Hot Portable Camping Shower
What an Adventure
Camping is an activity-filled adventure, and a hot portable camping shower is an indispensable way to finish out the day.
With a trek through breathtaking mountains, a fierce tug-of-war with a 5-lb salmon or a fun-filled campers’ day under the sun, there are numerous ways of enjoying camping outdoors. But at the end of the day, don’t you want to relax and clean up with a good shower? Even if you are tent camping, a hot relaxing shower is entirely possible.
Keep reading to learn more about different kinds of outdoor hot portable camping showers and their good and bad qualities.
Porta-Shower
This camp shower does not contain any heating mechanism, only a battery-powered pump, 8-ft intake hose and showerhead. Easily drop the intake hose into the hot water basin and the battery-powered pump pushes water through the showerhead and you have a hot portable camping shower; also excellent for washing dishes, the day’s catch and cleaning-up. Provides up to 6 hours of run time on four, D-sized batteries.
Good: Cheap (hot camp shower for $20), convenient, and easy to use.
Bad: Hot water supply, essential to a hot camp shower, is another matter to be taken care of… A pot heated on the campfire or a solar heated barrel may turn out to be your hot water source.
Overhead Solar Camping Shower Bags
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This is a sun-heated solar camping shower, in-a-bag. A 2-1/2-gallon plastic bag, actually, with one side clear and the other side is opaque black. The bag is filled with water and the clear side is exposed to the sun for at least 3 hours, to heat the water.
Because the other side is black, it absorbs the heat and reflects it back to the water, thus increasing the temperature of the water inside. When ready, the bag can be hung from any high anchor point like a tree branch, then when the spout is opened, gravity makes the water inside spray down.
Good: Affordable (price), economic (solar heating is free, shower power is from gravity) and compact (like an empty plastic bag).
Bad: Inconvenient, especially when tying a filled hot bag (about 20 lbs of water) up high.
Stovetop/Campfire Self-contained Shower
Works in the same manner and set-up as the overhead shower bag; copper coils exposed to campfire heat this hot and portable camping shower. In minutes, the water is heated and the camper can immediately enjoy the hot and portable camp shower! The stovetop version is more bulky because the container resembles a metal kettle holding 3 gallons of water. For this version, a hand pump is built-in to eliminate the need for hanging high. Ten pumps into the container and a powerful hot shower sprays.
Good: Still within the affordable range (less than $50), also economic (camping ALWAYS have camp fires, so heating is free) and compact.
Bad: Like the overhead bag, this can be heavy lifting for the young or lady camper. The stovetop version costs $100, so not longer THAT affordable plus consumable stovetop fuel.
Propane Portable Camping Water Heater
Water is heated in a chamber fired by propane, a natural gas. Hot water can reach up to 100-degrees with an option to control temperature. Heating can last at least 3 hours or 50 showers.
Good: Endless hot showers … time for group showers!!!
Bad: Expensive ($200 to as much as $1500 for group showers, plus consumables battery and propane)
Shower/Bathroom Shelter
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Talk about a portable camping shower! This is an ultimate in camping convenience. A shower enclosure is put-up, with materials similar to building a nylon tent. The basic enclosure uses an overhead shower bag for the hot shower, but more advanced (a.k.a. expensive) camp showers include a battery powered water delivery system for hot camp showers and camp toilet functions.
Good: Obviously, this is very convenient! And can you believe that the bare-bones system is as low as $25? Now read the “bad” review for the high end…
Bad: How much are you willing to pay for creature comforts while camping? Believe it or not, the complete system can cost only $200. Not that high a price if you want to avoid being caught in the woods with your pants down…
Vehicle-Mounted Hot Camp Shower
If you have a water-cooled vehicle, then this system can be for you. The basic principle is to use your vehicle’s engine-heated water to heat the camp shower. A heat exchanger is permanently installed in your vehicle and connected to the engine cooling/heating system. From any water source (bucket, campsite tap or a lake), cold water is pumped into the heat exchanger.
Simultaneously, hot water from the engine is sent to the heat exchanger, which then absorbs the heat from the engine water and transfers it to the cold water pumped from your campsite. The heated water is then sent to the showerhead and voila! UNLIMITED hot camp shower!
Good: Unlimited, hot water for portable camping showers. Convenient, little to no set-up required.
Bad: Pricey (at least $300 + gas used by an idling vehicle).
Relaxing in Outdoor Showers
As you can see, hot shower while outdoors is very possible, no matter what your budget is or where-ever your campsite will be.
Now, you can enjoy the day under the sun and look forward to the end of the day, when you will have time to clean up, relax and experience total camping bliss, while under your hot portable camping shower.
So what do you use to shower with when camping? Or do you? :P
