Another Camp Shower Option...

[AdventureToolCompany]

After several years of using a Solar Shower with mixed results (cold results) I started looking at other systems and found lots of nice options but held off because they seemed a little pricey for what they were. So, like most cruiser owners I fab'd something up.

Starting with a $5.00 kitchen sink sprayer w/hose, $29.00 all steel pump-up sprayer and a left over air hose quick connecter, I put together a 1 gallon pressure shower. It works great for one. You fill it half-way with regular camp water (cold) then boil a pot of water. Add the boiling water, replace the pump, pump it up and you have an instant hot/warm shower for one. Enough water to wet, soap and rinse since you control the flow with the sprayer. It also helps conserve water to 1 gallon per shower.

The longer hose allows you to leave the sprayer on the ground, so your not looking for somewhere to hang anything. The system is compact and rugged enough that it can be packed without worrying about punching a hole in it or having to carry a number of other parts/pieces and since you use your camp kitchen pots and camp stove to heat the water you don't need to carry a separate heating source.

I chose to use the metal pump sprayer because I planned on putting it directly on the stove to heat but decided against it to prolong the sprayer and cut down on any mess...so I'm sure you could use a plastic sprayer also.

Good luck.

 

[MANUCHAO]

That's like a miniature Zodi Extreme shower

I think this one holds like 3 or 4 gallons but not sure....
At about 5 times over the price of yers...

 

[B-RAD]

nice economical set up for sure!

 

[AdventureToolCompany]

That's like a miniature Zodi Extreme shower

I think this one holds like 3 or 4 gallons but not sure....
At about 5 times over the price of yers...

Thanks MaNu-

The Zodi was one that I looked at getting, but the size, price and all the accessories you had to carry with it kinda turned me off. Although, they're a very nice piece of kit.

Take care.

 

[atomicshawn]

You know, it’s funny, I was just thinking of doing the same thing. We are doing a 7 day backcountry trip in 2 weeks, and I was recalling how disgusting my family was at the end of the last long one we did. Got online and started looking at shower stuff… and prices… and started thinking about my Coleman stove, camping stew pot, and modifying one of those plastic chemical sprayers:

 

[coryc85]

This company makes a ready-made setup from a plastic sprayer...it's black for solar use too. $39 and a nice shower head already on it, I think I'll be ordering one soon.

Pump-up Solar Shower

 

[atomicshawn]

^^^ my idea exactly. I guess with 6 billion people in the world an original thought doesnt happen very often. I wonder if it is possible to take off the shower head and attach a kitchen sprayer like brit ; I was thinking this set up would be nice to do dishes too.

 

[RufusTheDufus]

Look for concrete form sprayers on ebay. They are typically made from stainless and good quality fittings. I found one that's 3.5 gallons and works just like the Zodi Extreme. I fill it in the morning and leave it in the sun to warm it. Plenty of water for two people to each take a long shower.

 

[atomicshawn]

This company makes a ready-made setup from a plastic sprayer...it's black for solar use too. $39 and a nice shower head already on it, I think I'll be ordering one soon.

Pump-up Solar Shower

^^^ my idea exactly. I guess with 6 billion people in the world an original thought doesnt happen very often. I wonder if it is possible to take off the shower head and attach a kitchen sprayer like brit ; I was thinking this set up would be nice to do dishes too.

So I was going to try and save some money and assemble my own sprayer, but I couldnt find one in black and I wanted that solar effect so I kicked down the cash and went with coryc's idea and ordered this shower: Pump-up Solar Shower

I was very pleased, so was my wife, my kids, and the other family that did the 200 off road mile, six day trip with us. Worked perfectly; tough, light weight, and found out the shower head works great on dishes too .

...thanks for the tip coryc, good call.

 

[coryc85]

Shawn - nice, glad it worked out. I have not purchased one yet, but I think I will. Was the size ok? 2 gallons doesn't seem like much. Did you boil water or just let the sun heat it?

 

[atomicshawn]

I packed it on the rack empty, but the weather was pretty cold on that trip, dipped below freezing a couple of nights, so I dont think the sun would have helped much anyway. We boiled maybe 3/4 of a gallon, filled the rest with cold water, and the temperature was perfect. We got about 2 kids showered per tank, or about 1.5 adults per tank. We were relatively conservative with the water though because our supply needed to last the whole six days. Even if you were more liberal I think 2 gallons should be sufficient for one person. Also, because space is such a precious commodity on these epic trips, I wouldnt want to take anything bigger if I didnt have to.

.............................

 

[mep1811]

Camp shower

Has anyone tried this sustem?

Hot Jugz-Portable Shower

 

[Rubiconcruiser]

Here iis another hot water shower idea, I have seen it on several expeditions. A stainless steel Hudson sprayer. Fill it stove top it to warm it up and stand under the spray hose to shower. It really works well.

 

[rhyary]

I talked to Hudson about this idea.
They said "no good".
The seams on the bottom will not withstand the direct heat.
It is ok though to fill it with hot water.

Sent from my iPhone using IH8MUD

 

[Itchy Sides]

These are some cool ideas/set-ups here...will have to finally look into something like these.

 

[coryc85]

Well, I just purchased the pump-up shower from Duckworks Boat Builders, $39 plus $15 shipping. I've oogled it for probably a year now, and atomicshawn said it worked great, plenty of water for 1 adult. Now I need a popup privy!

 

[mep1811]

camp shower idea

I put this together today for a shower. I got all the items at Lowes and used a 1/4 ' barb to connect the hoses.

I painted the tank with black plasticoat. I will test it next week but looks like it will work out well. .

 

[RufusTheDufus]

I talked to Hudson about this idea.
They said "no good".
The seams on the bottom will not withstand the direct heat.
It is ok though to fill it with hot water.

I've been using a stainless Hudson commercial concrete form sprayer for a few years like this. I don't heat it on the stove. If I need to heat it I usually stand it up on top of a pile of hot coals from the fire pit. I keep the top open while heating so it doesn't build pressure.

 

[atomicshawn]

I just finished up another long 8 day back country trip using Duckwork's Pump-up Solar Shower and had a little problem; the valve handle broke while I was trying to wash a rather resistant 6-year-old. With a little ingenuity I was able to bypass the valve and we just kinked the hose to control flow. Anyway, it seems like that valve piece is kinda weak. I just ordered a new one, $10.70 w/shipping so not a huge deal, but if it breaks again I'll need to come up with a more durable solution. Just a heads up...

 

[doug720]

I use the same pump up sprayers for many things, but one of the best is a misting system for hot days.

This was first made for my daughters all star softball team when they played in July in Lancaster, CA. It was well into 100's and I rigged this up in the dug out and it worked great!

Just a regular hudson type sprayer grafted to 2 sets of Home Depot misters. Fill, pump and enjoy a substantial cooling effect!

We use it at the river and many activities. We even use river water, but pre-filter to keep the heads clear.

Doug