Showersontheroad

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The only thing I really wish my Westy had was a self-contained shower. A lot of times, I come in after a multi-day hike, or a big bike ride, and I really want to get cleaned up. There's nothing like getting clean, popping a beer, and recounting the experiences on the trip.

But.... I don't even have a water heater. On a really hot day, I can take a cold shower using the hose in the back, but that's just not the same thing.

So.... I swapped someone a 9" TV for a Zodi Extreme shower [1]. Keep in mind that the "Extreme" stands for extreme markeing hype - the shower is basically a steel can with a pump and a small shower head. You fill up the can with water, heat it up, screw in the pump, pump up the pressure, and hose yourself off.

You're still taking an outdoor shower, but you've got hot water. The can holds 2.5 gallons; in my experience, two adults can get very clean on one charge.

I don't have the propane burner; the shower can fits on the Westy stove. The stove heats up the water very quickly.

If you have unlimited water, you can get one of the other Zodi products with burners and continuous hot water. I like the Extreme because it is so simple, light, and doesn't really take up much space or clutter the interior with loose parts.

Other alternatives:

You can always carry a sunshower; this is what my parents do. A sunshower is basically a black plastic bag you fill up with water and set out in the sun to warm up. Then you hang it in a tree and use it for a shower. See for example [2]]. Stearns is the manufacturer; their catalog pages are here: [4505049&selection1&selection2=3.