Coleman 5 Gallon Solar Shower Bag Review

Mypartner got me into camping about ten years ago. After years and years of saying I would never, ever camp, I wound up becoming a bi tof a camping junkie. When we lived in New Zealand, where camping is a way of life and vacations last a month, we'd spend a whole month at time living in our tent. Sometimes we'd pull up stakes every few days and move to different spots - lakeside, alpine forrests, glacier areas, hot springs....Other times we'd set up camp and stay put for an entire month. A month of camping on the beach, just a few feet from the pristine ocean? Paradise!

Being a creature of comfort, I have to confess that the style of camping we do is far, far from "roughing it." We have a huge tent, with two rooms and a foyer. I pre-cook and deep freeze a bunch of really great meals, which we keep in an ice chest and reheat in a dutch oven. One luxury I refuse to give up for more than a few days is a hot shower. Three or four days of cold camp showering is ok, but any more than that and I go a little stir crazy. I need a long, hot shower to feel really clean and refreshed - even when camping. Especially when camping.

Coleman's 5 gallon solar shower bag is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Simply put, it's a black, PVC bag which you fill up with water and leave out in the sun all day. The bag has a hose and little shower spout attached to it. It also has a handle and rope, for hanging from a tree or post. When we first got one of these, I was really skeptical. I figured that, at best, we'd end up with lukewarm water. I also figured the water would fall out really quickly and not be enough for even a short shower. Boy, was I wrong on both counts!

The black PVC not only collects heat, but stores it for hours  - even on a day that's not completely bright and sunny. The hose is designed in such a way that the water doesn't all come flooding out at once. The shower nozzle keeps the water coming in a steady stream, but prevent the bag from dumping everything at once. A simple turn of the nozzle seals it, leaving whatever water is left for the next person. Surprisingly enough, the water pressure on this thing is really good. Gravity, alone,provide a good amount of pressure - certainly better than what one would expect while "roughing it." And the water gets really, really hot. I'm not talking warm, but luxuriously hot! I have to say, five gallons turns out to be plenty of water for two people two each take a fairly long shower.

Some tips:

If you can, place the water filled bottle on a surface where heat and light will be absorbed. We used to drive a black station wagon and the hood of it was the perfect place to lay the solar shower bag: the black metal really retained the heat and kept the water in the bag hotter, longer. I suspect a big, flat rock would also work well.

Also, fill your solar bag and set it out as early as you can. The longer it has in the daylight, the hotter your shower will be.

Have a tree branch or post picked out in advance, and make sure it can hold up a five gallon bottle of water. Five gallons is heavy! There's nothing worse than thinking your about to have a nice shower and finding out the branch you've chosen isn't strong enough to hold up your shower bag. Pick one out in advance and avout this. Picking a showering spot in advance also means you have an opportunity to set up a make-shift shower booth out of towels or sheets, if you're close to others and don't fancy going au natural in front of others (I know I don't go for that!)