Our Extreme SC 8160 came ready to use, just add water and a
propane cylinder!
I was wadded up in my sleeping bag with all
the grease, grime, silt and slime that a day in an open Jeep can
conjure up. My hair roosted worse than a crow's nest, and my skin
was scathed filthier than a pig that's been swimming in slop since
before General George Washington sent them limp-wristed Brits
swimming back over the Atlantic. In laymen terms, I was the
crustation on the Queen's backside.
But that was little less than a third
of the trouble I was to encounter. The Autumn air brought on a
chill colder than a corpse in Antarctica, and waking from my rebel
slumber, I knew I needed myself a shower and a swill of a real
man's tea, you know, for old times sake and the proverbial toast to
the Queen.
In a glazed and groggy stoop, I threw on
my prized poker-face and confronted the cold mountain air where a
frozen lung languors well beyond the sunrise. My mission: shower
like a queen in the world of real men.
Well, there's only one way a real
mountain man can get away with taking a shower that ain't as cold
as an ice berg. The way of which I speak is the Extreme SC shower
system.
Now, I'm used to bathing in the cold
brooks of Colorado and the frigid rivers wherever the heck you may
call your campground, but if half the head on my shoulders is
sitting straight, I've figured out that there's a better way to
bathe stark naked in a sunless forest.
I've tracked down the dudes who created
the Extreme SC shower. They kicked down a shower that will whip the
pants off of a princess in better circumstances than us Jeepers can
jab at in a drunken stance.
This thing will warm the excess water in
your ice chest to jacuzzi-temp in just shy of 10 minutes. And if
room temperature is anywhere near the 0-50 degree mark, expect your
water to bring you toasty toes in just over five rounds of the big
hand.
In my shower experience, the 100-degree
mark was just about right for that good feeling I feel at home, but
to kick-up the heat and crank-up the rock-n-roll singing in my
mountain shower experience, I went all the way to 105. I know, it
got a bit close to the extreme temps my mama warned me about, but
baby was I hot, singing stark naked in the ice-blue mountain
air.
 |
Zodi Extreme SC Shower System The Zodi Extreme SC is the most rugged and
versatile of any hot water shower on the market, delivering a
five minute stream of 100-plus degree water, allowing you to
enjoy the life of a queen in even the most remote and
ugly of environments. |
What She's Made Of
First off, there ain't no booger welds
nor no rust-o-matic metal on this thing. The tank sails slimmer
than an anorexic Cindy Crawford and a heck of a lot better than the
S.S. Minnow. You could simmer yourself up some tea if you
absolutely had to, but if it were me, I'd leave the British brew
for Boston Harbor where it belongs.
The burner assembly is made of
abuse-proof iron ore, laden with a thick coat of paint to protect
her from the elements. The burner itself cranks out an astounding
10,000 BTU of brute water-roasting burn.
The shower head works and adjusts
with one hand. The hose it's attached to snakes around at a length
long enough to cover even the dark side of the moon, however big
that behemoth claims to be. The pump is a hell of a lot better than
a Rebok. Equipped with high-grade plastic and a no-leak rubber
gasket, the pump is impressively stouter than a Samuel Adams Cream
Stout (well almost).
The nylon gag-bag is useful to keep the
other contents contained in an orderly fashion. It is bigger than
it need be but will carry the four or more propane bottles you'll
need to last you more than a year on your favorite trail.
Pump It Up
Pump the thing 10 times and enjoy the
force of a hot shower for about five minutes. Pump it the maximum
recommended 18 times and enjoy it until she runs drier than an
empty well of water in the sand dunes.
Let The Warmth Reign Down On You
In testing thus far,
the Extreme SC smoked-up a healing-hot shower in less than 10
minutes. Expect the results to rest well under that if your source
of water is over 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
 This gnarly little shower set up in less than
three easy minutes. The contents came in a tough nylon
bag. |  With one
flick of the match you'll set your world into aqua heaven. You can
adjust the heat to low for the slow-go at it, or you can "burn baby
burn" until you satisfy your disco Jeeping
dreams. |  |
Weighing in at about 9 lbs., the
Extreme SC slides into any Jeep or SUV. In my '86 CJ, I crammed it
between the the rear of the roll bar and the railing of the bed.
Then secured it with a simple tie-down. |
| Three iron pieces simply assemble into the
burner as quick as a cat can snatch a string. Toss in a small
propane tank and you've got all the action you need to sing
yourself a John Denver tune on a high note. It also makes a
fantastic camp stove. In fact, I cooked some chorizo on it for
breakfast! |
The Cost A simple 150 smackers ($149.95)
will get you the goods. If your wife has already been to the
department store sales, and your wallet is feeling thin, or you
already have a nice camp stove, you can opt for the Model 8150.
Which includes the same high quality shower, but without the
stove/burner assembly.
The Straight Poop
All kidding aside, the Extreme SC
is a scalding hot unit. I set it up; It shook down a warm
round, and I took it down in little less than 20 minutes. I was
singing Roger Daltry all the way down to "Reign On Me." The shower
lasted well into an obnoxious 10-minute long euphoric saga
with a beer bottle balanced in my left hand while the other
scrubbed the grub from my shapely figure.
Simply fill with water and place on the gas burner.
When the built in temperature strip shows 100 degrees, just give
the handle 10 quick pumps and enjoy a hot 5 minute shower.
The Stove
The Extreme SC includes the durable 10,000 BTU
Extreme Stove. The rugged stove is powder coated for durability and
collapses for easy transport. The stove is also handy for cooking
and can even handle the weight of a heavy dutch oven. I chose
to mount a cast iron skillet to the stove and do-up a tasty round
of chorizo burritos.
Recommendations Please?
Well, for less than 150 smackers, I'd
recommend it to even the most cold-hearted cheapskates that I know.
Because, even a cheapskate likes to camp in style.
Click Here for our recent test of Zodi's "Hot Tap
Traveler" electric pump shower!
For a local dealer or to order online...
Click Here!
Zodi Outback Gear
PO Box 4687
Park City, Utah 84060
(801) 255-6418
Mr Dune's Table of
Contents
