| Author |
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my96disco (Trevorh)
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 12:01 pm: | 
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I am going camping for 9 days in a couple of weeks and my wife can’t do without a hot shower for that long, doesn’t like the glacier fed lakes day after day. Has anyone had any experience with either the DECKER'S HOT CAMP SHOWERS or the ZODI PERSONAL CAMP SHOWER? I was wondering if one was better than the other? Any help even second hand information would be great.
Thanks
TrevorH |
James F. Thompson Jaime (Blueboy)
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 01:05 pm: |
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Trevor,
After returning from a week long trip to CO., am also looking into one of these. We already carry a "King" 2 burner cook stove with a large propane tank so the Zodi stove top pro caught my eye. Plus we normally carry 1 or 2 five gallon water containers so the self contained Decker isn't a plus just something else to carry. Also liked the Zodi hut and the ability to run the pump with the vehicle battery. For us, probably go with the Zodi. Anxious to hear any other comments on these.
After 2, week long camping trips, will not have to purchase it for awhile as the wife has decided for the remainder of this year, "camping" will be defined as staying in at least a Holiday Inn.
Jaime |
Blue (Bluegill)
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 01:27 pm: |
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I spent a week rafting the Canyon and we used those H2O Sun Shower bags (about 3-gallon bag, clear on one side and black on the other to collect solar radiation). The damn shower bags got so freaking HOT that we had to empty over half the water out and refill with COLD Colorado River water. |
James F. Thompson Jaime (Blueboy)
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 01:52 pm: |
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Blue,
yeah, we used those on our sailboat and they worked well raised on a halyard for a shower. Think this Zodi deal is a better idea as also can be used for washing dishes, not limited on the water quantity, and it will be quick to heat vs having to be in the sun for awhile. H2O bags did give you HOT water though; no doubt about that.
Jaime |
Paul T. Schram (Paulschram)
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 03:15 pm: |
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Plagued with the same problem, an ex-girlfriend bought me a nifty camp shower from the Sportsman's Guide. Essentially, it is a three gallon bucket (just like a five-gallon, just shorter) with two hose barbs on the side, a coil of copper tubing with hoses and a hose with a sort-of shower head. One fills the bucket, hooks up the copper coil to the hose barbs and puts the copper coil in the campfire. Shortly thereafter, the water is warm enough for a shower.
You'd be amazed at how long three gallons of warm water can go. |
Kim S (Roverine)
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 03:55 pm: |
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That's the one thing that bugs me most about primitive camping ... I need that shower! I'm interested in reading this feedback as well.
Thanks,
Kim
LOL, Now ... if I could just figure out a handy solution to get my 1875 watt blow dryer to run ..., Kyle?  |
Rob Davison (Pokerob)
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 05:23 pm: |
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kim, think rubbing alcohol and baby powder... thats all i ever use. been years since i've had a real shower. nobody ever complains!
rd |
my96disco (Trevorh)
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 06:11 pm: |
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Well,
Just ordered a ZODI over the WEB, it really hurts paying with these Canadian Dollars. I will post a review after the trip.
and Rob,
I've heard that if you drink the rubbing alcohol you can go blind.... but affecting your sense of smell.... hmmmm :-) |
Rob Davison (Pokerob)
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 06:25 pm: |
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go blind? get your head out of the gutter!
rd |
gp (Garrett)
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 07:19 pm: |
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i mean if you really want to impress the neighbors like ours did at Uhwarrie then use the heat exchanger on your custom built 110 to heat your water. but don't forget to bring the dog zapping colar. sorry.....just couldn't resist.
ps: just find a local car wash with a power washer and you are good to go. just don't try to use it on yourself. have someone do it from a distance. trust me. |
Michael Villanueva (Michael)
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 07:22 pm: |
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Zodi is great -- we have used it several times. It works well.
Recommendation based on our experience. Make a shower kit consisting of a five gallon bucket. Place the Zodi pump/heating unit into the bucket, along with two Coleman mini propane tanks (about 1.40$). Make sure you get a base for the little Coleman cannisters. Role up two plastic tarps (the blue ones with woven fiber), throw in some duct tape (just in case you need to tape & hide your private parts)... Kidding. To make the impromptu cover off the rear door.
Then you can fill one bucket, and immerse the pump in it, and heat and pass the water back into itself. Keep recirculating the water, and you get a seriously nice and toasty shower. |
Chris Brown
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 10:13 pm: |
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Ok...now I realized this sounds like a bit much....ok a lot much....but my wife had the same complaint....so I picked up a hot water camping shower that works with a small 2.5hp pump and a hot water heat exchanger. I got it from the folks at www.hotwatercampingshower.com. They're kind-a pricey now..... but when I got one it was about $250.....but it works great.
