Shower Power

I miss my daily hot showers the most while on the trail.  It is one thing to go without a shower on a weekend camping or backpacking trip.  Last year's 105-day adventure, however, proved that finding a satisfactory solution to this inevitable issue was a must.  Staying in hotels and RV parks can be extremely expensive, and we were often unable to find shower facilities anywhere else.  

In the past we have used solar shower bags to warm the water (see http://www.gofastandlight.com/Solar-Powered-Outdoor-Camp-Shower-5-Gallon-Black/productinfo/W-R-540/).  The ultimate temperature of your shower, however, is directly impacted by how cold the water is prior to filling the bag and how long it remains in direct sunlight.  Of course, biodegradable soap is essential. 

Obviously, wet wipes offer a somewhat satisfactory spit bath.  We have had reasonable success using a rinse-free shampoo and body wash originally developed by NASA (see http://www.norinse.com/outdoorshampoo.htm).

We have also been known to use water right out of the lake to wash each other’s hair.  Please be warned, however, that lake water in Alaska is EXTREMELY cold!  Talk about invigorating!  If possible, warming the water a bit on the camp stove first is highly recommended.  Unfortunately, the alcohol stoves that we used last year did not provide enough heat to warm sufficient amounts of water.

This year we plan to use our newly purchased, propane-fueled Zodi Zip Instant Hot Water System.  Preliminary results look very promising, however, we have only tested it in warm Texas water rather than water from frigid Alaskan streams.  

David operated the unit while the kids and I took turns in the shower.  It really will be a two person job.  One will need to operate the system while the other showers.

We used a 3-gallon collapsible bucket to hold the water.  Because the Zodi heats water about 30 degrees with each cycle, the bucket will be essential.  Alaska water starts out so cold that we will need to recirculate the water until it reaches a satisfactory temperature.

A single bucket full of water was actually quite adequate for one shower.  To protect the environment, biodegradable soap will be a must.  Please note:  For my fine hair, conditioner is essential.  In the future, however, I will use a leave-in hair conditioner or a spray de-tangler rather than trying to rinse my hair twice (from shampoo then conditioner).  

For privacy, we use our "bathroom," our small, pop-up tent (see http://www.evergreen-outdoors.net/outback/porta_privy.htm or see our last post).

After the first shower, the floor became quite slippery.  Our new shower floor is a rubber floor square.  We prefer wearing shower shoes.  Our ultra-absorbent towels dry quickly and take up very little storage space.

We are definitely looking forward to being squeaky clean whenever we want on our upcoming adventure!

UPDATE:  The Zodi worked wonderfully well on our 2011 adventure.  We often took water right out of frigid lakes for showers... the Zodi worked so well that we never needed to recycle the water to warm it further!  The only issue we found with our on-demand hot water heater was that the ambient temperature outside the shower tent had a direct impact on the shower's success inside of the tent.  As an example, if it was cold outside, no matter how warm the water, ultimately that frigid air was going to hit a warm body!  We determined that "massive pit swabbing" and using the Zodi to heat the water to wash our hair was quite sufficient!

For an example of the dangers of showering, please see our October 1, 2011, post!  :)