When camping for more than a few days or when your gonna get dirty after hiking in the hills a nice warm shower is very much appreciated. I usually camp on the more natural campsites without shower facilities and my campervan, a Mercedes Vito certainly doesn’t have enough room for a shower!
I have for the most part been using solar showers which are fine on hot days, but when the weather is a little milder the water temperature can feel quite cold.
I was going to install a gas water heater in my campervan with external shower head, but this would have required a lot of alteration to the already installed plumbing and would have costed a fair bit. As I have recently took up kayaking the thought of a nice warm shower after a day on the river or beach lead me to look into alternatives for off-grid showering.
A friend of mine uses a dutch oven over the campfire and suggested I do the same, I was however looking for something a bit more practical. I searched the internet and found some great products which looked as if they would suit my needs.
A company called Zodi produced a number of portable showers and the ‘Hot Tap’ model was tempting at around £150. This unit provides endless hot water and uses a battery powered pump. It came in a plastic storage case which would easily fit on my roof rack and not take up the much needed space in my van.
Another product the ‘Geyser’ was available from Kampa. This is a similar product but more compact and uses a vehicle’s 12V supply to power the pump instead of batteries. The Geyser can also re-circulate the water for higher temperatures if required.
I opted for the Geyser and promptly ordered it, it cost me £150 including delivery. I liked that it could heat the water to a higher temperature (if required) and I wouldn’t have to remember batteries. I also bought a hanging shower cubicle to fully enjoy the outdoor shower experience.
This is probably one of the best camping products I have ever bought. The first go after a cold mornings kayaking I hung the 
cubicle, filled up a twenty litre bucket, clicked the ignition and was greeted by gallons of hot water to blast of the sand and warm me up. I was fully refreshed and ready for the afternoons activities.
I haven’t used the shower very much as it is the winter but the dog quite enjoyed his shower after a muddy hike the other day. This is a great product and I look forward to taking it with me on many camping adventures this year and not have to worry about cold solar showers. I can now avoid the queue at the shower block or camp at sites with no facilities, roll on the Spring!
Written by
Mike Peters
