Joolca Ensuite Double. Updated, tour, and Zodi hot shower mod video added,

dbhost

Well-known member
I have been going back and forth on wanting a 2 room shower tent, and specifically an instant set. I've mentioned before I have osteoarthritis in my lower spine that causes sciatica by capturing the nerve. IKneeling / bending MUST be minimized for me, so instant set is how I am going...

Well I am not sure why but I have been hesitant to buy the Ozark Trail 2 room instant shower tent, really wanting the Joolca, if for no other reason than honestly aesthetics. And there was a stopper in my head that I was just unwilling to spend more than $140.00 for a shower tent. No idea why but it was there...

Well I noticed that Joolca has a drawing for an Ensuite Double and Hot Tap kit, not sure which hot tap, but anyway.... so I entered, and did not get drawn, BUT... they sent me a discount code for their site, for $25.00

Well googling for the 2 room instant shower tent I saw the Joolca Ensuite Double listing for $165.00 with free shipping. And with the $25.00 discount code, that meant, well total cost of $140.00

Yep it's on its way.

I am at the point now that I need to sort through my gear, and offload a LOT of older gear we are not goign to use again. Including my Cabelas Deluxe non instant set shower shelter. It's huge, not super hard to set up, but also does not have a dry side / wet side...

A thought I have is use the Joolca set up straight across from the Main tent, the Ozark Trail 10x14, and set up my 12x24 silver tarp over all of that so that we have a constant weather shelter between the two. I have 4 Coleman telescoping tent poles to help support the tarp, I think I will need at least 2 more to keep pressure off of the tent frame so I am not actually supporting the tarp by the tent frame...

EDIT:
I have the Joolca Ensuite, and have modded the Zodi, set it all up, and done a quick tour video of the setup as a big thunderstorm was rolling my way. Sorry the video is rushed...

Hopefully you enjoy.


I am ready to head out and use it now!
 
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dbhost

Well-known member
An update. The weather has been downright foul here since the Ensuite arrived, so I finally knuckled under and set it up in the living room to get a feel for size.

For those not familiar with my posts and my story, I am a large man, so space is vital for me. I was leery of the 3.5ft x 7ft doubles out of concern for bumping into the sides as I showered. I basically mimiced showeing in the Ensuite, and aside from accidentally backing my tail into the side as I reached to "wash my feet" which I would have done skinny or fat so no difference there, it is more than roomy enough. Placed the toilet in place and sat down. Plenty of room there for doing my business and the associated cleanup. I did not set up the accessory kit yet, but took a good peek at it and just need to figure out how I want to configure it as it seems there are flexible mounting options, BUT....

It would appear that there are more than sufficient options for holding clothes and keeping them dry as we shower, holding towels etc...

I set up the Firefly tripod and hung the Zodi from it, and yes, using the pass through, I can easily route, and control the Zodi into the Ensuite while keeping the burner outside and connecting to the bulk tank.

Barring winning the lotto, or at the least winning one of their drawing giveaways of the HOTTAP V2, it is going to be a while with me staying with the Zodi, or just heating water on the stove and doing the 5 gallon bucket method which does not offend me in the slightest. I need the budget to finish repowering the truck, getting new tires and finishing the build out, at least where we can use the truck to tent from. And I would think a better generator would be a higher priority at this time for me...
 

cstamm81

Adventurer
I just used mine for 2 weeks at multiple sites. Really nice double enclosure, at a really nice price. Setup and take down are really quick and hassle free, I stake the 4 corners with lag bolts and my 18v impact gun. These aren't of the highest quality, but are very well thought out and so simple to use. I'd expect to get a few years out of mine. Oh, they handle the wind surprisingly well!
 

2Jeeps&PatriotX1

Active member
Ran the ozark ensuite last 2 yrs after finding out the joolca was delayed in arriving here in the US. Zero issues with the Ozark. Once the joolca arrived, I cleaned up the ozark and put in on the garage shelf. Ozark was good but the joolca fit and finish is just a tad nicer and having the water plumbed into tent for easy disconnect is nice.
 

dbhost

Well-known member
For me, the deciding factor between the Ozark Trail, and the Joolca, as I mentioned I have some back issues, and the lack of having to add the rainfly over the Ensuite was pretty key. With the advent of drones, I'm pretty sure I don't want a shower enclosure open to the sky... The Joolca fixes that issue.

Build quality wise, I cannot compare to the Ozark Trail shower shelter / ensuite. BUT... Compared to the Dark Rest tent, the fabrics, and Instant Set system component fit and finish is far and awayy better on the Joolca. Not that I find the Ozark Trail problematic by any means.

Is it as well built as my old Cabelas Deluxe Shower Shelter? Nope. That thing is more or less military grade. HOWEVER, the Joolca is thick with features that weren't even a thought when the Cabelas was made that make camping and overlanding easier / possible for me...
 

burningac1d

New member
Hey! I heard a lot about Ozark shower tents but never used them. I'm interested in water pressure. Is it sufficient? I mean are you satisfied with the basic equipment and showerhead? Probably, it needs to be replaced for high-pressure showerheads(list as an example)?
Thanks in advance
 
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dbhost

Well-known member
The Zodi was driving me nuts, and I got a screaming good deal on a Camplux 5L and a 1.5L pump. Only been testing so far, but the results are good. Plenty of water pressure, and not afraid it it going to fail on my. The zodi pump was brittle plastic so kind of scary to rely on... I opted for the Camplux as it was less than 1/2 the price of the Joolca rig, and the Joolca would need plenty of modding to meet my needs anyway... So I went with this route. I love being able to turn the water on and not have to reach out of the shower tent to light the heater... Or switch on the pump independent of the shower head etc...

Planning on updating the video, but doing it in the field, and that is coming soon.. Weather is shfting, I need to fix hurricane damage first...
 

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