A cool weather trick for a hot solar shower is (assuming a sunny cool
day).... if you are driving westward or you can park your van pointed to the
west... put your solar shower in the dash.... gets nice and hot there even
on a cool (sunny) day...

You might also be able to figure a way to hang the bag in one of the other
windows if you are traveling some other direction...

Bill

----- Original Message -----
From: "Stebbins" <stebbins@AUCEGYPT.EDU>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, February 03, 2001 4:13 AM
Subject: Re: Solar Shower

> I might agree with the "black side down" theory if the bladder were on a
stable flat
> surface (i.e. parked in a camp ground).  But I/we (when traveling) rarely
stay put
> for an entire day and, on the types of roads I drive (and maybe even your
> interstate),  the bladder gets sloshed around so much that I think it does
not
> matter much which side is up or down.  Also from my desert experience,
water in a
> rigid dark colour plastic gerry can will heat up to bath temp on a 40+ C
day in
> direct sunlight.  Keeping the water at bath temp is a function of the
outside
> ambient temp.  Here in Egypt, in the "winter", by the time we stop driving
at 4:30
> (sunset is at 5:30) and by that time the outside temp has cooled off to
about 5 C
> and the heat is sucked out of anything real fast, that is why we had to
add boiling
> water to the "Solar Shower" to make it pleasurable.  Also in "winter"
here, with the
> "Solar Shower" in the luggage rack and driving, the 20 C wind keeps
sucking the heat
> out of the "Solar Shower" so the temp in "Solar Shower"  bag struggles to
get over
> 20C.  Summer experience will differ, but even then, at night, things cool
off real
> fast.  Showering at noon is a bit too conspicuous.  Malcolm
>
> Doug Alcock wrote:
>
> > Ahhhh ---- so I'm completely and utterly wrong (and glad to know it).
I'll be
> > flipping my shower over right smartly. Thanks. I wonder which way
Malcolm is
> > turning his shower over there in Egypt.........   Cheers,   Doug
>