Advanced Elements 3 Gallon Summer Shower / Solar Shower

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Product Details

Customer Reviews

good product

I replaced my retired and worn out Solar Shower with this unit. It does its job as expected. The clear plastic tube came with a mild kink, which may impede water flow. The shower head works well. Overall fit and finish are good. It heats water well. It is superior to a simple black water sack in its ability to heat up with passive solar radiation. The screw-on filler cap, accessory pocket, mirror, and thermometer are nice additions. The handle is comfortable to carry. I prefer this size to larger capacity units, as they get heavy pretty quickly at 8 pounds per gallon. Overall, this is a good product, priced reasonably.

Good product, but the manufacturer knowingly deceives the consumer with regard to the capacity of this product

The only reason I didn't see the review before mine is because I had read the reviews for the 2.5 and 5 gallon versions and didn't feel I needed to reference the reviews for this "3 gallon" shower. I wish I had so I would have seen how this really isn't a 3 gallon bag - it has the same capacity as the 2.5 gallon bag, so save yourself a few dollars and get that one instead - seriously. Even the box itself says that the 2.5 and 3 gallon versions have a capacity of 9.5 liters. It would cost me more to send it back and get the 2.5 gallon version, so I am keeping it.

That being said, I was pleased with the quality of this product. I was skeptical that the shower head would be strong enough to really rinse my hair thoroughly, but it really did a great job. It heated up in a very reasonable amount of time and retained the heat for a while when removed from the sunlight. The material has been durable thus far and should last if treated with care. If the capacity wasn't deceptive I would have given this one more star.

I feel a little ripped off!

I bought the 3 gallon version mainly because the 2.5 gallon and 5 gallon shower bags by Advanced Elements were highly reviewed, and the 3 gallon capacity was right for me. I couldn't have been more wrong about the capacity. I noticed that it looked way too small to fit 3 gallons when I removed it from the box. This is clearly advertised as a 3 gallon bag, the box says it's 3 gallons, but I could barely fit 2 gallons into it without overfilling and spilling. It is also clumsy to fill as all shower bags are. The handle is sturdy for holding and hanging but is not the best for filling. A handle just below the fill hole, like the large-mouthed Camelbak hydration packs, would remedy that. I'm not upset enough to bother returning it. I mainly bought it as a during-the-day preheater for another shower system I have, the Zodi Extreme, or as a backup for the Zodi system. I'm really happy with the Zodi Extreme, but it takes a while for the burner to heat up 2.5 gallons of water, and it must be monitored, hence the desire for the bag to heat up the water through the day. I can't comment on the actual thermal performance of this shower bag as it's too difficult to heat up anything in Cleveland, OH in February. Reviews for the other Advanced Elements showers rate them well in actually heating the water. Be warned about the capacity!

Solar Shower

This solar shower is great - the right size (not too heavy to hang) and the "shower head" works well. It heats up relatively fast and I am very pleased with this purchase.