My wife and I just took a 6,525 mile trip from NJ to Colorado, UT, AZ and California and back...and it worked great and gave us no mechanical problems. It takes about 10 minutes to set up, and it heats the water pretty quickly....
If anyone is interested, I do have some pictures of the installation.....
Chris Brown
'94 Disco
For those |
Rich Lee
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 04:13 am: |
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Here's a setup I learned at Everest basecamp and it works superbly.
For the enclosure, either get one of the Sun Shower ones with the inflatable frame and suspend it between 2 Discos.
OR
Make a free-standing one that is 2' x 3' 7' out of 1/2" PVC pipe. It looks like a box kite frame with horizontal braces on 3 sides. Corners are joined together with 90 deg. "side-L" fittings and vertical/horiz. brace junctions are "T" fittings (that way the 7' vertical sections are divided into two 3.5' sections. The unbraced side is the "door".
Assemble the whole frame without glue, except where the verticals go into the side-L corner fittings and where the T fittings for the horizontal braces join ONE of the vertical sections. Label each of the sections with magic marker and include "alignment" marks where the sections come together. Now drill a 1/8" hole through the fitting (and fitted pipe) at each non-cemented junction and push a 1/16" clevis pin through each of these holes to "lock" the structure together.
Next, "wrap" the structure with a 9'x15'opaque nylon or poly tarp, leaving the 5' horzontal overlap to serve as "door" and the 2' vertical overlap on top to serve as the "roof". Anchor this tarp to the frame using large spring metal "paper clamps", using 3 on each vertical corner, one on each top horiz. pipe and a couple to clamp the roof fabric together. for the floor, use a 2'x3' piece of tarp, ensolite pad or rubber loadspace mat. Your free-standing 10 lb shower/porti-potti stall is now complete.
For the shower, Get one of those $16-$25 D-cell battery-powered shower & submersible pump setups from your local Target of Walmart store. Get a 2.5 or 5 gallon plastic paint bucket and plastic lid/seat. Notch the rim of the bucket to clear the shower hose when the seat is on it. Fill the bucket with water that is a bit "too warm" from either your sun shower of by adding hot water from your stove to unheated water in the bucket. Leave this uncovered bucket of hot water inside the closed shower enclosure to heat it up.
When the inside of the enclosure is sufficiently warm, and the bucket of water is cool enough, enter the enclosure, cover the bucket with the seat, sit down and turn on the shower pump. The 2.5 gallons should be more than enough for a proper shower.
Very nice indeed. The whole setup costs about $50 and the disassembled enclosure frame fits inside a case for one of those folding chairs. You can substitute a folding vinyl bucket if you are tight on space
When my wife wakes up on camp trip mornings, she is greeted with a warm cup of tea, a bowl of warm water, a warm tent (thanks to the new in-tent propane heaters)and a hot shower.
Now she can only complain about my cooking (and driving). |
charles
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 09:29 am: |
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Walmart sells a blue water container 7gal that has a 3/4 screw for the spout. I bought a threaded male adapter. I connected a hose, a ball valve and a spout from a watering wand. Place the watering container on top of the roof rack, instant shower. |
KJ
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 10:35 am: |
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Goddamn Rich, you REALLY love your wife!
Karen |
my96disco (Trevorh)
| | Posted on Friday, August 02, 2002 - 11:53 am: |
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It looks like I was too quick to order my ZODI Camp Shower over the net.
If you go to EBAY and do a search for "Hot Showers" the ZODI factory are selling their demo models, all with less than 3 hours run time, super cheap, $54.95 about 1/3 of the original cost. In the fine print at the bottom it also gives you the option to upgrade to new if you win the auction for about $10.00.
Good luck
TrevorH |
jmon
| | Posted on Monday, August 05, 2002 - 04:30 pm: |
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we use the solar shower on our two to three month mexico/baja trips...they work great! its pretty easy to rig them up. What is so good about the zodi? |
my96disco (Trevorh)
| | Posted on Friday, August 09, 2002 - 06:11 pm: |
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Got the ZODI yesterday, works great. Just as they said, turn it on and seconds later have a hot water shower. Should make the wife much happier next week while camping.
Anyone that is interested. They still have them for sale cheap from the factory on EBAY "search under HOT SHOWER". My only regret is not buying mine from EBAY, I was a bit too early.
TrevorH |
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