Great Budget Pool Heater Alternative – Works surprisingly well!

I purchased this Hike Crew Portable Propane Water Heater & Shower Pump to replace a Camplux wall-mounted version, which didn’t come with its own pump. Finding a compatible pump for that unit was frustrating—I eventually got it to work by hooking it up to my pool filter and adjusting the pressure, but it was a real pain.

I chose this unit because it comes with its own pump, so I knew the pressure would be right. While the water pressure isn’t as strong as I’d like, it does function seamlessly. The Camplux had a stronger flow but used more propane, whereas this one is more efficient in that regard.

I’m using it as a pool heater for my Intex 9.3 x 6.5 x 33-inch pool (approx. 1,200 gallons), which I insulated with reflective material and connected to an Intex filter rated for 8,000 gallons. It does an excellent job heating the water. One night, we accidentally left the lid off and kept the heater running. To my surprise, I woke up to a 95°F pool in mid-March, despite daytime temperatures around 58°F and overnight lows in the high 40s/low 50s. That was very impressive!

The design is simple and user-friendly—just a power button and a start button. You will need a propane adapter to connect it to a standard 20-lb propane tank, which I highly recommend because those small camping propane bottles won’t last long. With a 20-lb tank, you can heat the pool for days.

I also use this in conjunction with a heat pump pool heater—the propane heater quickly brings the water up to temperature, and then the heat pump maintains it. This combination works fantastically.

While this isn’t its intended use, others have had success with it as a pool heater, and so far, it’s working great for me. At $250-$300, it’s a budget-friendly way to keep a small pool warm. Highly recommended if you’re looking for an inexpensive pool heating solution.

This is so cool! I finally get to take my hot outdoor showers while camping! Works exactly as described very user friendly and easy to set up, comes with a nice bag to pack up.

You can't use this without having power nearby. All the others that you see have a battery. Not this one. And, it's not returnable. I'm Pi**ed beyond belief.

Update: So once I got over my initial anger of this thing not having battery power, I decided I'll use it as a dog wash station outside.

1. This thing is not a solid piece of equipment. It is poorly made with cheap materials. Not worth the sale price I paid for it.

2. The quick connects for water in and water out are a joke. They don't properly snap in place. The water out to the shower head is the worst. I finally walked away for a bit before I was tempted to throw it in the trash. Came back to video the leaking. Ran it for a while and the connector got hot and the unit threw an E6 error. Turned off the heater and on again and on a whim tried the connector to the faucet again. It snapped in place, finally. Guess the heat of the water loosened something up. But I don't expect this thing to last, I expect the mechanical pieces like these quick connects to break. You can really feel the cheap quality of materials and design.

3. The water in my bucket started out at 45 degrees. When set in the low heat position it got to about 90 degrees. When set to the high position it topped at 136 degrees when it threw the E6 error. So, if you are taking a shower you'll need to play with that dial to get your perfect temperature.

4. As others mentioned the shower head flow is extremely weak. I'll probably go through 3-5, 5 gallon buckets of water just to give one of my dogs a bath. Not particularly effective when you gotta rinse off the shampoo.

My final thoughts to anyone considering this piece of JUNK - Don't Buy It ! It isn't worth the money. You're better off heating a pot of water and using one of those portable battery powered shower units that have one end drop in the water and the other end is the shower head to take a shower in the wild. It's cheaper, light weight, doesn't have all the extra nonsense that this Hike Crew has and you'll even have a better showering experience.

I researched a few portable hot water heaters. This one matched our needs and the next step up was 3x the cost. It works but there is a learning curve.

The thermostat does not keep water hot for more than 1 min before shutting off because of the safety temperature cut off. So you get really nice warm water and then it turns off and you have to reset it. Really annoying if you are naked taking a shower. I tried turning the temp down on the burner and the same thing would happen.

