Instant Hot Showers for Camping

I love camping, but I am always looking for ways to make it more convenient and more comfortable. A chair, table, propane stove, and cookware are all nice luxuries that have become staples on nearly every camping trip I take. Recently, I tried adding another comfort item into my truck camper, an instant propane water heater for hot showers.

The model that I chose to test is the Camplux 5l Water Heater. It came with a showerhead and a propane hose. You will need to supply the unit with two D batteries, propane, and pressurized freshwater. There is some assembly required. Specifically, attaching the hoses from your propane and water sources to the water heater and hanging or mounting it somewhere with adequate ventilation for the heat and exhaust gases to vent while also being close enough for the showerhead to reach your shower area. This water heater came with good directions and labels on the fittings, so setting it up was pretty easy with some basic hand tools.

The water temperature and flow rate are adjustable using the two dials on the front of the unit. The dials are well labeled, making it pretty self explanatory, but the product directions offer some guidance and best practices as well.

I used the water heater to take a nice hot shower while camping in an area where the air temperature was 50 degrees fahrenheit (10C) and the water tank in my truck camper was not insulated. I was happy with both the heat and the pressure from this unit under these conditions, but I had the heat turned up pretty high to accomplish this, so if you were trying to shower outdoors in colder weather you would need to turn down the water pressure to get the water hot enough and don't think it would end up being very enjoyable.

Will an instant propane water heater become part of my normal camping gear?

The answer is, No, but not because of any issue with this product. The Camplux 5l performed its job well. The problem for me is that I don't have a sufficient amount of water in my truck camper to really enjoy taking long, hot showers. If I am taking my normal, very quick shower to conserve water, I wouldn't bother with setting up the water heater, so it just doesn't make sense for me.

If you camp with a sufficient water supply to take advantage of the comfort an instant hot water heater can provide, then I'd say the Camplux 5l is worth giving a try. After all, a hot shower sure does feel good after a long day of getting dirty in the outdoors.