When I received it, the pressure purge valve would not hold 15psi. I contacted road shower and the sent me a new cap right away. We used it last week on a camping trip. The outside temp was mid to upper 70s and party cloudy sky’s. While driving on the highway water temp only got up to 88deg. At the campsite with shade from the trees water temp got to mid 70s. I did see on roadshower website they sell a propane instant hot water heater, I’ll invest in one of those for next time. But it was nice to have 10 gallons of pressurized water while camping. I also purchased the z brackets to mount on my Yakima rack, they came slightly bent and do not hold it level. They look like they were bent like they were overloaded and bend down some when I first put on the empty roadshower. It does have braces welded on but just looks like poor craftsmanship.
Response from Road ShowerOct 11, 2019
Thanks for the review. Just a couple of comments. The wind from the highway will tend to cool the water to air temperature over a long drive. And parking in shade will not permit the water to heat up. Our Z-brackets are very beefy and way over engineered. I don't see how they could possibly bend. Please contact us for another set if these are in anyway bending.
KE
Kerry
Worked exactly as advertised
Worked exactly as advertised. Kept us clean all weekend
Response from Road ShowerAug 7, 2019
Glad it worked well.
SE
Sid E L.
Not as happy as I thought I'd be.
I am a profession engineer, so I admit I am critical. But this is a very expensive device, especially when you consider it is basically an aluminum tube with a faucet on the end. I also wonder if Road shower’s engineers (yes, I am making a presumption) considered that the heat gathered by the black paint will reradiate into the ambient. The sun is absorbed by the black coating (paint) and the water heats. But the water also keeps the aluminum at a stable temperature and the aluminum radiates that heat back into the air. The end result is that the water will not be any warmer than the air surrounding the tank. My thermodynamics is not nearly as good as it used to be, so maybe I’m missing something, but I’m pretty sure Newton’s law of cooling is still valid. The water from the tank even after sitting all day in the sun on a 90-degree day was about 90 degrees, not close to the 100+ that is claimed. To get a true warm shower, I finally started adding water I had boiled on the stove. I purchased the shower head accessory. It works, but the base allows it to swivel. It is loosely attached so it swivels to the low spot all by itself. I finally strapped it to the locking tab to keep it from moving around while I was taking my shower. The spray nozzle popped off the hose on the first use. It is fastened with a single squeeze clamp that was not correctly installed. The Velcro loops that are used to hold the hose in place fell off the first day. There are no load spreading washers under the screws that hold the loop to the tank, so the Velcro pulled over the screw heads. And does it need 3” of threads to keep the cap on? It takes quite a while to unscrew and this thing. Every pressurized car radiator in the world does just fine with a twist on pressure release cap. Surely one can be designed for a 65psi system.Heavy and overbuilt just for heaviness sake is not the same as quality. The black paint chips and flakes off easily, so take care when mounting and attaching accessories. The shower is good idea, sort of a how do I make that little black plastic solar shower better kind of idea, but it is not well implemented. After using it on a few week long excursions, I wish I had made my own. I’d have saved a lot of money.
Response from Road ShowerJul 24, 2019
We still stand by that the unit will heat 20-30 above ambient temperature if in the sun. If not in the sun, it will eventually cool off to ambient temperature. There is no radiator cap that can take 65 PSI...we know, our Road Shower 2 used one and only went to 28 PSI. Here is how to make one and why you might choose not to: https://roadshower.com/diyinfo.html.
MI
Michael
Doesn’t hold pressure
The concept is great, but even with a new filler plus with Teflon tape, the shower still doesn’t hole pressure. It s not fun climbing in top of my roof rack to pressurize it every time I want to shower. The other annoying thing is that I cannot find a phone number to call and talk to anyone. Not too impressed.
Response from Road ShowerJul 11, 2019
Sorry to hear you are not getting a good experience from your Road Shower. We list our number under contact on our website. https://roadshower.com/contact.html. Please call Kelsey and we can figure out what is wrong and help you get it fixed. If we can't, then we will replace or refund it. Phone: 505-231-1108 hours: 8 AM - noon Mountain Time.
