It’s a dirty world out there and, if you can’t wait until you find a creek, waterhole, or van park amenities block to wash off the red dust … then the newly invented ‘road shower’ could be for you.
While ‘camp showers’ have been around for a while now, the simple solar system has been given a new lease on life and, all of a sudden, it could be a lot more grey nomad friendly. The new system, which is essentially a pressurised water tank mounted on your vehicle’s roof-rack, has a number of key advantages over its bag-style competitor. For a start, it doesn’t puncture as easily, it doesn’t have to be hung up over a tree, it can be heating up as you drive … and it can be ‘pumped up’ with a bike pump to enable it to deliver a high-pressure water flow instead of an unsatisfying dribble.
The designers say the tank, which can be easily mounted on most roof rack systems, holds 19 litres of water … enough for at least three decent‘ish’ showers. The tank itself is made from powder-coated aluminium and its outside is painted black to enable it to better absorb the sun’s rays and to more efficiently heat the water inside.
Indeed, it’s so good that the system can apparently heat water up to 38-46 degrees. Ouch! However, if the shower gets too hot to handle, there is a release valve that can be used to allow steam to escape and things to cool down.
Grey nomads seeking a full power shower can hook up a bike pump to an air input valve and pump up the pressure. Then it’s just a matter of setting the nozzle to a setting – like shower, jet or mist – and washing off yourself, your equipment, or your dishes.
This clever American device has not yet moved into full production mode but will eventually be sold for US$299.95.