What other folks say about pre heating the water in 2 containers is the trick. It takes about 10-15 minutes to get 5 gallons proper for a shower or constant steady hot water. I use two 5 gallon plastic pails. One is filled with cold water and the pump. The second is empty and filled with the warmed water. I dump the warm water back into the cold water pail with the pump. The temp dial is about 75% not 100%. It will clip the safety mechanism a few times so just hang out and let it happen. Once the water in pail number one is heated to 75-80 degrees you can turn the heating knob down to about 25% or less and it won't trip the breaker and will push hot water at about 115 degrees with no interruptions. I hated it at first but once I figured it out I love it.

It hardly uses any propane. I ran it for two days with a car battery portable jumper box with a 12v port. It only used 25% of the battery running for 4 hours. So it is efficient with energy. It comes with two power plugs. One 12v cigarette adapter and a standard 120 plug with a 12v converter. So you can just run an extension cord from your truck if you have that option.

Overall its a great portable hot water heater. Just figure out how you want to preheat the water and play with it a bit before you really want to take a long shower. It's not perfect but for the price range and ease of use its worth it.

I was a little worried about a lot of the negative reviews, but I still took the chance on buying this hit water heater. I will be using the water heater when I use my cargo trailer for camping, soecifucalky with my shower tent with 7 gal water jugs.

The heater comes very well packed, just know that pieces are packed in the Styrofoam that encases the heater. The included carrying bag is nice, albeit it's a very tight fit in the main heater compartment of the bag. I decided to try the heater out to ensure it works and to see if some of the complaints in other reviews were valid.

For my test I used a small camping propane tank, when I use it for real, I'll use a grill sized tank. I read the direction a couple times to make sure I was following set up directions. The hose quick disconnect are OK, they are plastic so you have to be firm when making the connection to either the water inlet and if using the shower hose which attaches to the faucet end. The water pump has enough weight to it, that it sinks to the bottom and stays upright. I then hooked up the propane and checked for leaks, thankfully there hasn't been any leaks so far. I turned the heater on and water flowed out the faucet and the heater was ignited...hot water started to flow. My only complaint is the flow rate valve on the faucet does not turn off the water. The water flow rate is adjustable, but it doesn't shut off the water completely. After I ran a few gallons thru, I started messing with the tempature adjustment...the water can get very hot, so be cautious and set up the temp for kiddos! I refilled my 7 gallon water jug, hooked up the shower hose/head and started the unit up. 7 gallons will net you about 12.5 mins of continuous hot water flow. The shower head does have an on/off water flow vale so you can get much longer use out of 7 gals. The heaters ignition does stop and start like it's supposed to when you shut the water off and on. When the water jug is emptied, the burner quit like it's supposed to. I refilled the 7 gal water jug, and swapped out the shower head with my out shower head and started my test. My other shower head gives better pressure but conserved water a little better with 13.5 mins of continuous hot water flow.

So far I'm pretty impressed with this tankless hot water heater. I've run 21 gallons of water thru it, with no leaks and flawless operation. The weakest link may be the quick disconnect. Be firm, but don't be a gorilla with it. I have a few camping trips coming up and will update my review as needed...but for now, 5 stars!

We just finished a 1-week car-camping trip. I don't think I'm exaggerating by calling this gizmo the greatest invention for the benefit of humanity since the wheel. Or maybe democratic self-government. Seriously, it's right up there.

Briefly, it does what it says it'll do: you hook up 12V or 110V power, a bucket of water, and a 1-lb propane cylinder, and you're rewarded with a constant flow of hot water to a tap or to the included shower head. If you're camping in a campground without hot showers, the luxury is just phenomenal. For us, it worked reliably for showers and dishwashing for 6 people over 4 days.

