Water heaters on the trail

[Kilroy]

Edohart,
Was this a FWC heater or another? Anyone else using water heaters?

We bought one of the coleman ones and it works pretty well but is pretty bulky. Don't know where we would carry it with the limited space on the FWC.

EdoHart
"The one feature he has that I don't that I really like is the water heater with external shower."

 

[EdoHart]

It's a FWC water heater

It's an integrated heater. The shower is basically a fold down door with a hose and shower head that attaches to a nipple under the door and there is a place to hold the shower head. The hose is long enough that you could easily spray your feet.

The only draw back I see is that he has less interior storage because the heater takes up some room (though he had other options which I don't have, so it's hard to say how much space the heater took up).

 

[craig333]

I have that option. Good thing to have but it hasn't seen as much use as I originally anticipated. Mostly because of the short duration trips plus being where using a enclosure would be required. Still, I like being able have hot water while the campstove is occupied. If I can ever get to the point of doing some more extended off road trips I can see it getting a lot more use.

 

[Sam]

Craig333,

Do you know what brand model of water heater, and also what brand model furnace is in the FWC these days?

Sam.

 

[HERR42]

suburban units are in my new hawk, water heater is a sw4p.

 

[craig333]

Mines a suburban SW3P.

 

[Sam]

Craig333,

great, thanks!

 

[Slickheadhunter]

I ahve a pop up shower stall thats basicly a 4ft x4ft tent and has a small zipper that allows the shower head to fit through.I bow hunt and need to keep clean and this water heater and outside shower is a must for me,It works great!

 

[camelracer]

What's the brand of that shower stall? I bought one a while back but it was so flimsy it would never survive a Baja breeze. I took it back and haven't replaced it yet.

 

[Slickheadhunter]

The one I have is called Outback porta privy,and comes with stakes to hold it down.I bought this one because its light and "pops" up in no time and when folded takes up very little room,The inside pockets are worthless so I removed them and leave my soap and shampoo on the tarp floor.I bought mine at Cabelas,they also have a few others but cost more.The outback is on sale for $49.99

I have been using mine for three seasons so far and has held up very well.

 

[pvstoy]

New FWC Kestrel hot water heater test

In the new FWC Kestrel in the garage that is being picked up this weekend, it was ordered with the hot water heater / outside shower. What was installed is a Suburban SW4P. This is a 4 gallon tank and has a recovery 7.5 gallons per hour @ 100 degree F rise.

I did a test today, our elevation ~4700 feet and the setting was at medium. It took 70 degree water in the tank ~20 minutes to heat up and cycle off. With the on demand SureFlow pump on I used the outside shower attachment to fill a bucket. I opened the hot all the way and mixed cold to get 110 degrees at the shower head. The heater fired up after ~20 seconds. I was able to maintain 110 degrees for ~ 5 minutes. I turned the water off and it took another ~12 minutes to cycle off.

After it cycled off I turned the heater off. I turned on the shower to 110 degrees and was able to maintain ~ 5 minutes of constant shower before the temperature dropped. A five minute run of continuous water pumping filled a bucket to a bit less than 5 gallons.

If I was taking a shower I would be doing a Navy method and turning the water on and off when needed. That should save some water. The water tank in the Kestrel / Hawk is just under 20 gallons. One could carry five gallon collapsible plastic jugs and refill the water tank of what was used.

 

[Sam]

Patrick,

Thanks for the specs, I did some reading on the Suburban site and it seems as though the 4 gallon has replaced the 3 gallon, same dimentions but 1 gallon more, not sure how they managed that.

I am torn between adding the built in water heater and buying a portable one, there are pros and cons to both. I like the idea of always having the water heater there hooked up and ready to go with the built in. But it takes space, and ads weight.

 

[pvstoy]

Hi Sam,

Thanks.....If they offered a built in that was "on demand tankless" then that would be great. Then you would have more space and not have to wait for the water to heat up.

 

[Sam]

Patrick,

Exactaly what I was thinking, they are just starting to offer tankless for RV's but they are too big and way to expensive for our needs. I imagine in the near future they will be avalable in a compact size. I have a tankless in my house and the only downside is that you do waste some water waiting for the hot water to come, also you need a certain amount of water to flow before the unit activates, neither of these characteristics are good out on the trail with limited water. It makes it hard to just open the faucet and dribble water out.

Have you seen this heater, I think I am going to give it a try.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=338436

 

[Slickheadhunter]

I have the Atwood 6 gallon hot water heater and it too takes 20 min to heat up but recovers alot faster.

 

[Hayduke]

I have the stovetop pro unit. Easy to store, works great and keeps the wife happy and smellin like a rose. I think I paid about 65.00 for it at a discount outfit.
http://www.zodi.com/web-content/Consumer/zodihotstovetopshower.html

 

[craig333]

That has those hinges that you have to pull back to use? I think I have one of those.

 

[homemade]

That has those hinges that you have to pull back to use? I think I have one of those.

Hi,

If you are referring to the porta-privy, it is an ingenious contraption without any hinges, the four corners/base/top are supported by spring steel (not springs) that coils down into a round thin package. Initially when you open the package and just lift up the top it sort of springs open. Definite five out of five stars for product and dunce cap for me (my wife will not soon let me forget).

It is far better than the vinyl enclosure that we used to use that was small, had to be hung from overhead and I hated.

 

[5 Speed]

I have used a Zodi product for five years and can't be happier. I have used the http://www.zodi.com/web-content/Consumer/zodiextremeshower.html I just set it on the top of my Coleman two burner, I don't like propane for camping so really don't need that option. I used it almost everyother day for 4 months. What I usually do is heat it up when cooking dinner and take a shower after dinner. Two can shower if you use water wisely. I made a insulated sleeve out of a camping pad and duck tape which is a great transport bag, but better insulator. After I heat it up it will keep for hours. In fact I have heated it up and put it in the sleeve and put a jacket on top and it was still warm enough to take a shower in the morning. I usually toss it up top in my Thule case empty when on the road. If you ever get one of the Zodi shower units, be sure to purchase an extra shower head, you will crack one or two, they are the same ones used in solar showers and I picked up tow at REI for I think 1.50 each.

 

[Hayduke]

That's a good idea. I should get another head for mine. It hasn't broke yet, but I tried to melt it while it was too near the stove. Has a few less holes in the shower head, but still works.
The Zodi's work great, allthough I had to replace the tubing with thicker gauge, as the stuff it came with was crimping and impeding water flow/pump operation. Gotta get one of them porta privis for the wife and daughter now.
Hayduke