Geyser System Is Out to Change the Way You Shower Outdoors. And Save Millions
of Gallons of Water in the Process
By Steven John
If you have a vessel that can readily accommodate a gallon of water, grab it and imagine it 80% filled. The 0.8 gallons you’d have is all you need to take a thorough, relaxing, and refreshing head-to-toe shower, complete with washing your hair, lathering and scrubbing every nook and cranny, and getting all the suds rinsed off you, too. That is, 0.8 gallons of water will get you completely clean – and with warm, comfortable water, too, – if you are using a Geyser Systems portable shower.
First, yes, we did say warm – Geyser Systems’ shower units make it remarkably easy to take a hot shower even when you are in the backwoods, at a parking lot by the beach, or anywhere in between, provided you have a vehicle or battery system that can provide a bit of power. And this innovative system really does allow you to clean your entire body as thoroughly as you would in a regular home shower, albeit with 19.2 gallons less water used than the 20 gallons the average American uses during an average shower, according to PapersOwl.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here.
First, let’s talk about that 0.8 gallons of water. If you fill a traditional camp shower with that quantity of fluid or, worse yet, try to wash yourself with that 102.4 ounces of water (that’s 80% of a gallon, for the record) by trickling the stuff directly over yourself, you’re going to have one unfulfilling and, quite likely, unsanitary shower experience.
But what’s to be done when you’re camping or overlanding or road tripping along? Carry multiple extra gallons of water just for bathing? Spring for a hotel room every time you need to bathe? Or just settle for a weak, semi-effective, often cold camp shower?
A guy I had the pleasure of meeting a few weeks back had faced that problem time and time again. The difference between Jonathan Ballesteros, founder and CEO of Geyser Systems, is that he did something about it. And what he did was change the game for anyone and everyone who has ever wanted to take a great shower while in the field.
Not long after meeting Jonathan in a stunning Colorado valley, the occasion on which I first got to see a Geyser Systems’ unit in action, we caught up again via phone for a Dad Gear Review talk that went more deeply into his company’s origin story, its products, how they are helping people everywhere stay clean, and how they’re helping the planet by saving literally millions of gallons of water each year, too.
Were you a lifelong outdoorsman or is it a hobby you came to later? And what were your formative outdoor experiences like, especially those that began to inform Geyser Systems?
“Yeah, so my ‘prehistory’ is I'm the son of two immigrant parents who were very adventurous and loved being outdoors,” Jonathan told me. “My father actually got me into scuba diving, and I got into freediving when I was 16 years old. That gave me a profound connection to water, and the outdoors in general. My father and I also really liked climbing mountains. I got a chance to climb Mount Rainier, Mount Sinai, and Mount Superior in Utah. I got a chance to really enjoy the outdoors. And my family and I, we just love to just travel the world and be a little adventurous. And, I think all of that really gave me appreciation for nature in general. But, I would say my real connection to the outdoors is sailing, and I'm a Yachtmaster.”
“I've got over 4,000 nautical miles through the British Virgin Islands, Greek Islands, Thai Islands. And while that may not sound like a real outdoorsy, common thing for people to do, it's got a lot of things that you would typically see in the outdoors, and [it] requires a lot of the same insight into gear and supplies, especially with water. Water is super precious on a boat. In fact, I remember distinctly, in my first sailing trip, we actually ran out of fresh water for half a day. And that was a pretty defining moment for all of us in the crew.”
“Professionally speaking, prior to starting this company, I was in the advanced surgical instruments industry. I was responsible for solving really complex technical issues, and designing and launching products for large companies. It was a real honor and a great opportunity to get a chance to contribute to very complicated procedures, such as brain surgery, orthoscopic, orthopedic procedures, ear, nose, and throats, spine, and sports medicine. But, all of that being said, I decided to take a break from the medical device industry, and live in the back of a van for a year in Australia, and doing what I really loved, which was free diving along the coast, and just trail running, and enjoying the outdoors, and just taking a break from life for a little while.”