Some practical stuff: The hoses are high-quality and very flexible; they won't kink. The quick-connect hose connections were plastic and felt a bit flimsy, although they performed fine for us. It is possible to hook the shower hose and the cold water hose up backward, so be careful when connecting stuff. A single propane cylinder gave us about 8 showers. The degree to which the water is heated depends on the water flow rate: The shower head provides enough resistance that the water gets very hot even at the pump's maximal flow. However, water straight from the hot tap can come out much faster, and at maximal flow was only heated ~30 degrees F. It'll be hotter if you just turn the flow down a little.

If you enjoy camping in national parks or other campgrounds without showers, this is a great device.

I rarely write reviews, but I felt compelled to on this product. I purchased the Hike without the battery due to already having a power supply, most reviews I saw on the one that contained the battery where negative. But this portable water heater was FANTASTIC! Camped for 4 days/5nights in over 95 F weather and definitely needed a shower every night. We had 5 families altogether ranging from kids through adults. I though only my family would be taking showers, but wound up using it for about 8 showers a night. 2 of the families made a purchase right after using the Hike (Hike, I just sold 2 for you, your welcome).

In any event, I bought a 27 gallon tote container from HD, the yellow topped one and filled it with about 25 gallons of water which was sufficient for everyone's shower and washing dishes for the day. Only use on canister of propane the entire trip so this thing is efficient. Had to keep the water on the lowest setting as this thing heats up quick!. Water going in was 54 F and coming out at 101 F at the lowest setting.

Some say they don't like how short the shower hose is, I had it on top of a foldable 4 foot table so I could the tote under and it worked out perfectly. Set it on the side of the shower tent and routed the shower head through the door versus the top. You really won't route the hose through the top of the shower anyhow, didn't make any sense.

In closing, we used this for 4 nights for about 30 showers and 5 days of washing dishes, never failed and would buy it over when the need comes. Love the fact when you switch off the water from the shower head, burner extinguishes and comes back on the minute you switch the shower head back on. Something the "other" units do not do. Convenient case that holds everything as well.

It's a solid product and delivers what promised: hot water heated thru propane heating. Can it be used for camping as a hot water source? Absolutely! Is it a hot water faucet to wash dishes and whatnot? Absolutely! Is it a camping hot water shower? Maybe? Not so much? I would say that is an optimistic statement. I've been using it at country side FL since Fall 2021 started and it is ok but not great. It's better than cold showers on a 30s/40s/50s degree days. Water pressure is definitely not enough. Probably because that would impact on the water temperature as it runs thru the propane heated coils that heat up the water. I thought of replacing the water water pump with a more potent one, for more water flow and consequently pressure, but haven't got to it yet or decided if it is worth the risk. So overall it is a good product but not to all circumstances. If you want a hot shower when camping during summer trips it will work just fine, but if you're planning on showering outdoors during winter it is definitely not the product. Saw some review that said it was getting used to shower in an outdoor booth in Alaska (which definitely had an impact on my purchase choice) and I would hardly disagree that being a comfortable choice. RECTIFICATION: 6 months after purchase (used maybe 20 times at the most) unit won't ignite any longer and water won't heat it up.

価格が毎日変わりました。2019年の冬から2020年10月の期間でチェックしてましたが、価格は65,000円台〜120,000円台の間で変動していました。

納期は「在庫あり」の状態で、

受注から納品まで予告通りに1ヵ月掛かりました。遅くも早くもなりませんでした。

20Lウォータータンクに水道水を満タンに入れて、シャワーから出るお湯をそのままウォータータンクに戻して循環させてみました。

10月下旬の家の中ての実験です。

12分で摂氏42度のお湯20Lが出来ました♫

真冬の屋外なら時間がかかると思いますが、

でも！これで真冬のサーフトリップでのお湯問題は解決できます♪

わーい♫♫

This thing works!!!!

I had searched high and low for a camp shower system I could take to the races. All the sites are dry, so no electricity or water. After reading and/or watching countless reviews, the one I wanted was discontinued. And I am so happy it was.

