Joolca Hottap Showers
In our search for the best Vanlife related Hot water shower, we have used a variety of suppliers; the Coleman Hot water on demand & the Companion Aqua Cube. None of these compare Joolca Hottap. If you are looking for awesome water pressure you can actually wash your hair with and have a good clean, Joolca takes the cake. It doesn't come with a battery attached like others. It is the world's smallest water heater in it's class. This means you can hook it up, screw it in slim line positions such as the side door or against the inside of the back door of your van.
A lot of heat comes from the top of the system, so it needs to ventilate. It is important to have maximum airflow and the doors open when using. We have noticed the engineering of the Hottap is of a higher standard and believe it will last a lot longer and have less faults. Obviously we can't guarantee that but Joolca can. We struggled with the other two systems, both batteries died and nearly burnt our hands off with leaking gas connections and hot copper pipes. Joolca have a 2 year Guarantee with shipping paid both ways. Joolca also have an amazing and friendly support team to call as we did in setting it up. We even sent pictures and videos to make sure it was right and the support person on the phone was super helpful!
Technical Specifications & Comparisons with Competitors
1) Joolca has got a higher gas capacity (27,500BTU) essentially means they can heat more water to a hotter temperature
2) A Joolca unit can operate to a higher flow rate (6L per minute)
3) In particular, Joolca Pumps are very high quality and not only are they the 6L flow rate (others are around 3-4L max) but they've got very good pressure allowing for flexibility. Users can pump from a water source directly to their campsite 20-30m away. Competing products can barely lift 2m and no more.
4) Following on from point 3, the Joolca unit is so much more versatile in how it can be used and its potential applications. Joolca tries to exploit this by offering heaps of specifically designed accessories for various scenarios, such as bags / jackets / trolley mounts / drawbar mounts / shower stand / Tent. And everything that they sell has been designed to integrate with other bits. Such as the Shower Stand fitting inside the Ensuite tent, making their combined use very comfortable.
Beyond product specific points, I also think there is something to be said of the backup support and service:
1) 2 year warranty with shipping paid both ways
2) 30 day trial for direct purchases - where you can actually take the unit camping and if you don't like it you'll get a full refund (including shipping).
