How I Mount a Hot Water System in a Ute Canopy

Hot showers on the road can really make or break a trip.

But is bringing all the gear needed for steamy showers worth it?

Here’s how I do it, so I’m not bringing half the house.

And I’m able to enjoy hot showers wherever I end up.

Firstly, we can’t heat water without water.

I’ve got an 86L tank in the setup that I use for the showers.

If you’re keen on how the tanks are set up, you can check that out here.

Once the water is setup, we want to heat it.

I use a Joolca V2.

Considering it’s an instant Hot Water Service, the unit itself is very compact.

Along with the unit, the water tank needs connection via a 12v pump.

And finally a gas source.

Then I have a hot water hose that runs to a shower head, which is where the final heated water emerges.

To use the shower, I hang it on the inside of the canopy door.

I have some eye bolts that mount through some holes on the inside wall of the canopy.

Then I’ve attached some snap hooks to the top of the Joolca with the help of some zip ties.

This gives some extra length to hook the unit up to the eye bolts.

Then it’s just a matter of hooking up the hoses, cold water in, hot water out and the gas hose.

And shower until I run out of water or gas.

While we’re here, I’ve tested a bunch of Gas options.

The Joolca unit along with a gas bottle can start to get a little hefty.

For more space efficiency, I’ve trialled smaller gas bottles and styles.

The main options I fall back to tend to be, the 1lb propane and regular 4kg gas bottle.

I like the 4kg because I can swap’n’go rather than need it filled.

Sometimes the 4kg is a little large (and heavy).

That’s when I pull out the 1lb propane bottle (or 2 bottles).

It takes up far less room and still gives 3-4 days worth of showers.

Mixing between these 2 gas options generally covers most short and longer term trips.