This one had all the features of a much more expensive unit I looked at. Compare this unit to a $1200 system. The biggest of which, for me, was the ability to turn the water off at the shower head. I've seen some people say this doesn't work well. Mine is flawless.

I have also seen other complaints that the quick connectors leak. They DO take a bit of fiddling and pressure to seat properly but again, I had no leaks whatsoever. It IS important to go over all of the hoses and fittings to make sure they are tightened all the way, as you would with any other purchase.

You can run this from your car 12V system, or your house. I plan on using this running from my car but I was unsure how much power it would use. So I connected it to my AIMTOM 155Wh solar generator. I am pretty technically oriented but I didn't even bother to use the instruction booklet with this, its so easy.

I filled a 5 gallon bucket with cold water from the garden hose. I set everything up, connected the power and grabbed a second empty bucket. I ran two tests. The first was full water flow to see how long a 5 gallon pail would last. I fired up the heater and sat with the shower head in the empty bucket. I did NO water preheating. As soon as I turned the machine on it said 66 degrees. The burner kicked on, and the water temp instantly rose. It took maybe ten seconds to have 105 degree water. Plenty warm enough to shower with but tastes vary. It does get HOT if you want it to. The water gets hotter with lower water pressure, but with full flow I got this unit up to 128 degrees fahrenheit on full burner. I would use it at around half, its so efficient.

The first 5 gallon bucket took 8 minutes to empty, with about an inch or so left in the bucket. The next test, I set the water flow to low, but adjusted the shower head to a higher pressure setting (the shower head has THREE settings!) The higher water pressure but fewer jets still gives a great, and hot, shower. This time, it lasted 10 and a half minutes. But be aware. At low pressure the water can, and does, get EXTREMELY hot even with the burner at its lowest setting. Mine ran at 132-135 at this setting. I cranked the burner to full and my unit shut down when it hit 148 degrees, as its supposed to. It did fire right back up as well. If you generally take a quick shower, a five gallon pail would easily do you 2-3 showers. A "Navy" type shower (Wet down, shut water off, lather, rinse.) Could get you even more.

All in all I ran it for roughly 20 minutes. It used so little propane I cant even tell how much it used. Easily an hour or more worth of showers in a single 1lb tank. The battery gauge on my solar generator didn't even budge.

I can't say enough about this camp shower. It is more than a game changer. Don't even think about it. Just get it.

Edit: I tried this with my AIMTOM solar generator and it was great. I bought a 12V battery attachment for the car, which had a 12V receptacle on one end and alligator clips for the car battery. I then tested ten full shower cycles through the unit. (approximately 70 minutes of full power run time, consecutively.) My car battery is five years old, and my car started with no trouble.

Ya de los Mejores compras, lo he utilizado muchísimo y nunca falla

Fonctionne très bien peu importe où nous sommes… pour autant que j’ai accès à de l’eau dans un seau et une batterie

家で使ってみた感想ですが中々使えるのではないかなと思います。いろんな人のレビューで高温エラーで止まるとあったのですがタンクの中の水を循環すると確かにすぐに止まります。循環しなければしばらく運転していても止まりませんでした、お湯の温度も最大温度にしておくとそれなりに熱くなりました。（最高温度設定で使っていると徐々に温度が上がっていったのでもしかすると止まるかもしれません）あと使用するガスですが仕事でエアコン配管を溶接するのに使っているFUSOのMagma-Gasを使うと口金もそのまま付きますので変換アダプタが要らないので便利です。（使って大丈夫かは個人責任で）

すぐに壊れたと言うのもレビューであったので冬のキャンプで使えるかどうか楽しみです。

追伸　付属のシャワーもちゃんと使えました、シャワーで水を止めたら燃焼も止まって水を出すとまた燃焼しだしました。

ただシャワーの出方があまり好みではないのでヘッドを変えれたら変えたいです。

最後にケースが付いているのは最高に良いですね、全ての付属品が収まります。