Water heaters on the trail

[flinchlock]

I am trying to finalize a hot water and shower product this week.

After reading all articles on the entire internet, my 1st choice is the Zodi Extreme. I really like the idea of no batteries.

My 2nd choice is the Coleman Hot Water on Demand Portable Water Heater. The thing is hugh, but I do like the rechargeable battery. I found lots of opinions with most .itching about no pressure and to keep the unit high above the ground for shower pressure.

My 3rd choice is the Zodi Hot Tap On-Demand Hot Shower and my 4th choice is the Zodi Stove Top Water Heater. Just like the Coleman unit, I found lots of opinions about the Zodi battery powered units with most .itching about no pressure and to keep the unit high about the ground for shower pressure and battery corrision.

What do you experts thing about my 1st choice?

THANKS,
Mike

 

[CJ8Rockcrawler]

I've used the zodi extreme on a few trips and love it. The only downside I've seen is that it took a REALLY long time to heat up the last time we used it around 8-9k feet. I haven't done a search to see if people have done anything to compensate for that using white gas or something. Other than that I love it... I'll probably build a better shower head system at some point too.

on the zodi extreme

 

[Mark W. Ingalls]

I am trying to finalize a hot water and shower product this week.
What do you experts thing about my 1st choice?

THANKS,
Mike

Hey, Mike! Good to hear from you!

I have a Zodi stove top unit that I use in conjunction with the electric water pump under the sink. I have never used the battery powered pump that came with the thing, so I don't know how that works. It packs pretty small and works well. I bought it online.

Mark

 

[flinchlock]

I've used the zodi extreme on a few trips and love it.
Thanks for the info!

Hey, Mike! Good to hear from you!
I have been very busy working on house plans and not thinking much about camping... 'til this week... come on June! Just got of the phone with Ben on some minor tweaks to my order.

I have a Zodi stove top unit that I use in conjunction with the electric water pump under the sink. I have never used the battery powered pump that came with the thing, so I don't know how that works. It packs pretty small and works well. I bought it online.
So how do you use it for showers... does the sink pump spigot connect to the Zodi?

Mike

 

[Mark W. Ingalls]

Yes, the tubing slides over the end of the faucet. I'll follow up with pictures.

 

[tanyj]

Hi folks. I can't believe you are talking about something we solved last year. I bought one of the Coleman on demand heaters, a cheap hoola-hoop, 2 cheap shower curtains, some cheap plastic rings, & a deep rubbermaid storage bin & cobbed up a decent inside shower. For showering, i just assembled the curtains & hoola-hoop as you could easily figure out, hung it from the 2 loops that secure the lift wall up & down, and tucked inside the tub. My wife didn't see the practicality of outdoor showering, even in a tent. For storage/travel the curtain wraps around the hoola-hoop and stores behind the couch, the bin (ghetto-tub) is used to store the towels & bed linens while traveling, & the only down side is the size of the Coleman. I wish i had taken some pictures when we used it last fall, but i figured it would never be looked at as a good idea on here.

 

[flinchlock]

I bought one of the Coleman on demand heaters

the only down side is the size of the Coleman.
Like I said in my original post about the Coleman, "The thing is hugh, but I do like the rechargeable battery. I found lots of opinions with most .itching about no pressure and to keep the unit high above the ground for shower pressure."

So, how does the Coleman heater work for you? Any other complaints??

Mike

 

[tanyj]

Only minor complaints, really. The pressure is a bit low, the hose is stiff until it warms up, it isn't too convenient to reach out & start/stop it. But, it is nice & simple. The pump & battery would be easy to replace, you can hack into the bulk propane on your camper if you want. (we just pack a couple of the stove cylinders, though) I also set it on the cabinet above the fridge & pump the water from the bag on the other side of the sink.

Like I said in my original post about the Coleman, "The thing is hugh, but I do like the rechargeable battery. I found lots of opinions with most .itching about no pressure and to keep the unit high above the ground for shower pressure."

So, how does the Coleman heater work for you? Any other complaints??

Mike
Most folks crying about things on the interweb, likely have never had to go to bed 2 or 3 nights straight with trail grime, debris, & grit on them. This shower is a lot nicer than being nasty for days in a row. I would agree that the pressure isn't what one would have at home, but it's decent & gets my crevasses clean enough to not dirty up the linens.

 

[flinchlock]

Only minor complaints, really.
Thanks for that info.

...but it's decent & gets my crevasses clean enough to not dirty up the linens.

I now have my 8th grade stupid hat on...

He... He... Ha... you used but AND crevasses in the same sentence!

Mike

 

[Mark W. Ingalls]

My son, Robert, and I will now demonstrate the operation of our hot water heater for bathing.

We use the blue tub you see here to catch the waste water--

Connect the hose to the spigot--

Start water flow before lighting--

Then, light the burner and adjust the flame to moderate water temperature.

Robert will now demonstrate how he takes a shower at camp...

 

[Mark W. Ingalls]

Robert is now standing in the blue tub with the spray nozzle in hand. (He's grinning to himself because he knows he's only pretending to take a shower and he thinks that's funny.)

Here, Robert is showing us how he washes his hair.

(Robert is a very clean dude. )

We stow the heater under the sink when not in use. We can use it inside the camper, outside through the door (the hose is pretty long) or even on the Coleman stove.

 

[craig333]

Thats an interesting idea. I wonder if the hose on my outside shower would make it inside. Sure would be nice when conditions make outside showering less than ideal.

 

[silverstriketim]

I don't think so!

My wife would kick my A%#! if I took a shower inside our FWC!

1998 GMC Sierra,20k, 2007 Hawk w/outside shower hookup, 12k, Outback port a privy pop up shower enclosue $30, Wife not kick'in my A$#, Priceless!

 

[DLN]

Mark,

Thanks for the photos and explanation, with some type of shower curtain to deflect water we might be able to adapt that for use with our shower setup. It wood be nice to shower inside when the weather is less than great.

 

[flinchlock]

Robert,

Thank you very much for showing us how you take a shower when you are camping with your super dad!

You are a lucky guy to have such a smart dad.

Mike

 

[tanyj]

Mark,

Thanks for the photos and explanation, with some type of shower curtain to deflect water we might be able to adapt that for use with our shower setup. It wood be nice to shower inside when the weather is less than great.


...... a cheap hoola-hoop, 2 cheap shower curtains, some cheap plastic rings, & a deep rubbermaid storage bin & cobbed up a decent inside shower. For showering, i just assembled the curtains & hoola-hoop as you could easily figure out, hung it from the 2 loops that secure the lift wall up & down, and tucked inside the tub. My wife didn't see the practicality of outdoor showering, even in a tent...

If i get some time this weekend, I'll take a couple of shots of mine & post them up. Is sans clothing acceptable?....

 

[chnlisle]

This is a very open minded forum. Many of us are Saline vets. Let it all hang out!