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An Essential Buyer's Guide for Portable Showers

There's nothing like the great outdoors to get you feeling all refreshed and ready to take on the world.

You might like to hike in the mountains, camp in a forest, walk in the woods, or just settle for some good old fishing. Whatever choice you eventually go with, spending time outdoors can:

  • Help you de-stress
  • Give you tons of energy
  • Lower your blood pressure
  • Boost your mental health
  • Improve your focus

It’s one thing to refresh your soul and revive your spirits. It’s a completely different thing, however, to have to do it while feeling dirty and sweaty.

Table of Contents

Things can get tricky when you’re camping out for a few days with a couple of your stinky buddies.

That’s when you find yourself frequently looking forward to a nice, hot shower at home instead of focusing on enjoying your outdoor experience.

Thankfully, you don’t have to settle for a less than satisfying camping experience or limit yourself to campsites with modern, public facilities or those close to a motel or hotel.

When you have a portable shower, not only can you enjoy a relaxing and refreshing shower and stay clean, you can also use it to wash your pets, dishes, and car!

Of course, you should remember to use eco-friendly products for showering and washing dishes when camping.

Here are some factors to consider when looking for the right portable shower for you.

Construction and Design

HOTTAP Nomad portable shower set
HOTTAP V2 NOMAD Portable Hot Water Kit

Choosing the portable shower with the right design and construction for the uses you’ve got in mind will guarantee you the best possible experience.

If you go with a large shower head, for instance, you can look forward to a higher water flow rate. A smaller head, on the other hand, wouldn’t give you as much flexibility.

Size and weight are also factors to consider when you don’t want to be hauling heavy equipment on your back if you’re not staying close to your vehicle.

But you also don’t want to limit yourself to a shower that’s only suitable for cleaning your hands when you know you’ll be coming back to your camping site after a full day of fun outdoor activities.

You want a portable shower that’s convenient to pack and also leave space for all the other crucial camping gear you’ll be bringing along.

Consider Joolca’s HOTTAP v2 Nomad Kit, pictured above, which is offered alongside the Essentials Kit and Outing Kit.

Its sturdy, waterproof storage container doubles as a deep and wide kitchen sink that you can attach a pivoting and tilting faucet to, and comes with a convenient drain.

Additionally, this carry tub’s lid sections fold out to reveal dish racks that are strong enough to support heavy cast-iron cookware.

It’s not just your body that can benefit from the handy HOTTAP v2 Nomad kit. Your greasy campsite utensils will also thank you.

Ease of Deployment

man enjoys Joolca HOTTAP shower outside his car
Enjoy a hot shower in the bush

It can be a blessing when you don’t need a mechanical engineering diploma to set up your portable shower, especially when you also have maps to read, tents to pitch, and fires to start.

Ensuring a quick set up can be as easy as buying a portable shower that doesn’t require you to fiddle with spanners or thread tape. Indeed, a shower with standard garden hose fittings that snap on will make your life easier.

Another thing to keep in mind when out camping is that you’re not exactly exposed to the finest plumbing in the world. You will want some flexibility, such as the option to use your shower handheld or mounted.

Fortunately, some portable shower brands, such as HOTTAP, provide you with magnetic shower holders that can stick to metal surfaces such as your car.

In addition, HOTTAP shower mounts also allow you to hang your shower from a hook or even fix it permanently into a wall.

Now, you might be going camping to escape all the buzz and noise in the city but it’s a brave new world, one with numerous and handy technological wonders coming up daily.

That’s why you’ll find it convenient to have an LED info display on your portable shower’s water heating unit to let you:

  • Keep tabs on the battery level
  • Precisely adjust the water flow and temperature
  • Troubleshoot your portable shower

You’ll find that HOTTAP units come ready with this useful functionality.

flipping a switch

Water Heating Capability

man uses Joolca HOTTAP shower in the snow
HOTTAP V2 OUTING Portable Hot Water Kit

Not everyone is thrilled by the idea of taking a cold shower when out camping. Fancy trying to sell the idea of camping to your partner or kids.

It’ll serve you well then to allow for some creature comforts lest you be forced to prematurely end what could have been the beginning of a fun bonding activity stretching years into the future.

A nice and hot home-style shower can be one such accommodation. Of course, making this allowance would mean hunting for a portable shower that comes with a water heating unit.

You could go for a solar water shower which, as the name suggests, relies on the sun’s rays to heat water stored in a reservoir. However, solar water showers may fail to heat your water during cloudy days with little sun.

You don’t want the weather to decide when you can enjoy a shower when camping, so you’ll do well to consider using a propane camp shower such as Joolca HOTTAP.

You might have concerns about leaks or tightening your gas hose’s thread connecting your shower’s heating unit to a propane bottle. Luckily, you don’t have to remember to carry hose clips to securely connect your gas hose to a HOTTAP unit. This shower includes a quick connect coupler that ensures quick connections and disconnections while greatly reducing the risk of leaks.

If you opt for the Joolca’s HOTTAP, you’ll also be glad to know that the portable water heating system lets you choose how hot you want your water,. and once it gets to 122℉, the unit shuts off automatically to prevent you or your pets from getting scalded.

Water Filtration and Pumping Ability

HOTTAP Nomad Kit, complete with off-grid plumbing
HOTTAP V2 NOMAD Portable Hot Water Kit

If you’re a regular camper, you’ll find yourself camping near creeks, rivers, or lakes at some point.

Your location shouldn’t limit your ability to have a hot shower which is why you might be best served by a portable shower that can tap into any water source.

You want to be sure you’ve got a reliable water filter at the intake if you’re drawing water from a water body so your plumbing won’t clog up and only the finest, easy-to-ignore sediments will go through.

Since you’ll be out and about, get a robust pump that’s rugged enough to withstand rain, hail, and shine. It’s also a great idea to get a shower with a pump that can push water a considerable distance.

Doing so saves you from having to take a shower right next to the river or lake where you’re camped. Of course, you may need to deploy a reach extension hose to pump your water to your ideal shower tent location.

Sometimes, however, you’d rather draw your water from a bucket or reservoir.

In those cases, it’s a bonus when you don’t have to worry about your shower’s pump getting damaged on the off chance it runs dry. But, that’s only guaranteed when you get a unit that can run dry without damage.

Therefore, getting an Off Grid Plumbing Kit can be the much-needed solution for your pump and water filter needs if you intend to be tapping your hot shower water from a water body.

Establishing the Right Portable Shower for You

Many factors can influence your decision on what’s the most appropriate portable shower for you.

You may love taking cold showers or you might just want something that’s super user-friendly and easy to set up. The table below summarizes some of the most important factors you can consider when choosing a portable shower:

Feature(s)
Benefit(s)

Construction and design

  • Durability
  • Impacts packing and storage space considerations

Adjustable water flow

  • Gives you control over the pressure and amount of water used
  • Allows you to conserve water, if needed

Adjustable temperature

  • Gives you a say over how warm or hot your water gets

Water filtration

  • Allows you to directly tap into a river or lake
  • Ensures your plumbing doesn’t clog

Water pumping

  • Permits you to use water from a remote source
  • Allows you to set up an ideal shower location

 testimonial from Louise

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See how people everywhere are using their Joolca HOTTAP, or share your setup on Instagram.

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