The 12oz "Shower" - how do you keep clean?

[Mike W]

I've done a soapy washcloth and a bucket of water. I've bathed in the 50° mountain river. I've had 5 gallons of water and a rechargeable sprayer. Now my Zodi will be here later this week. Best price I found was $138 on eBay.

If you are going that route, I suggest you check out the Eccotemp L5. I looked at the zodi and even the dual burner zodi. The setup basically involves heating up the bucket of water first, then using it. The zodi doesn't turn on and off with the flow like an eccotemp and it has very weak flow and preassure, so you need something different to actually wash yourself very well.

Get a good 12v pump, 50 psi with a couple gpm flow (you can reduce the flow rate from there).

The setup I am working on now uses one. I will make a thread with details once I have the kinks worked out.

 

[Kevin108]

I like the looks of that, but the increased portability of the Zodi is a selling point to me. Also, it's sitting here in the office already. lol

 

[Waino]

We have a Turtleback trailer, so we can have a deluxe shower if we want. But, for a quick wipe down I'm a fan of the Shower Pouch. I find it makes me feel a lot cleaner than other wipes I've used.

 

[ArkansasDon]

I like & use the Zodi Hot Shower System that I done some macgyvering on. Got rid of the original 6v. pump (4 D battery) set up & went with a 12v. pump so it can plug into my tongue box 12v. outlets. The electrical cord for the 12v.pump that plugs into the tongue box outlets is 15ft long now. I added longer water line to shower head that is 12 ft. in stead of the standard 7ft hose. I also added a new 1 lb propane bottle base instead of using the lid as the base like it was designed.
I like the fact of the Zodi being portable & compact w\o all the unwanted or bulky attachments that other shower systems offer which only takes up more space when stored.

Even with my modifications I made, I can still fit everything into its original container which acts as your water vessel for the shower system. Set it time is quick, the water heats up fast & you shut off the heat when you reach the desired water temperature you like. With these modifications I made keeps all my gear strictly 12v. & or propane or both. Just plug it in the tongue box & stretch out the cord.

 

[Mike W]

I like the looks of that, but the increased portability of the Zodi is a selling point to me. Also, it's sitting here in the office already. lol

Yes, I think the single zodi is a bit smaller, and comes with a bucket which is nice. I plan to pull water out of a jerry anyway. The nice thing about this is I can turn on the sprayer and the pump kicks on, the water heater kicks on, and its all automatic. When I shut off flow, the water pump stops and the heater stops. So you get hot water, on demand, only heat what you need and can shut the water off as much as you want.

I'll do a full writeup of my setup later.

 

[Spacemonkee23]

I have a 6 gallon water container from walmart and a $20 RV water pump from amazon for my setup. I just boil up a bit of water before I shower and put it in with some cold water. A couple clamps on the battery and you have a warm shower with plenty of water. Plus its somewhat portable with my DIY solar battery box.

 

[Cort]

I’ve always stuck to baby wipes or safari towels or just a good dip in the lake soap or no soap.


Great write up!

 

[Graeman]

This was it during testing. Not a good photo of it but you get the idea.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using OB Talk mobile app

How much water does that hold? I have been thinking about building one for our 4rnr.

 

[Spacemonkee23]

How much water does that hold? I have been thinking about building one for our 4rnr.

I've done my research on this and 4" diameter pipe holds just over half a gallon per foot. That is 5 or 6 feet roughly so 2.5 or 3 gallons. Not much water for the bulkiness of it which is why I went with a 6 gal container from Walmart and a cheap RV water pump. We use it for dishes and hand washing too.

 

[jordan04gx]

For winter camping, standing in the buff isn't practical. I also usually have to clean up inside of my vehicle in the morning with the outside temps being in the 0-30f range. So I have been using those compressed wipes and witch hazel (no rinsing required to feel clean). The little compressed wipes are great, and you can pour the witch hazel right on them to expand them.

Wysi Wipe Biodegradable Multipurpose Wipes - Anytime! Just Add Water!
by Wysi Wipe
Link: http://a.co/ee2t0S4

 

[Spacemonkee23]

For winter camping, standing in the buff isn't practical. I also usually have to clean up inside of my vehicle in the morning with the outside temps being in the 0-30f range. So I have been using those compressed wipes and witch hazel (no rinsing required to feel clean). The little compressed wipes are great, and you can pour the witch hazel right on them to expand them.

Wysi Wipe Biodegradable Multipurpose Wipes - Anytime! Just Add Water!
by Wysi Wipe
Link: http://a.co/ee2t0S4

What is the benefit of using witch hazel, is it commonly used for cleaning skin?

 

[danthman114]

we use baby wipes unless theres a water source. infact, that's how we took showers in Iraq in 2003. non alcohol based ones. those hurt if you have swamp @ss

 

[Lindenwood]

This is awesome info, though I am also on the wet-wipe train :P .

 

[Herms]

I really enjoyed ready your post, as well as all the other suggestions from the guys.

I normally just warm a 1 liter of water, wash my face first, wet a small face cloth with a little bit of soap and water and
wipe the rest of my body. Repeat with a rinsed out cloth and dry afterwards.
What ever is left over I use to wash my feet with.

I do this every evening, I hate getting in a sleeping bag dirty.

In the morning I wash my face and I'm ready to role.

PS... I've used wet wipes as well and it works fine, but doesn't come close to water and soap.

 

[1Louder]

This thing is pretty cool and works well. Only had it a short time but you can adjust the pressure and spray pattern easily. https://lunatecgear.com/gear/aquabot-1000ml-water-bottle/

The Simple Shower also works pretty well. Much akin to a watering can. It attaches to a 2 liter bottle.

As mentioned plenty of options out there. It really depends on how much water you can carry to give yourself a shower similar to home. Since the original post was about water conservation the Lunatec Gear falls into this category.