Sea to Summit Pocket Shower

I think people need to manage their expectations better from what is essentiall a 35 dollar dry sack with a cheap plastic nozzle. It broke when you dropped it? Things break when they hit the ground, that's life. Doesn't get warm enough? You should have been able to tell from the material and price point that this thing isn't going to conduct heat very well, and that it's a "works in a pinch" type of product that wasn't going to provide a hot shower worthy of a 3 star hotel while roughing it in the mountains. The nozzle gets clogged up? Use filtered water. Water pressure isn't great? This thing operates by gravity, so the water you should expect is that of droplets falling by the force of gravity - like a drizzling rain. Do you expect your gravity filter to run like ... MoreI think people need to manage their expectations better from what is essentiall a 35 dollar dry sack with a cheap plastic nozzle. It broke when you dropped it? Things break when they hit the ground, that's life. Doesn't get warm enough? You should have been able to tell from the material and price point that this thing isn't going to conduct heat very well, and that it's a "works in a pinch" type of product that wasn't going to provide a hot shower worthy of a 3 star hotel while roughing it in the mountains. The nozzle gets clogged up? Use filtered water. Water pressure isn't great? This thing operates by gravity, so the water you should expect is that of droplets falling by the force of gravity - like a drizzling rain. Do you expect your gravity filter to run like a faucet? While it does seem like the product suffers from some QA issues vis a vis leaking when the nozzle is tightened, as someone who got lucky and purchased a non-leaky unit that I've yet to drop on the ground while it was full of 3lb of water, I consider this one of the best purchases I have ever made. My usual set up is to fill it about 2/3 full with clear river water or potable water from a campsite, hang it on the nearest tree away from people, and douse away in anything from a squat to crouched position, closing the nozzle between rinses, holding the nozzle to direct waterflow as needed - and it works like a dream. I don't bother heating the water up because I haven't camped in very cold places and I rather like cold showers. There's nothing like being able to get clean before bed after a long day on the trail. Not wet-wipe clean, not quick dunk in stream or lake clean, but shampoo'd hair and body washed head to toe clean- and this product makes that possible (of course I use biodegradable body products). For 35 dollars, the improvement to my quality of life on the trail comes at an absolute bargain. I once paid 12 dollars for a titanium spoon - a SPOON. In terms of improvement to quality of life per dollar, this thing beats that spoon and a lot of camping gear you can buy by a mile. So, if you what you're buying and manage your expectations accordingly, a product like this will be one of your favorite items in your pack, as it is mine. The only con - no trees, no shower.

I am kinda torn on the amount of stars to give. The shower itself is a good idea and it works as advertised. Actually, it usually was enough to make sure two people got clean and refreshed. However, after having used the shower a few (8) times, the bag itself developed a couple of pinholes through which the water started to escape and then the shower head didn't seal properly anymore. The result was that - by the time the water was warmed up - the water also had more or less escaped the bag. I am sure the trees I used to hang the bag (the supplied line is strong enough and long enough for said purpose in almost any location) had no objections, but I did. In typical REI fashion, the bag was replaced without any kind of hassle and thus, I got the same bag again, ... MoreI am kinda torn on the amount of stars to give. The shower itself is a good idea and it works as advertised. Actually, it usually was enough to make sure two people got clean and refreshed. However, after having used the shower a few (8) times, the bag itself developed a couple of pinholes through which the water started to escape and then the shower head didn't seal properly anymore. The result was that - by the time the water was warmed up - the water also had more or less escaped the bag. I am sure the trees I used to hang the bag (the supplied line is strong enough and long enough for said purpose in almost any location) had no objections, but I did. In typical REI fashion, the bag was replaced without any kind of hassle and thus, I got the same bag again, hoping for better results.

I bought this for car camping. The idea is to fill it up, let the water warm up and then rinse off after a day of hiking. I don’t expect the cleanliness of a hot shower at home but I was looking for it to help me freshen up at the end of the day. The water flow is minimal, even with the valve turned wide open. For example, if you have hair, don’t plan on washing it and then actually getting the shampoo out with this :-) The problem is, I filled it up from a creek that wasn’t perfectly clean and debris (tiny leaves etc) from the creek clogged the showerhead and no water would flow so I didn’t get to use it. The product is good but note to user, the water must be perfectly clean with no debris. If you’re car camping, I would suggest the campsite water source… if ... MoreI bought this for car camping. The idea is to fill it up, let the water warm up and then rinse off after a day of hiking. I don’t expect the cleanliness of a hot shower at home but I was looking for it to help me freshen up at the end of the day. The water flow is minimal, even with the valve turned wide open. For example, if you have hair, don’t plan on washing it and then actually getting the shampoo out with this :-) The problem is, I filled it up from a creek that wasn’t perfectly clean and debris (tiny leaves etc) from the creek clogged the showerhead and no water would flow so I didn’t get to use it. The product is good but note to user, the water must be perfectly clean with no debris. If you’re car camping, I would suggest the campsite water source… if you’re in the back country, this could be a problem and it’s something you have to be mindful of.