Shower Thoughts.............?

[SameGuy]

I may have posted something like this years ago as it is an issue I have been ruminating over forever. Please forgive me if I have, but obviously I have yet to find the solution.

We currently go in a FWC Hawk on our Tundra. The camper has a stovetop and heater and we like it pretty well.

After some days afield tho, the thought of a shower becomes the driving force on what must happen and little can be done without working it into the plan. Some times it is my better half that makes this decision, some times it is me. Many of us have been here and we all know little more than an actual shower can cure it. I have literally driven hundreds of miles out of the way and purchased unplanned hotel rooms for the sole purpose of this deed, at great chagrin.

We have tried some fance, overpriced, Mr. Heater basecamp type hot water heating showering devices. Both units failed literally after a couple of uses and the most recent they refused to support short of a possible fix for quite a lot of $. These things seem WAY too hightech for their low end offshore construction.

We have used a modified garden sprayer, which actually worked pretty well in the heat of the summer with unheated water. (My better half has not generally not appreciated the thrifty use of unheated water here. (Wish I had come across this before I dropped $400+ with Mr. Heater.......)

Currently I have been looking at working up a flat plate heat exchanger through my cooling loop on the Tundra with a thermostatic control valve and a sureflow pump, probably sourcing out of a water jug, but maybe with the ability of drawing water from a natural source. Despite this systems simplicity, I fear cutting in to the Tundra's systems and diminishing Toyota's legendary reliability with my poor mechanical ability. This system seems like the most trick, but I'm not convinced that the thermostatic control valve could adjust the temperature fast enough to keep from being scalded if the water wasn't running full time. (did i mention we spend lots of time in the desert; i.e. hate wasting water) I don't mind running the engine to heat shower water, thinking it would already be running as we pulled into camp and planned showers upon arrival most of the time.

Another idea is some kind of container than can take some heat and pressure. Something similar to my plastic garden sprayer except that I could heat the water in and pressurize with my OBA to pump the water. I came across these in my research: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Smith-P...Concrete-Compression-Sprayer-190448/205742071. Thinking I could possibly toss this on a stove and warm the water if needed, then pressurize for my shower, if not add hot water to it. It's an expensive garden sprayer, but seems like it would do the deed and handle the pressure. (which could be controlled by an inexpensive pressure regulator attached to my OBA.

Seems like I could either go with a sureflow (or similar) pump or use some kind of tank that could handle 20-30 lbs (from OBA) of pressure to pump water for about the same money. Not sure what else to use for a tank other than the fancy garden sprayer above or an old water fire extinguisher. The simplicity of using my OBA to pump water seems like a good use of my resources and ease of installation, but i'm sure one system is better in the end.

What have you used, researched, planeed? Wondering what others have come up with for a shower solution? Any ideas on a vessel that could handle the pressure, and likely heat to be pressurized enough to flow a shower's worth of water.

 

[john61ct]

The best system I've seen is very simple

Big stainless "laundry tub cum mixing sink"

Note the mixing tub can be rectangular, used with a solid cover to double as a seating bench while washing, also for dishes, laundry etc

If living space allows, can be fixed in the shower stall tray and permanently plumbed in.

Doubles as storage while not in active use.

12Vdc pump with a Y valve to switch output from that tub to the shower / dishwashing spray head (can be same portable unit used for feeding from cold water tank, or a redundant duplicate)

Use whatever means is most convenient / efficient to heat your water

from simplest - jetboil or stovetop, solar bag
through heat exchanger / calorifier
- waste engine heat from genset or driving
- integrated hydronic diesel space heater
- coil in wood stove
- coil underside of solar panels
to instant tankless propane or traditional HWS with storage tank

any temp up to full boiling, dump into mixing tub partial full, then add cold water until desired temp

Can also (with some heating methods) start full of cold and use recirculation through the tub until desired temp reached. Different methods according to context, have backups.

The, enjoy your showers!

and dishwashing, laundry, spring cleaning the living space, getting LFP bank up to standard temp quickly whatever use, including space heat if hydronic pipe system installed.

