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Gear Review: Solar Powered Backpacking Gear
Five of our favorite solar items to make your next trip brighter, safer, and less stinky
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Tags:
- Gear |
- Water filtration |
- Backpacks |
- Solar |
Come back from the trail smelling fresh
There’s nothing better than coming back home from the woods and taking a long, hot shower. Get that feeling (well, almost) on the trail with a solar-heated shower. The Pocket Shower is essentially a black roll-top 3.5-gallon bag with a spigot at the bottom. If you leave it hanging in the sun for a few hours (the longer the better) you can come back to camp for a warm, refreshing shower. But don’t dawdle, you’ve only got about 5 minutes to wash away the grime. By hanging the shower from a branch or on a south-facing rock that catches afternoon rays, water temps consistently reached over 100°F (hot tubs are generally 102-104°F) in 4 hours of sunlight which made for a comfortable shower after nearly 10 miles along the AT in Shenandoah NP. Since it requires some time to warm up, it’s best for a camp you’ll be at for a few days while taking daytrips out, rather than trying to warm it up at the end of the day. It packs down to the size of a large potato, so there’s no longer any excuse for stinking up the tent.
The Specs:
$25
5.2 oz.
seattlesportsco.com
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READERS COMMENTS
it didnt switch on for me...took it back to the store, tried 3 more reutrns, still didnt work....
Backpackerzac- The manufacturer doesn't recommend water over 120 for the cap, and over 150 for the BPA-free bottle (included with the Lightcap 300 model). They said the plastic *may* deform slightly.
As for freezing temps (I'm assuming that's the root of your temp question), what happens with any bottle is the moisture freezes between the threads, which can make the cap be frozen on, or can sometimes deform the cap and make a small gap, but that can happen with any bottle. It's not any more or less likely with the Lightcap.
Steve- The shower head is threaded/screw-on. I actually carried it about 1/2 mile inside my pack (loaded with water) and none leaked out.
Does the shower head on the solar shower have a good shut off valve? I own a different brand that has a leaking problem with the push/pull valve.
Will the lightcap withstand boiling temperatures and is it leakproof in all temps?
...eh, maybe not for through hiking, but perhaps for surfing.
This I like. As a throat cancer survivor with radiation fried salivary glands and no spit I will be able to find my W/B at night without fumbleing around the tent.
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