Quick Take: It’s never been easier to stay clean in the backcountry than with the Outback Shower from Kakadu. The whole system is easy to use, requires no modification to your rig, works with a variety of water reservoirs, and packs away into a portable package when not in use.
I’ve done the days without a shower thing on backpacking trips, on the bike, and even on some long overland trips. Sometimes, you get lucky and take a dip in a nice cold mountain stream, but that’s just not the same as a nice shower to leave you feeling refreshed. Outside of feeling rejuvenated, showering in the backcountry is important for hygiene, and it probably doesn’t hurt your social situation, no matter if you’re traveling with a group or if you’re solo and just crossing paths with the occasional stranger.
I’ve experimented with some other options, but the Kakadu Outback is, without a doubt, the easiest and most versatile camp shower I’ve used. For starters, the whole outfit fits into an optional carry bag that I can store in the bed of my truck, the backseat, or even on the floorboard. With the contents of that bag and a bottle of propane, I’m ready to get cleaned up no matter where the journey takes me.
Powered and Portable
Another huge factor that contributes to the portability and ease of use of the Outback Shower is the onboard battery. If I set up the Outback Shower Tent away from the truck the shower unit has plenty of charge to go cord-free for several uses. When it does need charged up again, it can do so while in use, and it doesn’t take long to top off the battery.
What’s Your Number?
The first time I used the Outback Shower, I stayed true to my regular review method. I gave the instructions a precursory glance and started to set up the shower. Everything was pretty straight forward and intuitive. Drop the brushless pump into the water container, connect the hoses at the front of the unit, power it on, and once the heating element is lit you’re good to go.
I only had one minor challenge the first time that I used the Kakadu shower for the first time, and that was the seemingly simple task of dialing in the thermostat on the shower. As it turns 80 degrees is a bit cold, and 95 was bit hot, but somewhere in the middle was fine. That being said, I definitely wouldn’t suggest cranking the Outback to high and hopping in since it’s definitely capable of producing very hot water.
The Outback Shower Tent
Kakadu offers a couple of options for tents, including a vehicle shower tent that you can mount to your roof rack. However, I opted for the Outback Shower Tent for a couple of reasons. For starters, I wanted the option to move the shower setup away from the truck. The shower is portable, so why limit that by having a cube on the truck? Second, it can also be used as a privacy shelter for other purposes. And lastly, because I saw a video of how quick it is to deploy the shower tent. It’s a literal pop-up tent and only requires a couple of locks to keep it upright.
The tent definitely wasn’t an afterthought for Kakadu. It includes routing for the hose to make the shower head a truly overhead experience. Along the sides of the mesh window you’ll find multiple pockets that are great fits for different sizes of shampoo and body wash. Admittedly I wasn’t convinced the towel holder would work, but it did a great job of keeping my towel dry while using the shower. And there are even overhead LED lights that are powered by the USB power pack of your choice.
Simple and Clean
In terms of performance, I’ve been impressed with the Kakadu Outback Shower. With a healthy amount of “figuring this thing out” and “fiddling around for photos” in the mix, I’ve still managed to get eight showers and some dishes out of a 1 lb propane tank without running out of gas. If you have onboard propane and/or you’re already carrying a larger tank, Kakadu offers an adapter. It’s hard to standardize water usage, but turning the shower off and on when I didn’t need the water cut down the total water needed for a shower to somewhere around 3 liters without feeling rushed. Kakadu states that the Outback pushes 0.5 gallons per minute for reference.
The pressure provided by the Kakadu is more than adequate for rinsing off soap. And I’ve even used it to rinse off some dishes in camp. That being said, don’t expect it to blast off burnt-on food or to knock the mud off of your rig. I feel like the designers were looking to balance water pressure and water usage, and they did a great job of finding the sweet spot.
While I consider myself to be more on the minimalistic side of overlanding, I think the Kakadu Outback Shower System has found a permanent spot on my longer trips and for events where I’m camping. It’s just too compact and convenient to consider not taking it. I’m already carrying water, so why not add this to the cargo and have access to a hot shower when I want it.
I do have one concern, and it might be unwarranted, but time will tell. The quick-connect fittings at the base of the shower unit are plastic. While I only experienced minor leaking that was easily fixed by repositioning the hoses, I’m slightly concerned that, over time, these plastic parts will wear or fail. I’d much prefer a brass option, but if and when the connections fail, that DIY upgrade will be on my to-do list. Otherwise, I couldn’t be happier with the Outback Shower System from Kakadu.
What to know:
- Dimensions: Set Up, 17L x 7W x 15H in Packed, 21L x 10W x 18H in
- Weight: 16 lbs
- Gas Run Time: Up to 4 hours on max.
- Rechargeable Battery: LIPO Lithium
- Battery Run Time: 60-120 minutes
- Recharge Rate: 25% – 1hr, 50% – 2hr, 100% – 4-5hrs (from flat)
- Flow Rate: 0.5 gal/min (5 gallon bucket = 10 minutes)
- Maximum Temperature Output: 122°F
- MSRP: $499
