REVIEW – It seems like most of the activities I’m involved with involve mud. Caving, mountain biking, and trail running can get you very dirty, often far from any “normal” places where you could clean up. Additionally, you usually end up with muddy gear. This leaves me with the option to drive home sweaty and gritty, or clean off at the trail head. If it’s summer and there’s a stream close by, that’s an easy solution. But that’s not often the case. Enter the Flextail Max Portable Shower. Turn any water source into a shower – even one you bring yourself.
What is it?
The Flextail Max Shower is a portable shower head. Basically, it’s a submersible pump with a rechargeable battery attached to a 7 foot hose, and a shower head.
What’s in the box?
- The pump
- The hose
- The shower head (they all snap together)
- A case
- Manual
- USB-C cable for recharging
- Spare seals and o-rings
Hardware specs
- Size (of the pump): 4.7 x 2.7 x 1.6 inches
- Hose Length: 7.2 ft (2.2 M)
- Flow Rate: Low: 2.2 L/min, High: 3.3 L/min
- Weight (of the pump): 11 oz
- Battery capacity: 18.5 Wh
- Waterproof Level: IPX7
- Run Time: 70-110 minutes
- Charge type? 5V/2A USB-C
Design and features
The shower system really consists of three parts. The first part is the pump, which is submersible, and also contains the battery. The controls are also on the pump. The pump is attached to the second part, the hose, which connects with secure quick-connects. The third part is the shower head, which features a hook for hanging and a flow control dial for decreasing or increasing flow rate. The pump features two flow rates which can save both water and battery, depending on whatever is limiting. The pump also features a few intake screens to help keep crud out.
There is a threaded insert in the bottom of the pump for a spike that can help keep the pump off of the bottom of a stream or lake, but the spike is not included.
Performance
The shower works surprisingly well. I’ve used it on a few late season mountain bike excursions, and it’s done a fantastic job cleaning the mud off of my legs and my bike. The battery actually seems a bit over-sized, as I’ve used it several times without recharging. The flow rate is steady even when the hose is extended the full 7 feet vertically (water is heavy and it’s hard to pump it straight up against gravitty). I’ve used it with the pump sitting directly in a stream, which works well, but you have to be careful not to suck up gravel or sand.
I’ve also brought along a bucket of water. I have a black 5 gallon bucket with a lid that I fill before leaving the house, and I leave it in the sun while riding or running. That heats it up, and then the Flextail Max provides a warm(ish) shower at the end of the activity. My only complaint is that there is no pressure-sensitive switch.
The shower head includes the ability to shut the flow off, which would be great for saving water, but the pump continues to run (and struggle, since it’s now pumping against a closed valve). It would be great if the pump shut off when the flow did, and then resumed when the valve was opened. I worry that I’m going to burn the pump out when I close the flow off. Other than that, it’s great.
What I like
- Satisfying flow rate
- Easy to use
- Big battery
What I’d change
- Add a pressure-sensitive flow switch
Final thoughts
If your activities have you getting muddy, dusty, or sweaty far from showers, consider the Flextail Max Portable Shower. It’s an effective way to clean up just about anywhere.
Price: $65.99
Where to buy: Flextail ( save 15% with the code: TheGadgeteer15 )
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Flextail.
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Would you say it’s a suitable flow and pressure to wash your bike? and a car?
by “bike” I mean pushbike.
Hi Marc. I’ve used it to wash my pushbike many times. It’s not going to blast grime off like a pressure washer, but combined with a good sponge or brush, it does a great job.
Great review. I would love to use it with a shorter hose for washing dishes. Can I just buy an off the shelf adapter to connect a different hose or is it a proprietary adapter?
Hello. I just went out to my camper and checked, and I think you could do this. The connection between the hose and the shower head (and pump) is proprietary, but the connection between the hose and that connector is just a barbed fitting held in place with a compression nut. So if you could find hose of roughly the same diameter, it would work. Or you could just cut the existing hose to the length you needed, and reassemble.
Wow that was fast. I was looking at the picture and tons of possible adapter but didn’t find anything.
Thank you for taking the time to check. So I can loosen the compression nut to disconnected the hose. Use the barbed fitting with a clamp to connect a shorter hose 👍
Helped alot thank you for responding so quick!!