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