Nothing beats a nice, hot shower. But when you’re off-roading, partying at an outdoor festival, or camping, that’s not always an option. Either there are no facilities for you to use, or the available bathing stations are … scary. Packing a portable water heater like this BougeRV model might be the ticket, and I tried it out for myself to see just how well it works.

I should say right off the bat that the one thing missing from the equation when you see it advertised is a bucket (or something that holds at least a few gallons of water)—which you absolutely need. Regardless, BougeRV’s portable water heater pleasantly surprised me with how fast it works and how simple it is to set up, use, and pack away.

First and foremost, a portable water heater must not only heat the water but make it a comfortable temperature for showering. For that, the BougeRV heater works quite well. I used it to heat a 6-gallon bucket of cold water filled from an outdoor tap and the water reached about 109 degrees Fahrenheit in seconds—about as fast as running my shower at home. You can adjust the temperature to as high as 118 degrees Fahrenheit, which is plenty hot for an outdoor spring or summer shower.

The water pressure is soft but acceptable for getting clean. And while it dipped ever so slightly at times, it didn’t detract from the overall experience. The shower was short, though—I burned through the 6-gallon bucket in just over 6.5 minutes. That’s pretty consistent with the gallons per minute (GPM) rating of a low-flow showerhead, so I would call that pretty good. Still, you’ll want to be judicious with your shower time, especially if your source of a freshwater refill is far away.

This propane-fueled heater is simple to set up and operate. An intake hose (with a pump at one end) and a tethered power cord connect to the front left side of the heater’s control panel. On the right-hand side of the front panel is the connection for the output hose. This hose has a showerhead at the other end that rests in a magnetic, adjustable base. On the back, you attach a regulator, into which you screw a standard 1-pound propane tank.

The heater runs on an internal rechargeable battery, so no outlet is needed. The battery is rated to last 60 to 100 minutes before you need to recharge it. Based on how I tested it, I’d probably get around 10 to 12 showers out of that runtime.

Once everything is attached, you simply drop the pump into a container of water, turn the unit on, set the temperature, and it’s ready to go. Once you hit the “pump” button, the water starts flowing. The showerhead has a stop button, so you won’t accidentally spray anywhere you’d rather not. Once you’re done, you hit the stop button again, and it automatically turns off the heater and powers down the pump after 120 seconds. That delay helps keep the water in the heat exchanger, so that when you reactivate it, the hot water flows right away.

The showerhead itself has three settings: a standard spray, a more focused spray, and a combination of the two. I found the standard setting sufficient for a shower, but more discerning bathers may prefer the combo setting; however, that setting will run through your water reserve a bit more quickly. The adjustable magnetic base is quite clever for affixing the showerhead to the side of the heater or higher up, at a proper shower height, on the side of a vehicle or RV.

I found a few important things to be aware of, though, when using this portable water heater. For starters, the main unit can get very hot to the touch. You’ll want to run it in an open area, let it cool down before packing it up, and never run it near anything flammable or next to items that could be damaged by heat. You also can’t use natural water sources, such as lake water, salt water, or a nearby stream, because sand and debris will enter the pump and clog or damage the heater's internal parts. That means access to a replenishable public water supply (though filtered rainwater would be fine) and a container to hold it is a must.

The BougeRV portable water heater is aimed squarely at the off-grid adventurer who doesn’t have the luxury of a nearby shower facility, or who needs a better way to clean mud from their equipment. Some campers may find this useful, too, especially if the nearby bathing station is poorly maintained (I’ve been there—no thank you). At the end of the day, this portable water heater is compact, easy to use, and a simple, fast way to get hot water on demand.

Buy the BougeRV Portable Water Heater