How To Get Instant Hot Water Camping

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Getting out and about in nature is one of the best things about camping. Living without luxuries can do wonders for the mind, body and soul, even if just for a few days. However, there’s one luxury few people want to miss out on – instant hot water when camping.

Having hot water on demand while camping has many purposes and some are considered more glamping than others. But does that really matter?. I thought not.

Whether you want instant hot water for a hot shower or to clean the dirty dishes is irrelevant. Knowing you have access to it will put your mind at ease so you can enjoy camping all that much more.

But is accessing hot water while camping whether you’re car camping or wild camping even possible?.  Absolutely and I will now show you a few methods in which to get hot water camping for cooking, showering, making a cuppa etc.

How To Get Instant Hot Showers Camping

The main reason many people desire instant hot water when camping is so that they can take a nice warm shower. Whether it be in the morning to wake yourself up before the days adventures, or after a long days adventures. A hot shower is just the best when your in the great outdoors.

Portable hot water systems are the best way to get instant hot water for showering in the outdoors. They come in a few types to cater to everyone’s needs. Usually with two taps – a hot and a cold. They will provide hot water through either the tap or shower head, making them ideal for camping.

Learn more about the types of instant hot water heaters for camping here so you can get a better idea as to why it’s my go to option.

Many mobile hot water systems are gas powered. This means you simply need gas cylinders and a power source (Either battery or electricity). The water temperature is usually adjustable, and they are built to be safe to use outdoors.

Other advantages include continuous hot water wherever you are, the option to attach it to the tap or shower head, and they usually have a strong water flow. The only disadvantages are of course that you need gas and or a power source such as batteries or electricity. But overall, these are ideal for camping trips as you actually get instant hot water and can shower for a much longer period of time. Even if you have a camping shower enclosure, you can set these up to give you hot showers in privacy.

Here’s A Creative Idea To Get Hot Water

Use a Solar Shower Bag For Hot Water

If it’s a warm shower you’re after without the hassle of dealing with propane or electricity, solar shower bags are a cheap and efficient way to get just that – provided the weather plays ball. Solar shower bags are usually dark colored bags (as these best absorb the sunlight) with a shower head attached to them.

If you have plenty of water, a solar shower bag is a great option. All you need is a good water supply and a sunny day. The bag will heat the water inside when they are exposed to the sunlight, usually in around 3 hours. You can then hang the solar shower bag to a tree and use the attached shower head to give yourself a nice warm shower – total bliss after a long hike.

The only disadvantage of solar shower bags, aside from the fact that you need access to a large amount of water, is that they can’t be used for early morning showers. Solar shower bags need the sunlight to heat them up and must be used before the water cools down. The water won’t heat up overnight, so these are best used for afternoon showers after a day’s hiking. This also means that on cloudy or rainy days, when you crave a hot shower the most, you may have to settle for a cold one!

Use a Portable Electric Shower When Car Camping

Portable electric showers are another great option if you have plenty of space for equipment – best used if you take your car instead of hiking to the campsite. So ideal for car camping when there’s no public shower blocks or if you prefer to have your own shower on hand.

These are readily available online and are great value – often using either electricity or rechargeable batteries like the Iron Hammer Portable Camping Shower.

The Disadvantages To An Electric Camping Shower?

While these types of camp showers are very portable and often run off a built in rechargeable battery, they don’t heat the water. So unless you have a bucket of hot water, you’ll be showering cold.

Unless you bring along another handy camping accessory known as the Allied Precision Water Heater. This is a tool that you plug into the mains and submerge the heating element in a bucket of water. This then heats up the water so that you can run hot water through the above Iron Hammer camping shower. This method of getting hot water for showering while requires two products, eliminates the need for propane gas cylinders. Provided you have access to power.

Portable electric showers usually have a high and low speed mode, with a good battery life. They are usually lightweight, easy to carry and efficient. While it’s not going to be the power shower experience you might find in a high end hotel – they are loved by many due to their ease of use and, unlike solar shower bags, you often have the ability to control the temperature of the water.

All you need is a good water supply. Portable showers generally come with a shower head, hose and pump as well as a charging cord. Hot water is optional if you choose to use a bucket water heater as shown above.

How To Get Instant Hot Water For Camp Cooking

Showers and baths aside, if what you’re after is hot water for cooking then a personal cooking system is a great option. These are generally very small, lightweight containers which will give you boiling water for your pasta, noodles, rice or coffee in just a few minutes.

The Jetboil Zip is one of the most popular brands out there. These are food and beverage cooking systems that are both simple and easy to use. They have a lid and a strainer which you can drink through, and include a measuring cup and bowl.

These are perfect for shorter trips for one or two people as, while they don’t provide anything close to enough hot water for a shower, they are great for cooking and can make you a steaming cup of coffee in minutes. But making camp coffee doesn’t have to be done in this fashion, here you can see 6 methods of making camp coffee which will free up your Jetboil Zip for fast and simple food.

Traditional Way Of Getting Hot Water While Camping

Probably one of the most common and rustic ways to get hot water when camping is to heat your water over the campfire. It’s not a camping trip without a campfire, and these can do much more than just keep you warm and cozy as the night sets in.

Heating your water over the campfire is exceptionally easy although of course, proceed with caution. The fire you build for boiling your water should be long lasting, small and, at risk of stating the obvious, hot. It’s best to let it burn for a little while so that it’s not too fiery. Instead, you want a bed of hot coals on which to sit your pot without any danger of it falling over.

The size of pot you use will depend on how many people you are boiling water for. Stainless steel pots are generally preferred as they are great conductors of heat, and will boil your water quickly and efficiently. Plus, they are relatively stable.

Fill your pot with as much water as you need and place it on the hot coals. Put the lid on, wait until it’s come to a steady boil then remove the pot from the coals. While heating a pot of water over the stove certainly won’t give you gallons of hot water to bathe in, it will get you and your fellow campers a hot coffee in the morning!

Hot Water While Camping Is A Luxury

While camping is all about getting back to our roots and appreciating the basics, hot water is a luxury even many hardcore campers can’t do without. Although long hikes in the sun can make a cold shower seem all that more appealing, colder days will have you craving a steaming hot shower. With such a variety of ways to obtain hot water while camping, there’s no need to sacrifice that morning coffee or even the morning shower should you choose.