RO
Robert
Happy and disappointed....
The shower works great, just as expected. Nothing like being able to rinse yourself off after a couple days on dirt trails. My only complaint is the mounting system. The steel carriage bolts and aluminum mounting track don’t work very well. I had my shower mounted securely to my Prinsu rack system but after 3 days of a 6 day off road trip the tank shifted forward, I assume by the water sloshing around. This caused the steel carriage bolts to strip the aluminum track under the tank. I had to secure my road shower with tie down straps until I got home and was able to order 2 more sets of mounting hardware from the company, which was $40. Now I have 4 sets of mounts instead of the two that’s provided. It seems very secure, as it did before but we’ll see if it comes loose again on my next trip.. this is a review for the Road Shower 4 / 7 gallon shower.
Response from Road ShowerJun 8, 2019
Thanks for the feedback. I am glad you like the Road Shower performance. I am sorry you had troubles with it coming loose. Since this is a potential problem for anybody, this deserves a response. The Road Shower 4 can come loose on rough roads. The mounting brackets are steel and have a slight amount of bend. The rough roads can create a gap between the bracket and the nut, which makes it get loose. Our warning label and manual state that you should check the nuts after 20 minutes of rough roads. Tighten. Then check again, tighten if needed. Keep checking until you are sure they won't loosen anymore. Think of it as a break in period for the mounting brackets. The carriage bolts and nuts are stainless steel. Be sure to lube the bolts prior to install to prevent the nuts from seizing during install and on removal. (That doesn't happen often, but if it does it is a big hassle to cut the bolts and lubing prevents it.)
RP
Robert P.
great concept, but a little too cheaply made
Quick delivery, and great concept, but a little too cheaply made. It's obvious opening the the box that this comes from China with corners being cut. Several of the lock nuts jammed on the attachment bolts, with the bolts then spinning in the channel - forcing me to saw them off so I could start over. What should have been simple install turned into a hassle. Get your own bolts and nuts (not lock nuts) and use some loctite, or double nut it (and don't think about mounting it off the side channel - not off-road worthy). Also, the finish seems more like black spray paint than a good enamel or powder coat, so easily scratches. A bit disappointing, but I'll still be using it. I would have been happy to pay $50 more for better quality. It wouldn't take much to make this right.
Response from Road ShowerMay 21, 2019
Thanks for the feedback. I am sorry that happened to you and I hope it doesn't happen to anyone else. We use stainless steel nuts for non-rusting in an outdoor use and also on boats on the sea. We say in our owners manual that sometimes stainless steel nuts and bolts will gall or seize. To prevent this, use a little oil or lube before installing...just rub some on the bolt. The side slot is off-road worthy, but we recommend 3 mounting brackets instead of 2, in case one would fail, you don't want the whole unit ripping off. We do use a high quality powder coating. https://roadshower.com/tmp/roadshower4/rsmanual.pdf - hopefully that is the manual you got.
SB
Steve B.
It would be great to have a third…
It would be great to have a third support bracket for the big one “without it being an extra $$$$$”. Also the hardware, ie screws and bolts are garbage. The unit it self does what it advertised to do. Don’t be cheap on the little things,,,
Response from Road ShowerMay 20, 2019
Thanks for the feedback. We recommend 3 brackets only if mounting from the side slot. Since most people mount from the bottom slot, the extra mounting bracket would drive up the cost for everyone if we included it. We feel the stainless steel bolts, washers, and nylock nuts are pretty darn good. They are definitely more costly than zinc or brass bolts/nuts. Please lube your stainless steel bolts prior to installing the nut to prevent seizing.
TO
Todd
Good Product/Replace the hose
The product is great overall. The biggest issue is the hose, which is too bulky and short. I replaced it with a RV Grade, PVC coated coiled 15 hose.