Hot water

[Shadow Catcher]

Th first Mega-Mini had a 4gal RV gas water heater, and the reason is that the guys building it did not know that most teardrops did not have one so they put one in. Nancy loved it and MM#7 has 6gal gas electric (might as well use park power when ya got it) it will also have an external shower.
Camping for us in the past meant tents and heating water on th three burner Preway stove, time consuming and not a lot of fun for Nancy. Now prep time and clean up take no more than it does at home so we can do fun stuff and so she has a vacation.

[jhb]

Now prep time and clean up take no more than it does at home so we can do fun stuff and so she has a vacation.

And that sums it up.

[atahoekid]

Since we typically camp where there is no electricity and the propane stove has only two burners which are usually both in use during meal preparation, I resort to the old boy scout method. As soon as cooking starts, someone is building the camp fire. Two buckets of water go on the fire. One has dish soap, the other is clear rinse water. While dinner is cooking and being consumed the water gets nice and hot. A ladle goes in each. Pots, pans and plates are all washed by dipping into the proper bucket with the ladle and using a scrubbie as needed. You're not allowed to dip your stuff in the buckets. As a bonus, in case your camp fire gets out of control, dump the bucket over and the emergency is taken care of. Crude but effective!!! But kinda hard to take a shower in a bucket

[myoung]

For those occasions when I have 110 AC, I added a 2.5 gallon in-line Ariston (Bosch) water heater. Haven't hooked it up to test it yet, but I should be suitable for the purpose.

[Dale M.]

On a camp stove...



KISS ( Keep It Simple Stupid)

Dale

[StandUpGuy]

I think the little water heater is awesome. I have found a number of similar units online.

I guess I'm the devil, too. If the campground has water and electricity, I'm there.

I just installed a 4 gallon Ariston hot water heater in my TTT. It's 120VAC but the hot water is instantaneous. I ran it for five minutes in the sink without any loss of heat. I'm installing a shower head in line with it and a removable shower curtain across the top of the back doors for those more than overnight trips. I'm converting an old plastic freight pallet with a drain for a shower floor that'll slide up under the TTT when not in use and it will drain to the camper drain while I'm showering. Who ever said camping had to be uncivilized? If these consistent weekend rain deluges would ever stop, I could get it finished and get the cabinet faces and doors in.



Eventually I'll get a generator for those few weekends where electricity isn't available, but I usually camp at places with water and electricity.

The unit cost $180 and I got it at Lowes: http://www.lowes.com/webapp/wcs/stores/ ... er%20GL4.0

Just another option should you be interested. Good luck.

[DMcCam]

While tent camping we use two solar shower bags with their 4'x4' shower enclosure. You fill the bags in the morning and place them where they'll get direct sun all day. When ready to shower, you hang the bag inside the enclosure then have a hot shower (sometimes a little too hot). For dishes we do the bucket method too. For our TD we're thinking of using an exterior bracket over one door with a curtain setup for the bags initially. Although some of the on-demand systems look pretty good too.

Dave

[Nosty]

This is another of those topics that's certain to bring out the fever on both sides. The way I look at it, whatever makes you happy and suits your purpose, Godspeed. I started with a tent and loved it. Moved up to a pop-up and loved it. Moved up to a travel trailer when the kids were little and loved it. I'd never go back to a tent again because, frankly, I don't think these old bones could take sleeping on the ground any more and, given the evil twist the world has taken, sleeping in anything that can easily be slashed with a pocket knife has lost all it's appeal for me. My hiking days are over so I figure, what the heck. If you've got room for it and it makes some of the chores around camp that much easier, go for it. I'd rather spend as much time as possible kicked back in a lounge chair by the water with a good book than humping around water pots to heat for a shower or washing dishes, sleep in heated or air conditioned comfort on a cushy mattress and have something solid between myself and the wild animals, (forest creatures and human). Just my two cents worth. That and four dollars would get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

[jhb]

I love religious wars... (when they are not about religion...). I'm teardropper, not a standy, and have plenty of room for a 7 gal propane tank, hot water heater, 20 gal water tank, pump, 3 burner stove with oven, sink, Engel refer, 2 golf cart batteries, fixed solar panel, marine type BBQ, easyup, chairs, portapotty, a queen size bed, 10x12 carpet (goes in the basement), 2 weeks of clothing, and a weeks worth of food without putting anything in the TV. I do have to take the chairs and portapotty out before going to bed, and I've a bit more room for my feet if I take the easyup out. We will also camp for 4 to 5 weeks straight (no motel stops), rather than weekend trips.

I do not, however, have any cast iron, which, judging by most folks who are into DO, explains why I can get all that other stuff in...

With that said, I have some $8k into my trailer (that includes the mistakes), where as Wolffarmer has $96.78 in his trailer (I might be high on that figure...), and we both have just as much fun camping.

[Nosty]

Amen. My point exactly.

[StandUpGuy]

I go back packing for a week at a time hiking in the mountains and I also go to Mexico to sit on the beach under a cabana sipping a cold beverage. Its all good. For some the trailer seems to be a moving kitchen that happens to have some beds. Thats cool. It is what you want and enjoy. For me the idea of a TT is to be my moving hotel room. When I want to really camp it is not at a state park.

I'll take the on demand hot water.

[midwestexploration]

Was looking through the forum for ideas on onboard water systems when I came across this thread. I had designed a water system for a custom trailer build a while ago and thought the water heater would be a good thing to post here. The L5 - Portable Tankless Water Heater http://www.eccotemp.com/gas_water_heater_continued.html bottom of the page. Low GPM to help conserve water, uses two D cell batteries for ignition and runs off a propane tank. If you have an on board water system setup with a pump this would work great.

[jhb]

That seems like a slick little heater. At under $120 it's not too pricey either.

[glenpinpat]

In my td I have no hot water other than an electric kettle or pot on the prpane stove. My goal was to come in under 2000.00 budget and under 700lbs dry weight both were accomplished. However my previous camper was a vw vanagan(85) that had a 3 way fridge. We usually ran it on propane. The fridge exhaust gave me a heat source that was not being used so I split the exhaust so that one half ran through a home made tin chamber where a 12v fan blew warm air into the camper elimionating the need for a secondary heater. the other split ran through the water tank heating it up.(it never got super hot but you could easily shower with it)

[jhb]

...an electric kettle or pot on the propane stove.

I tried using an electric kettle on a propane stove. The pot worked much better...

(sorry, couldn't resist!)