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Archive for September, 2009

Huh? What the heck is a portable camping shower!?
Filed Under (camping shower) by admin on 26-09-2009

camping shower

That’s right, portable camping showers do exist even though it’s not the typical item that campers are usually looking for when browsing their local camping store.

Remember the last time you went camping for more than 2 days with no accessible showers and couldn’t stop thinking about how nice it would feel to get back home to a nice warm shower? For some people, this feeling of uncleanliness can really turn a fun camping weekend into a negative experience.

Well, with your own personal camping shower you can say goodbye to the unpleasant feeling of being sticky all over after a weekend of camping.

Sure, you can find a public camping shower on some campgrounds but we all loathe the idea of going in there knowing how gross it is. I, for one, instinctively start tip-toeing the minute I get in there so that my feet don’t fully get in contact with that vile and dirty public showers floor. On top of that, you do need to get up pretty early before the others if you want to have enough hot water.

Another option is to grab a bar of soap and wash up in a nearby lake or river but this is damaging to wildlife water creatures and also not the most practical idea since taking a shower requires some privacy and often the campground is right on the lake or river and that makes it uncomfortable to start washing in open view. Also, bathing in a lake during the summer is just fine but wait when fall arrives and then it becomes quite a feat to wash in water this cold.

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A complete portable camping shower is very simple: it includes a shower tent and a solar shower bag. The more expensive and sophisticated models come with heavier and more efficient heating equipment like propane gas units. Most of the portable camping showers I’ve experienced fold very easily and some are light enough that you can carry along with your backpack although a majority of camp shower types are pretty heavy and are more suited for being carried around in your car. You can unfold the tent anywhere and hang the shower bag from the ceiling of the tent or outside, hanging from a tree, a boulder or anything high enough and you have a warm shower from the privacy of the shower tent.

If you buy a solar-heated shower you do have to wait for the shower bag to be heated by the sun for at least 2 hours, depending on the shower bag capacity, to have the perfect water temperature so you will have to plan ahead in that regard.

For example, after a day of hiking you can decide to stop while the sun is still out, fill up the shower bag at a nearby body of water and lay it down on a rock or a dark surface to speed up the heating. You can also leave the shower bag outside all night and in the morning when waking up, it will have been heated by the morning sun rays and you can then enjoy the luxury of taking a nice morning shower in nature.

Nowadays, everyone can go camping without the lack of hygiene and comfort usually associated with camping. Go ahead, get one of the available camping shower solutions on the market and add it to your camping gear. You won’t be disappointed and you will feel fresher for the day ahead.

Note that you can also use a portable camping shower for fishing, hunting, sailing, at the beach or any other outdoor activity you can think of.

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Choosing the Right Camping Shower in relation to the Campground
Filed Under (Uncategorized) by admin on 24-09-2009

Many of us loathe the idea of not being able to take a shower during a camping trip and the few people who do bring a portable camping shower or any other related pieces of equipment to wash up, will probably end up having a much better time since good hygiene and cleanliness are directly linked to our well-being and mental state.
Not all portable camping showers are created equal so I will talk about some of the available models on the market that are built for different circumstances. On your next camping trip you may be going to a campsite where there won’t be a source of water to hook-up your portable camping shower. It may provide just the bare minimum, meaning the designated area where you’ll camp and that’s it. Some camping showers are designed for these situations. On the flip side, the campsite where you’re going may be equipped with a water hook-up and there are camping showers that can take advantage of this as well.

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Texsport Privacy Shelter Camp ShowerTexsport Privacy Shelter
This is a great example of a portable camping shower that requires no water hook-ups. It’s very simple as it doesn’t have as many parts and doesn’t carry the weight as some of the high-end models. You can take it deep in the woods, set it up anywhere you want and it is fully independant thanks to the solar shower bag that harnesses the power of the sun to heat the water contained inside; no need to carry heavy heating equipment such as propane tanks. The Texsport Privacy Shelter includes a large 5 gallon shower bag, a shower tent with black polyethylene walls that attract warmth from the sun, a fiberglass pole frame system and durable web straps with quick-release buckle that secure the frame for hanging. One major disadvantage that I find with this model is that you need to hang it somewhere at an acceptable height, like on a tree branch, as there is no self-support system.

Zodi Hot Tap Piezo Ignition Single Camp ShowerZodi Hot Tap w/Piezo Ignition Single
The Zodi Hot Tap is not a complete camping shower solution because it doesn’t include the shower tent but, then again, many of the camping shower solutions sold on the market require you to purchase the shower tent separately. The Zodi Hot Tap’s sole purpose is to provide the means to heat the water and it does so by using propane which allows water to be heated within seconds. Powered by 4 “D” batteries, the integrated pump provides great water pressure which can be useful to clean dishes as well as taking a shower. Included in the kit are a 4-gallon storage case, a stainless steel burner, a powerful water pump, an 8ft flexible shower hose and a 16.4 oz disposable propane cylinder. It’s a powerful camping shower solution but it doesn’t have the portability of a solar camping shower. The Zodi is more suitable when going car-camping due to its weight.

Eccotemp Systems Portable Tankless Water HeaterPortable Tankless Water Heater by Eccotemp Systems
If you mainly camp at campsites where water hook ups are available, it might be a good idea to look into a camping shower solution that can take advantage of that and which doesn’t require you to carry a shower bag or a water container. The portable Tankless Water Heater by Eccotemp Systems does just that. You only need to hook up the hose to a water source and the propane will take care of heating up the water as it flows through the main module where the on/off and temperature adjusting knobs are located. The heated water flows out through the hose and out of the nozzle. This model also includes 2 “D” batteries used to trigger the flames that will burn inside the main module whenever hot water is needed.

Regardless of the type of camping shower that fits the bill, you can be confident that it will be a great addition to your camping gear. It may seem like a luxury item at first but once you’ve gotten used to taking a shower anytime, anywhere , you probably won’t want to go back. I honestly believe that camping showers will become a mainstream product eventually since we’re always looking for ways to improve our comfort level in any situation and the Internet permits us to have access to uncommon products like these which people around the world are becoming accustomed to.

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