Portable Shower Set Up and Use
A little TLC will keep your solar shower in tip top shape for many years of use.
Rinse before Using
When you first get your portable shower, rinse the inside well with warm water and baking soda. This will help a bit with dispelling the PVC smell, although I have never been able to get rid of it completely. You can also test for potential leaks. I have never had a problem with leaks but I have heard some people make such complaints. I think how you handle your shower bag has a lot of influence on how well it holds up and performs. After rinsing, hang your bag open so that it dries completely and is ready for your first outdoor use.
Filling the Reservoir and Returning to Camp
The first step to using your shower is to fill it with water. You can elect to take it to the water source and dunk it until full. I have found this method a bit clumsy and I prefer to bring a cup along and fill it that way, especially if using a natural water source like a lake or river. If you are filling at a campsite from a hose or spigot, you can simply hold the bag open under the flow of water.
Keep in mind as the bag fills, it is going to get heavier and more unwieldy. If you are fortunate enough to have a pal along to help, by all means enlist some assistance. If you are alone, you may elect to not fill the bag completely as you won’t need as much water anyway for one person.
Next, you will have to bring your filled bag back to your camp site. Remember it is going to be heavy. One gallon of water weighs over eight pounds. It’s easy to get enthusiastic about having a full bag but really it is better to just take what you need.
Heating the Water
As the name implies, solar, you will be using the sun to heat the water in your bag. The bag is specially designed to optimize the sun’s solar energy. Ideally you will lay your bag flat on the most level ground available. It takes several hours to get an acceptably warm shower.
Getting the right temperature can be tricky but it is easily adjusted by adding cold or hot water at your campsite. As I mentioned earlier, care for you bag will extend its life and performance. I like to use a tarp under my bag folded several times to prevent stones and such from puncturing it. Later you will use the tarp as part of your shower set up.
Showering Outdoors
The weight of the water in the bag is going to affect how you set up your shower. The ideal shower is hung by a rope thrown over a tree branch and hoisted up. But what if you don’t have a sufficiently strong tree branch or no tree at all for that matter? I have seen campers attach a carabiner hook to their bag and hang it on the wall of their RV. Similarly, if you are car camping, you can prop the bag flat on the roof of the car and squat below with the hose. If all else fails, you can simply put the bag on a box or other source that raises it as high as possible and using your foot or a friend, apply light pressure to the bag to get the water flowing out the shower hose and onto you.
I mentioned using the tarp that you folded to protect your bag from the ground as part of the shower set up. It is nice if you spread the tarp under the bag once it is suspended for showering. This really helps prevent mud from splattering up and dirtying your ankles.
Enjoy
Now that you are nice and fresh and feel clean, you can truly relax in comfort for an evening around the campfire.
[...] longer hoses than others. The hoses are long because the manufacturer cannot predict how you will mount your shower for use. A hose and nozzle makes your shower adjustable. You can spray water over your head or about [...]