road Shower

[Chazz Layne]

I wonder how difficult it would be to rig up a JetBoil (or larger burner) to heat the tank directly. The paint would be the most obvious issue, but aside from that it doesn't seem like it would be that difficult of a feature to add.

 

[madmax718]

Your kinda half way to the making's of a zodi and helios shower system. Half pressure, half burner.

You could also melt the plastic coating on your rack. It does not appear insulated.

 

[bob91yj]

I found one of these to solve my pressurized hot water concerns. No waiting, no planning, drop the pump in a bucket of water, hot water right NOW!


http://www.coolebuys.com/-p-344827.html

No affiliation to either company, just posting what works for me.

 

[kramme]

Yes a good solution for sure. I have followed these for a long time and wanted to buy, I just pulled the trigger on one via the kickstarter program. Now I have to be patient and wait but it will be coming I trust in time for the most of the camping season next year!

 

[zukimoo]

If you built two of these it would double the quantity and if you mounted one on each side of the roof rack and had them joined it would balance out the weight, you'd draw from both at the same time.

 

[El Solis]

So as a guy who actually owns one and uses it let me tell you what I have found:
1. Weight of the unit filled: Did you see my rig? weight on one side isn't an issue as I balance my roof rack load to compensate. additionally no one thinks about where passengers sit at 180-300 pounds but stress over 50 pounds. Most modern cars can do just fine with the weight, if concerned load your car to compensate.
2. Heating of the unit: it gets hot...that's all we care about. If it isn't hot enough, boil some water and add it to the unit, voila..hot water.
3. Not being able to utilize all the water due to design: yeah...not a problem. Just keep pressurizing the unit or park the car differently.
4. Nothing meets everyone's demands/needs but for me this one works perfectly. I have access to drinkable water all day (albeit warm but hey...c'est la vie). Shower head...awesome for so many reasons. I use it for cleaning up after cooking, for washing off my dog/son/self...in that order. Warm water is easy as I have a jet boil.

I have no connections to this company. I bought the product and love it so I will defend it. It works perfectly for me, maybe not for you, but don't knock it until you try it. Imagine what would have happened if every good idea was shot down in the planning stages before people actually tried it. If you have questions about it let me know, I will be happy to answer them honestly and unbiased.

Chris

 

[RubiChris]

Bad link....

I wanted a good solution for showering in the back country. I think this invention solves a lot of the problems of other showers. Thank you for looking at this post. Here is the correct photo of the unit.View attachment 185762

PVC or ABS is not better than aluminum. It is brittle and can break. It is an insulator, so it does not transfer heat to the water very well. That's fine if you want a luke warm shower. Your home made unit is going to need to be strapped on, there is no built in mounting. And if you pressurize it, there is a risk of exploding plastic, if you do not buy a pressure relief valve.

Check out the new aluminum model...works great, and will last you a lifetime.

Please check out my kickstarter project:


http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...d-hot-water-on

Please share the link with your friend who might spend some time doing outdoor activities, or traveling in their vehicle.


The new camping Solar Shower

It is like adding plumbing to your vehicle! A green solution using renewable energy.

With the Road Shower you can have pressurized water wherever you go. It will heat the water while you drive and will be ready to give you a high pressure hot shower at the end of the day. Hot or cold, the Road Shower has many uses from the camp hose for dishes, gear, pets, or for extra drinking water. •
Storage capacity: Holds 5 gallons of water good for 2-3 showers

•Solar heated: Water can heat up to 100-115 degrees.

•High Pressure: Can be pumped with a bike pump up to 15 PSI.

•Safe: A pressure relief system is built in for safety.

•Easy to mount: Included hardware for Yakima or Thule racks.

•Tough. Made from powder coated high quality aluminum.

•Non toxic: You can fill it with drinking water.

 

[madmax718]

Chris;

While I agree with you about the last point (every good idea) If people want it, then people will buy it. There's an infomercial world out there of useless products that people buy. Im not saying the road shower is useless, and perhaps it works fine for yourself, and probably many others, and its always good to have new products and ideas out there. But it doesn't change physics or the effects of gravity.

Yes, I saw your rig, and its a beauty. I see you have a lot of stuff on top. But it doesn't change that your adding even more weight on top. Adding 50 pounds on top of the roof line (and your truck is tall already) is very different.

It isn't all about the weight either. Its about where your putting the weight. Its great that you counter balanced, so that its equal side to side, but it significantly changes the dynamics and handling.

If your truck is already fully loaded with significant weight down low, then perhaps 50lbs extra on top doesn't matter for your situation.

From the CA DMV:

Avoid Top-Heavy Loads
The height of the vehicle's center of gravity is very important for safe handling. A high center of gravity (cargo piled up high, or heavy cargo on top) means you are more likely to roll, especially on curves or if you have to swerve to avoid a hazard. It is very important to distribute cargo so the center of gravity is as low as possible. Load the heaviest parts of the cargo first or on the bottom.

You can add hot water to any container and get warm water. Again, how is this any different than a military water can which holds the same volume? It gets hot on top off a roof rack too. You can also add hot water to it.


Its great that its working for you. I also have no affiliation with any mfg, nor the PVC piping industry. The point of my post is to help other members make a informed decision, and to point out the limitations, to see if its a good fit, same as your doing with your real world experience. However, your answers only validate the points I brought up, and consumers should be aware of more than just the benefits.

The way the marketing ads are for the road shower shows a sedan with a bike rack, and the road shower mounted all the way off to one side. This is perhaps the worst possible position to mount it from a vehicle dynamics point of view. Your cantilevering 50 lbs off the side. The optimal position on the roof would be right in the middle of the roof line. You had weight already to balance it, but not everyone will have thought of that.

You can figure out your roll over angle here: http://www.jeepaholics.com/tech/cog/

 

[El Solis]

update on my road shower use. still working well for me except when camping in sub-freezing temps the water in the clear tubing froze making it worthless for water usage. Then the elbow fitting snapped (at home). So I upgraded a few parts (the new version has brass fittings too) and added a shut off valve and a T piece so that I can have a shower and water to rear of the truck for cooking and drinking etc. here are some pics.