“And that's where the origin story really began, when I was living in the back of a van, because I always had plenty of food, always had plenty of propane, but water, it was just always the first thing to run out. And long story short, I was smelling like a burning dumpster, and I really needed to find a way to get myself clean again with the least amount of water, and I really needed to find a way to make the most of every drop of water at whatever I called base camp. And so how I could make the most of every drop of water was really the question that I had in the back of my van, that just kicked off the conversation and later kicked off the company.”
When you conceived of the system that became your flagship product, was it sort of a light bulb moment, or was it more of a slow burn discovering what's going to work, what's not, and trying again?
“I mean, what I was doing was I was buying what was available in the market at the time, and all of them were very disappointing. The [shower systems] were heavy, they took forever to heat, just used way too much water. And so I was just really thinking: ‘How can I use whatever I've learned in the medical device industry to solve this problem for myself?’ And, instead of doing a lap around Australia, I decided to cut my trip really short. A gentleman in Geelong, Australia offered his farm shed and I pretty much lived in the back of that farm shed for six months.”
“And I did six rounds of prototyping, and at each prototype, I got a little bit of feedback from people, and I got a deeper insight as to what is really necessary. The light bulb part was in the very beginning of that six month journey, which was me taking a sponge and saying: ‘What happens if I could connect a tube to this sponge and get water out of my water bottle?’ And, that really was the question that kicked off that six-month journey of tinkering in the back of a farm shed, and ultimately coming up with our flagship product.”
What has been the experience like of bringing products to market; of growing the company and getting the word out there?
“It's… not for the weak. Startups are hard, hardware startups are harder, manufacturing startups are the hardest. But quite honestly, I love the challenge; I like doing hard things, but having said that, I had a lot of time and experience managing factories, and supply chains, and large teams in a variety of companies that were international and global. Having said that, I think the biggest challenge that I knew going in was not going to be the manufacturing side. I think the biggest challenge was going to be just such a radically different approach to water, which was: ‘How do I convince people to take a shower when it actually is a sponge bath on steroids or an astronaut shower?’”
“And that, I think, has had its challenges, but what I was really surprised to find was when people saw the product – it's really fun to watch the light bulb go on over their head; they immediately get it. And they immediately understand how this is going to help them. And I think the results speak for themselves. We've now got over 300 reviews and we're a top rated product at REI, and that's only within the span of two years. And they are authentic reviews. So I think what I'm really happy to see is the outdoor gear industry really being receptive and really enjoying this radical approach and redefinition to making the most of every drop of water.”
What are some of the primary problems the brand is trying to solve and what sets you apart from other products that might have a similar mission?
“So the primary problem that we're solving is something that I think everyone knows and shares, is that water is the first thing to run out at base camp. You will always have enough food, you'll always have enough propane, but you'll never have enough water to clean everyone, everything, and yourself. So, we needed to find a way to make the most of every drop of water at our base camp. And that's what we have done better than anyone else in the market. You can now shower two people with three liters of water. And, if anyone is skeptical, you can see a YouTube video of me washing myself off after being splashed with five gallons of mud, five gallons of sunscreen and four bags of Holly Powder, and I clean all of that off with 0.8 gallons of water!”
That’s… awesome.
“Yeah. So 0.8 gallons of water would typically last for less than a minute of shower time for other products; we make it possible for 0.8 gallons to last up to 15 minutes, which is incredible. And the implications of that are significant, because not only does that mean you have to carry 10 times less water, but it also takes 10 times less time to heat that water. We specifically designed the product around the MSR WindBurner and the Jetboil Flash. All you need is a liter of boiling water, mix that up with two liters of cold water, and boom, you've got a hot shower ready in as little as two minutes. No other product can do that.”
“And, I would add, just as unique as our product, our mission is very unique. I don't know of any other company that is out to transform people's relationship to every drop of water. And our vision for the company is to use this technology to help empower the 2.3 billion people living in the world in water stress regions, or situations, and we are actively supported, and also taking the steps to solving the water crisis globally. In fact, we are going to do that, starting with Mexico City first, and we've got a specific plan on how we're going to achieve that. I can reveal more about that in the middle of next year.”
