Are you filthy enough for a $700 portable shower? 

Hot showers, for illustration electricity, are a luxury that’s easy to return for granted. That each changes aft a fewer nights camping astatine a euphony festival, a week toiling astatine a backcountry occupation site, aliases overlanding each summertime successful the awesome unknown. An itchy scalp and the vague smell of lukewarm clams abruptly make the thought of spending hundreds connected a portable ablution look little absurd.

I’ve been testing the Hottap Go from Australia-based Joolca while vanlifing to ablution aft surfing and to lavation up aft cooking. It features a 12L integrated h2o vessel which is an betterment connected different portable showers that require an outer instrumentality and long, cumbersome hose that’s easy to travel over. The Hottap Go besides recirculates the h2o until it reaches your chosen temperature. This slows things down a bit, compared to “instant” portable showers, but it doesn’t discarded h2o since it won’t nutrient an first daze of acold h2o that’s usually sprayed into the ground.

The $554 Hottap Go requires an outer 12V powerfulness source, but successful the US Joolca sells a 12V / 5A $165 powerfulness bank that attaches magnetically to the case. In Europe I had to rotation my ain pinch an €85 (about $100) powerfulness bank recovered connected Amazon. The consequence is simply a true, afloat self-contained basking h2o strategy that tin beryllium taken anywhere.

To clear up immoderate disorder correct away: the Hottap Go requires energy to powerfulness the integrated h2o pump and show but it heats the h2o pinch propane gas. It useful pinch modular 1lb propane canisters retired of the box, and larger tanks pinch a hose and regulator you must provide.

One point I emotion astir the Hottap Go is that the hoses, battery, showerhead, and state canister tin each beryllium stored wrong the h2o vessel erstwhile not successful usage for easy portability and storage. I besides for illustration that the flow-adjustable showerhead comes pinch a magnetic holder. Taken together pinch its attack to preheating the h2o done recirculation, it’s clear that Joolca’s merchandise designers person learned from the shortcomings of the existent harvest of portable propane showers.

To shower, you first connect the quick-release hoses for the state and showerhead, plug the ablution into a 12V powerfulness root (power bank, powerfulness station, aliases the cigaret plug wrong your car), group your desired somesthesia and wait. The portion will statesman heating and recirculating the h2o until a bid of beeps indicates that the target somesthesia is reached. I brought pat h2o up to a basking 47C / 117F (per the display) successful precisely 4 minutes, which was conscionable capable clip to stitchery everything I needed to ablution extracurricular my van pinch my modesty preserved.

On 1 windy time astatine the beach, I noticed the Hottap Go had to support reigniting, contempt its leeward venting. It grounded truthful often that I saw an E3 correction connection connected the display. Repositioning the ablution retired of the upwind kept the occurrence lit. The grip connected apical makes it easy to move, and the seal astir the lid ensures that h2o won’t slosh onto the crushed aliases your powerfulness bank. Otherwise, the Hottap Go ever lit and stayed lit without rumor during my testing.

Joolca says the Hottap Go is bully for 2 “great showers” aliases a azygous “long, luxurious one.” I was capable to return 2 functional yet satisfying showers from its afloat 12L (3.2 gal) h2o tank, making wide usage of the on/off move connected the showerhead to conserve h2o while lathering.

Water travel is conscionable okay, moreover astatine maximum setting. It’s beardown capable to penetrate long, heavy hairsbreadth erstwhile shampooing but it’s not going to jettison grime from my upland bike, for example. The magnetic holder is beardown and the showerhead feels bully successful the manus pinch a nicely positioned on/off switch. Adjusting the travel complaint dial is simply a two-handed operation, but mostly I conscionable near it connected max.

If you’ll only usage it erstwhile aliases doubly a year, past spending complete $554 for the Hottap Go portable shower doesn’t make overmuch sense, particularly erstwhile tankless portable showers for illustration BougeRV’s costs half that. I overmuch for illustration the Hottap Go’s recirculating h2o tank, performance, and wide convenience, though I do wish the optional $165 magnetic powerfulness bank was included successful that price. Still, for vanlifers for illustration maine aliases anyone who regularly spends days distant from plumbing, $719 tin beryllium easy justified for what could beryllium the champion portable basking h2o ablution available.

Photos by Thomas Ricker / The Verge