Reviews > Personal Hygiene > Showers > Rainburst Simple Shower > Test Report by Michael Mosack

SIMPLE SHOWER
TEST SERIES BY MIKE MOSACK
LONG-TERM REPORT
October 30, 2015

CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE FIELD REPORT
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TESTER INFORMATION

I've been backpacking for over 30 years, doing day trips, weekenders and week-long or longer trips throughout the year. I backpack in all climates and seasons, from summer desert trips to Spring/Winter camping in Michigan, California and Grand Canyon, Arizona and I worked in Afghanistan for 4 years and rely on my equipment constantly. I prefer to go lighter when possible and am always trying new items. Quality and reliability of items are paramount to me over price and weight.

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Product with packaging

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The Simple Shower arrived in a cardboard box. It is a very lightweight item, yet I have the impression that it is well-constructed and durable. The shower is constructed of plastic and is black in color. The shower head has numerous little holes to allow for water to flow through. All of the holes are perfectly round and cleanly cut. There is no evidence of any extra plastic material left over from the molding process.

Connected for use

READING THE INSTRUCTIONS

The included instructions, while printed on a small sheet of paper, are quite descriptive and detailed. The instructions cover cleaning the product with warm, soapy water and rinsing afterward. They also cover how to connect the product, use it, how to heat up water, safe water temperatures, etc. All of the instructions are easy to read and follow. There is even a section on "Green" principles where the company explains why they choose to not include a plastic bottle; so as to get the user to recycle their own plastic bottles as needed. This alone is just one reason for me to like and respect the manufacturer.

TRYING IT OUT

Using a standard 2 liter soda bottle

I connected the Simple Shower to a standard two-liter soda bottle that had been filled with water. Turning the bottle upside down initiated a shower style pour of water through the shower head. The "shower" pressure comes from gravity, but the pressure can be slightly increased by simply squeezing the bottle, as needed. The manufacturer states (I'm paraphrasing) that squeezing the bottle is not necessary as the air comes up through the air tube to allow a free-flow of water to pour from the shower head, reducing air bubbles (gurgling) inside the bottle.

Refilling the bottle is easy enough. I just unscrew the shower head from its base (that is still connected to the bottle) and the base is now an open funnel with a wide mouth for easy filling of the bottle.

LONG-TERM REPORT

LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

Three night backpack trip in the area of Gunnison, Colorado USA; elevation was approximately 7600 - 8050 ft (2310 - 2450 m). Weather included sunny days mixed with rain showers. There were foot trails, open grassy fields and rocky climbs.

Two day-hike trips in the area of Crested Butte, CO USA; elevation was approximately 8900 - 10000 (2700 - 3050 m). There were foot trails, open grassy fields and rocky climbs.

Numerous uses at home, Lakeside, CA USA; elevation was approximately 425 ft (130 m).

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

I travel a lot, all over the country in fact. I have had the Simple Shower with me the entire 4 months if this test period. I have used it as a personal shower, for hair washing, for just cooling off, for dog washing and even to water plants at home. I believe that the flow rate of water is just perfect. I can increase the water pressure by squeezing the bottle a little harder while the water is flowing. The gravity fed flow rate is soft but soaking, so it doesn't intimidate my dog, even when I am getting his face wet. It is also soft enough that there is no chance it'll damage plants or splash up potted soil. When I use the Simple Shower as a personal shower, or to wash my own hair, I am able to hold the bottle and direct the water, while applying soap, shampoo, etc. I found pretty quickly, that water temperature is sensitive to the ambient temperature of the air as well as the water source. I usually do two things, which include filling the bottle well before I plan to use it and I have painted the bottle I use with black spray paint. The dark color absorbs solar heat and warms the water inside the bottle when it is left in the sun. This really makes a huge difference by reducing the shock of a cold water shower.

2 liter setup

SUMMARY

I like the Simple Shower's light weight. I also like the features, like the ability to separate the head to reveal a funnel and that this comes with two different lengths of tubing for different sized bottles. The 2 liter size bottle offers more available liquid without needing immediate refill, but the bottle is definitely too bulky for backpacking. I realize I'm probably just being picky - but for me, the best size for backpacking would be to have a 1 liter size option. I don't normally take a 2 liter bottle with me as it wouldn't fit into my pack in any way, but a 1 liter bottle is a better size for me. I would also prefer to not cut down the 2 liter size breather tube to fit a 1 liter bottle because I can see me using the 2 liter length for car, or RV camping.

I'd like to thank both Rainburst and BackpackGearTest.org for allowing me the opportunity to participate in this test.

Reviews > Personal Hygiene > Showers > Rainburst Simple Shower > Test Report by Michael Mosack