Any Campers out there?
 

Just picked up a product yesterday from Academy Sports Outdoors called the Coleman Hot Water on Demand Portable Water Heating System or (CHWODPWHS) for short :88)


I intend to use it this coming weekend on a camping trip (comes with everything pictured above).

What it is:

The box claims the following: Plug the internal battery in via the provided charger, charge it for 8 hours, insert a small propane cylinder and plug the pump hose into a collapsable water bag and you will get "instant" hot water. In fact the manual claims that you will heat 40 gallons of water continuously with a full small propane cylinder and battery charge.

I gave it a "dry run" just like i do with any camping gear i buy (the wife always asks "why do we have to cook on the camp grill at home first?" or "why do we have to build the tent in the yard first?") you real campers know the answer to those questions ;)

so here is what i found on my "dry run":

I intend to use this for "freshening up" with a warm shower while camping out over a 4 day weekend so i purchased the 48" shower head / hose adapter to plug into the faucet. this heater comes with everything you need otherwise except a propane cyl.

the box contains the heater, car charger, wall charger and a collapsible 5 gallon water bag.

after charging it for the recommended time i put room temp tap water in the water bag.

I plugged in a propane cylinder, the shower head hose and adapter then I turned the big dial up front to medium warm (about 50%)

instantly the igniter started clicking and lit a flame with that old familiar soft "woosh" (the flame is not in view, it is concealed with safety shut off for tipping over etc)

the little water pump came to life with a buzz about as loud as a cell phone on vibrate mode. listen to it for 2 minutes and you'll forget its there.

skeptically i put my hand in front of the water streaming out of the shower head - which had surprisingly good pressure even when elevated to head height.

within 5 to 10 seconds... i had to move my hand because the water was damned hot. i turned the dial down to low warm and it was more comfortable for bathing.

now... i havn't actually used this thing "in the field" yet on a chilly autumn morning, so these results are what you might call "clinical" but - im impressed.

the water pressure is on par with what you might expect from any motor home shower accessory, and the temperature... well if you are not careful about temp settings - you might scald yourself! when they say instant hot water they ain't kiddin! use high heat for instant coffee or cocoa perhaps but not for bathing.

the downside to this thing? the price. Academy Sports Outdoors - at a smooth $40 cheaper than Gander Mountain - had the best price i could find and it was still over $200 with the shower head adapter and an spare water bag.

additionally, if it is really cold outside you are going to have to let the battery and propane cylinders thaw before use... we all know how cold batteries get.

finally, leaking. this thing hooks up to a collapsible water bag, and as such, it will leak a little around the connection, so i plan on having a rag there to prevent a big mess.

but if it works as well in the field as it does in my guest bathroom... this thing will pay for itself after one use on a cold / dirty day of camping, fishing or hunting etc.

What this thing is NOT: its not your home shower. it will not be like taking a shower in a 4 star hotel or in your home bathroom. Its meant to get you sufficiently wet so you can soap up and rinse off. while doing so at a comfortable bathing temperature.

so far, i recommend the crap out of this thing for serious campers!

Here is a video review on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hdMrllm7FY

this guy's review is spot on based on my dry run experience

I have one question: What's wrong with your house?
Nah, I'm just messing with you.
I don't camp but I do go hunting from time to time, nice little thing to have.


Cup'a'Joe out hunting nice idea :salute:

Well, we die hard campers would laugh at someone that would bring that with himself for a campout :rolleyes: building a fire, now thats camping.

But hunting, fishing, just a oneday trip to the woods, then this would be perfect :yeah:

Why suffer the cold? Have fun and enjoy the hot water I say

Wife and I camp from time to time. Last place we did was at Bellows AFB on Oahu. We got to pitch our tent on the grounds most scenic beach area. Conveniently too heads with cold and HOT running water for showers were only 20 yards away. And just off base was some of the best Vietnamese fast food establishments around. Oh and a great 'plate lunch' could found in Waimanalo mmmm mmmm good. Now thats camping! :up:

normally i have a woman and some small kids with me when we go ;)

I've read reviews of guys miles from anywhere drawing water straight out of the creek with this thing.

now... i love me some camping. But I'm no Bear Grylls so yeah, i think ill take the water pump :D

At precisely what temperature is the flame :hmmm: reminds me of the time someone once asked me to boil the kettle for a nice cup of tea, I said no. :nope:vaporising the stainless steel kettle (via an intervening liquid state) would involve attaining a temperature in excess of 12,000 degrees kelvin. This would not be possible in the environs in which we were located.

the stories I could tell you when we were bear grylls wannabes

It is your own fault for not coming prepared with a fission bomb or other similarly useful device, then. :nope:

I'm more of a backpacker, but I've done a little "car camping" (overnights where I don't have to backpack all my gear in) with the kids. We've set up the trips so that we do a couple days someplace, then hit a hotel for the showers, etc.

When they get a little older they'll get the real backcountry experience.

No, he did not specify correctly, thus I then followed his instruction after debate, ie place the kettle on the hob centred above one of the gas burners, 6 mins later he asked me if I could smell gas :oops: indeed I am capable of olfactory detection of sundry miscellaneous gasses, for example 2-5 mercaptoethanol is readily detected in humans at a concentration of less than one part in 15 million , whereas counterwise, helium dioxide is undetectable in its neat form, ie one million parts per million. He then swore as I did not light the gas, lighting the gas was not part of his original instruction!! :doh:

I dont know how hot the flame gets... however there is a long copper (?) coil within the system that circulates the water through the burner for several seconds before pumping it out.

the water temp before was cold tap

after was scalding hot

took about 5-10 seconds to hit that temp

Last time i was out camping, i fell in a lake, my mobile phone broke, a Rock was under my tent so i couldnt sleep, i puked all night because i got fever, had to spend one week in bed because of pneumonia, NO MORE!

i love camping.....hate the toilets.

Id rather die then shed a few pounds in a public restroom like THAT again. And i think id rather die by being set on fire then go ina pit toilet.

i cant stand it.

Looks too bulky, I prefer to be lighter on my feet.

We always used one of these

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PePTfpVsCQM