 

[CampStewart]

At the end of last summer I experimented with a stainless garden sprayer. I was able to remove the long wand and put the spray nozzle right on the valve. I extended the hose to about 12ft long. I strung a line between 2 trees and looped the hose over it. I heated the tank with the lid open on my coleman stove and monitored the temp with a non contact thermometer. It worked great, if anything I would try to swap out the adjustable nozzle with one with more flow.

A stainless water extinguisher would probably work fine in a similar manor but the treads to seal it are not really well suited for a lot of on and off cycles out in the wilds. You would need an outside pressure source.

 

[towee]

I keep it simple used a zodi extreme with the manual pump for years. Fill it, throw it on the stove to heat, pump it up and shower.

I’m using a waterport now mainly because I use it for everything else and normally my showers are of the cold variety. Not sure how much hot water could be added to the plastic tank but wouldn’t be afraid to add a little. I want whatever I’m using to be portable, simple, reliable and enough pressure to take a “real” shower. For the half a dozen times a year I need a hot shower heating water on the stove and adding is fine.

 

[Regcabguy]

I've used the same 2-gallon garden sprayer for 25 yrs. It's built better than the present day plastic garden sprayers. Brass nozzle etc. I lengthened the hose with some sourced from the auto parts store and shortened the wand itself by half. Yeah just boil some water and fill it up the rest of the way and you're good for four showers on the fine mist setting.
Baja approved as there's not much water down there.

 

[Robert Bills]

I have given up on onboard shower contraptions. As great as they are the cons always seem to outweigh the pros.

The modified garden sprayer works well with stove heated water, but I don't have much room for gear and a garden sprayer takes up too much, so I use a simpler version that uses 1, 1.5 or 2 liter bottles:

simple-shower.com


Works for me.

 

[Hoooogan]

If two people each find the other person's laugh funny, it might result in an endless cycle of laughter....










....oh. Not that kind of shower thought.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

I have been the gamut with OB showers over the years. At my peak I was able to produce 110° water at 2.5GPM for as long as you had a source. Nice yes but you need a source. Today along with daily body maintenance I use the same thing hospitals use to keep your grama smelling fresh. See picture. They are wife approved when a shower is not available.

 

[transalper]

I've had a few DIY pressure and pump shower systems over the years and have landed on the NEMO Helio Pressure Shower. It warms up passively in the sun and can be filled with hot water if necessary. This system has served me and my significant others very well for quite a few seasons.

 

[Robert Bills]

I just found this, hiding in my Amazon "wish list" where it has been for several years. Don't know anything about it - just passing on the link.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MY6CZ6...d=1FKE7OAB6GTEB&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it_im

 

[Utah KJ]

I shower at home. While on campaign, it's a man's life.

 

[OverlandZJ]

Zodi with battery pump. I preheat my water in Sceptor MWC by running Zodi's burner and dropping pump and shower head into MWC, once heated to desirable temp I turn off the burner and take shower.

That Helio would probably be my choice if I were into warm temp camping, I prefer fall through spring however.

 

[robert]

I've got or had several types including a Solar Shower (cut the piece of crap head off and add a kitchen sprayer), a battery powered setup (the old Coleman pump that worked on four D cells and could connect to their water carriers), a home made PVC solar shower (tube style; gravity fed then I added a Schrader valve), a pressurized bag setup (essentially like the Helio), a Simple Shower, a metal and a plastic garden sprayer, several types of wipes, etc. Each has their pluses and minuses. I keep a Simple Shower in one of the containers that lives in my truck, they're just that easy and convenient. For trips I take the $6 plastic 1 gallon pump sprayer. Simple, cheap, light, etc. I extended the hose, screwed the tip onto the handle, boil some water on the Jetboil and add to some cool water and have at it. No, it's never going to be as nice as a good hot shower with proper water pressure but it works well enough and has the added benefit of being able to be used for rinsing off equipment, doing dishes, etc.

 

[CSG]

I have given up on onboard shower contraptions. As great as they are the cons always seem to outweigh the pros.

The modified garden sprayer works well with stove heated water, but I don't have much room for gear and a garden sprayer takes up too much, so I use a simpler version that uses 1, 1.5 or 2 liter bottles:

simple-shower.com


Works for me.

I've used one of these off and on for a few years now. I also have a Waterport.

 

[CSG]

OP, look into Waterport.