You have got two primary products right now, a shower with the heater and one without: what sets the two systems apart? Why is one more suited for some users and the other for others?
“Both products are designed around your Jetboil Flash or MSR WindBurner, two liters of cold water, one liter of boiling water, and now you got a hot shower running in as little as two minutes. I would say I typically point people to the standard version without the heating element, because if you already have a Jetboil, it's just so convenient and easy to set up a shower, especially if you have a family. While you're taking a shower, you can start boiling another liter of water in the background, and then by the time you're done, that liter is now boiling. That way, when you're done with a shower, all you have to do is just mix up that liter of boiling water, and now the next person's shower is ready to go. So, for a family of four, to all be showered conveniently and quickly with only 3.2 gallons of water, in less than 45 minutes, is a thing that you can do with the standard version.”
“Some people still want the option to heat the water with their Goal Zero 500, or their Jackery 500. You can do that with the other model that has a heating element inside, but it does come with a major trade off. That 12-volt power source that it connects to can heat the water up to 104 degrees in around 30 minutes. And then it automatically turns off the heating element inside the Geyser, so it stops drawing power from your vehicle DC socket, or your Goal Zero, or whatever battery bank you choose to use. Some people just like the additional option and the convenience that the electrical heater provides inside. But, just to be clear, you cannot shower and heat the water at the same time with the second model. The model that comes with a heater, you need to heat the water first, and then turn it over to pump mode, and then it will pump the water out of the sponge.”
What are some tips and tricks for having a great shower outdoors?
“Well, first and foremost, shower under the stars. There's nothing that feels greater than taking a hot shower underneath the stars. And after a good solid trail run, or after having a lot of grime on your body, it's a lot more fun to get dirty when you know you're about to get really clean. But, the first tip and trick I would say, for showering outdoors is, bring your flip flops, have a towel ready, connect the Geyser after you've mixed up all your water, and then when you use our product for the first time, I highly recommend turning the valve only 45 degrees from the off position. That way you will have the shower running for eight minutes, and then by the time you're done with your shower, and you feel like you've rinsed off, you'll look inside the Geyser and be really surprised to see that you still have half a Geyser left of water to go.”
“At that point, just open up the valve to the max position, which we call full blast, and just dump the rest of the water out on yourself. And, it's like the best 30 seconds of your life. You'll absolutely love the experience. It really does look good on paper, but when you experience the product, there's very few things that compare to the experience of using the Geyser. And also, we have three different color scrubs to keep your base camp organized. We have yellow for me, green for you, the pink one is for the dishes, and each scrub has two sides that are different from each other. So, one side is smooth, and the other side has got scrub or a rougher edge, so that you can really attack tough grime.”
What are some things too many people do wrong when they're trying to stay clean outdoors?
“Using baby wipes. I think it's really funny when people want to really be adventurous, but then they smell like babies at the end of the day. But, I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong that people do, I just think that there's just a couple of different ways to approach it. And our way is just one way. The long story short is if you're looking for other fun tips and tricks that really enhance the experience, you could use clean soaps that are biodegradable. We love Dr. Bronners, because it's a hundred percent biodegradable, and the runoff doesn't harm the environment. And then, also if you want to shower inside, let's say a van, or if you want to collect the water, and dispose of it correctly, I highly recommend finding a doggy pool. You can buy those for $30, and they're easy and foldable, and you could just have them fold right underneath your seat or just collect your water.
Who do you consider the primary customer, or primary customers, of Geyser products?
“I think our primary customers include three kinds of people. Overlanders, van lifers, and people who love camping out. And especially families. Families who are camping near their vehicle, and really want to share and pass down their love for the great outdoors to their children and to make sure that everyone's having a great experience. A hot shower really helps people return back from their trips feeling more refreshed, alive, and closely connected to each other.”
And cleaner, too. I know that’s what a Geyser Systems shower does for us, the refreshed, alive, closer and, perhaps most to the point, cleaner. Much cleaner.
Photos c/o Geyser Systems