heater you showed, I thought this might be an idea you would want to consider

Raya
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Old 12-12-2008, 01:39 AM   #4
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I use one of those daily when I live in my cabin. Will be living in it again soon and forever more ..... so is the plan.

If you have the time and can search craigslist, junk dealers etc you can find pieces and parts of a metal garden sprayer, LP stove etc. and make your own for a fith of the cost of one of those.

I'll eventually convert mine to a foot pump instead but its not that big a deal... handle works fine.
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Old 12-12-2008, 05:32 AM   #5
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Thing looks massive, weighs 12lbs, then there's the storage issue. If you're willing to heat the water on the stove or outside over a fire or campstove, this would work: Coleman Battery-Powered Shower
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Old 12-12-2008, 06:09 AM   #6
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We have used a variety of methods for hot water. The simplest is a pot on the burner and a Coleman battery pump for a shower. We have also borrowed our son's Coleman Hot Water On Demand. It works well but is large and expensive. I happened on a Zodi on sale and bought it. It basically is a battery pump and a copper coil over a propane burner. We love it. We use it for all our hot water needs.

http://www.zodi.com/web-content/?gclid=CNS...CFQJNagodYFOSTA
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Old 12-12-2008, 12:03 PM   #7
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I am guessing that it would hold 2-3 gallons, which is about the same amount of water I used with a solar shower bag. I don't know why they don't list the water capacity. The tank size is a bit of an issue, but we like the fact that there are no batteries or pumps to keep up with/replace or power up. It also appears that you can heat it on just about any source since it is stainless steel, camp stove, fire ring w/grill down etc... I don't think you have to keep it on the stand once in use, that looks like it is just for heating. I have read many positive reviews about it, and the main hang up would be haveing to pump it during use, which isn't that bad to deal with if you plan your shower right... pump before you shampoo... We know we are going to have to include some kind of water heater, and this one isn't much bulkier than the other products out there like the tankless or the coleman water heater. I think we are going to try this one out.

I thought of the plant sprayers too, but the ones I've seen are plastic so we wouldn't be able heat the water inside them. Nice idea though!

I just ran across this shower solar w/ 12v pump:

http://www.bigkahunashowers.com/



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Old 12-12-2008, 12:35 PM   #8
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The tank size is a bit of an issue, but we like the fact that there are no batteries or pumps to keep up with/replace or power up. It also appears that you can heat it on just about any source since it is stainless steel, camp stove, fire ring w/grill down etc...
The only problem I see with the Zodi model is the price. We also just made one just like that out of a stainless steel garden sprayer from Home Depot. I painted it black using high temp BBQ paint, added a longer hose and a spray head (the kitchen type with a cut off) to save water, and stuck a thermometer strip onto it. To heat the water, you can either leave it in the sun (now that it's black), place it by the fire or put in onto the stove. Link to another guy who did something similar here.
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Old 12-12-2008, 01:12 PM   #9
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You're right about the price of a Zodi. Wal-Mart sells it for $100 and I found a close-out there for $75.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=4698021
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Old 12-12-2008, 01:18 PM   #10
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You're right about the price of a Zodi. Wal-Mart sells it for $100 and I found a close-out there for $75.
Right, but even more so with the Zodi Extreme model (the $140 glorified garden sprayer) that April is talking about.
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Old 12-12-2008, 01:19 PM   #11
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We're using a couple of simple, two gallon solar bags which we hang in our PahaQue shower tent. If we miss the sun, then the tea kettle comes to the rescue.

Parker
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Old 12-12-2008, 01:37 PM   #12
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I like the sound of your stainless garden sprayer, Doug. I intentionally went for plastic, since anything metal will rust in about a week on a boat in the tropics, but the higher quality sprayers are the metal ones.

Since I didn't have any need to heat the water over a flame in the sprayer (tea kettle was away from the sprayer and the sun did not hurt it), the plastic one worked fine for me. We also had a limited supply of batteries and electricity, so the hand pump was great (and you don't have to pump during the shower unless it's a looong one).

I don't mean to sound like I'm trying to talk anyone into my method, it's just that the 13' is so small that I can't help but be enthusiastic about something that's so efficient
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Old 12-12-2008, 03:45 PM   #13
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Quote:
You're right about the price of a Zodi. Wal-Mart sells it for $100 and I found a close-out there for $75.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=4698021
As a near daily user of the produce in question.... if I purchased again it would be the Zodi online demand type. I suspect that uses more fuel though.

BTW these are super ventilated or outdoor use only. Their documentation will say outdoor use only.

The produce in question is not a size that is a problem. Its not but a few feet tall, Maybe 10" around? Height might be like that of an old metal milk can but not as wide. Yes it can be heated in other ways. yes the cannister is removed from the legs when used as a shower tool. You also heat it with the pump handle and shower hose removed.
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Old 12-12-2008, 04:49 PM   #14
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I did not realize there were stainless garden sprayers out there, I thought they were only plastic, now that we know this, we will not waste money buying the extreme shower, but will opt for a less expensive sprayer, and save some money. The shower head mod should be a simple fix. Thanks for the tip!! We found one on ebay for $60 shipped. It has a 2 gallon liquid capacity (2-1/2 gal actual) Features include Epoxy coated steel pump handle, and top quality stainless steel tank. Along with our bag solar showers, we should be set for warm water.

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Old 12-12-2008, 06:46 PM   #15
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Looks like you could set that right on top of a coleman stove or similar and heat it up.
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Old 12-12-2008, 07:23 PM   #16
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eggsactly!
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Old 12-12-2008, 09:00 PM   #17
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Don't forget to bring your biodegradable soap.
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Old 12-17-2008, 03:56 PM   #18
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We got our "shower" today! We filled it, and test heated it on the gas stove, took about 12 minutes for it to heat up to 100F

We stuck the shower nozzle from a solar shower on the tip of the spray handle (in place of the wand) and took it into the shower to test. I was able to take a very sparing, but thorough shower with the 2 gallons of warm water. All we are going to do is add a longer hose, and it is ready to go! The spray nozzle has a squeeze trigger, that allows you to use more or less pressure so you don't just run out your tap all at once. Great find!!
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Old 12-17-2008, 04:28 PM   #19
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Now grab one of the $30 shower tents at Wally and you can really set up a deluxe bathroom when boondocking.......
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Old 12-17-2008, 10:59 PM   #20
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Already had that in mind!! I am just bargain hunting since we don't need it right away. It's one of my favorite past times...
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