Quick-Pitch En-Suite shower - soft bag or alu case?

[Henrik Martin]

Hi there. My girlfriend is hellbent on getting a Quick-Pitch En-Suite shower curtain thing:
https://www.backwoodsoverland.com/product/quick-pitch-quick-en-suite-aluminum-box-unit/
I've seen them in a bunch of Australian off-road videos, and they look really cool. I'm ready to pull the trigger, but now I'm debating whether to get the soft case, or the aluminum box. I'm leaning towards the box, but I'm curious about wind noise, etc. I'm also thinking that a bag that sits in the sun for a long time will eventually break down from UV exposure, etc. Comments or thoughts? Thanks!

 

[Steve]

Mine just arrived on Wednesday, so I have no practical experience with it yet. I opted for the aluminum box version, and wow is it a quality piece of hardware! There’s a nice dust seal around the opening and a heavy paint/powder coat finish.

I have the ARB awning with the bag, and it gets mildew on the outside that’s difficult to clean.

I don’t know how noise will be, and I won’t be mounting it until spring, so no help there.

 

[Dr Gil]

I've had the soft bag for about a year now. I have heard no wind noise at all. However, my big A/T tires probably drown out what little wind noise I do hear.

 

[Steve]

I opted for the Aluminum box as well, because I've seen what time and weather eventually does to the soft bags on awnings. However I can not recommend getting it from Backwoods Overland, I ordered mine on 11/19 and only received a payment confirmation so far, they have not returned phone messages or emails that I have sent. To me it appears as a poorly run business.

Odd, I too got mine from Backwoods Overland, and ordered on 11/6. Nick has been really good at responding to emails throughout the wait for product to arrive from South Africa. If he’s following first in first out with orders, yours should arrive soon. I did not get a shipping notice, but the free UPS account let me know it was on its way from Maryland a few days before. Good luck!

 

[tpetrone]

I too have a ensuite from Backwoods . I just did a Instagram post this weekend on an updated install I did. I opted for the soft bag as I needed the flexibility for install on a smittybilt defender rack. I preferred the slim profile that tucked into the rack. That's just me. Wind noise .. not much.. I hear the wind on the roof rack more than anything else.

Something else to note. I like drifta gear and they appear to make a replacement soft bag with some modifications, they also have a hood to shelter you from the rain and poles that could be used to help stabilize the ensuite.

(Shameless plug)

(Drifta.com.au)
https://www.drifta.com.au/?s=ensuite&post_type=product

Hope this is helpful.

 

[Henrik Martin]

T

I too have a ensuite from Backwoods . I just did a Instagram post this weekend on an updated install I did. I opted for the soft bag as I needed the flexibility for install on a smittybilt defender rack. I preferred the slim profile that tucked into the rack. That's just me. Wind noise .. not much.. I hear the wind on the roof rack more than anything else.

Something else to note. I like drifta gear and they appear to make a replacement soft bag with some modifications, they also have a hood to shelter you from the rain and poles that could be used to help stabilize the ensuite.

(Shameless plug)

(Drifta.com.au)
https://www.drifta.com.au/?s=ensuite&post_type=product

Hope this is helpful.

Thanks. The Drifta top looks cool. They don't ship to the US though. Are there Drifta resellers in the US?

 

[Halfbreed_Ovrlandr]

Not trying to highjack this thread or anything but Kinsmen were at the Expo East w/Blue Ridge Overland Gear and he offers a shower stall as well. Just throwing this out there to give other options. I do not remember the price though.

https://www.kinsmenhardware.com/shower-room

 

[bmwguru]

Not trying to highjack this thread or anything but Kinsmen were at the Expo East w/Blue Ridge Overland Gear and he offers a shower stall as well. Just throwing this out there to give other options. I do not remember the price though.

https://www.kinsmenhardware.com/shower-room

Yeah I saw them at Expo east as well. Nice looking products but the website says coming Fall 2018. Um, is it fall 2018 yet?

 

[tpetrone]

T

Thanks. The Drifta top looks cool. They don't ship to the US though. Are there Drifta resellers in the US?

Drifts does in-fact ship to the US. I buy their gear all the time. Add an additional week for shipping . Typically take two weeks for packages to arrive from Au.

 

[bmwguru]

Drifts does in-fact ship to the US. I buy their gear all the time. Add an additional week for shipping . Typically take two weeks for packages to arrive from Au.

Is the shipping reasonable?

 

[Henrik Martin]

Drifts does in-fact ship to the US. I buy their gear all the time. Add an additional week for shipping . Typically take two weeks for packages to arrive from Au.

I noticed that they ship some things to the US but when I put the shower room top in the cart with a US address, I got a message that it couldn’t be shipped to the US. Might be worth sending them an email to verify.

 

[Henrik Martin]

Interesting. I've written one email and left one phone message for Backwoods. No response so far. I guess they don't want my business...

 

[tpetrone]

I noticed that they ship some things to the US but when I put the shower room top in the cart with a US address, I got a message that it couldn’t be shipped to the US. Might be worth sending them an email to verify.

From their website there is a size and weight limit to what can be shipped from drifta.com.au. I generally stick to ordering canvas however you might be able to get one shipped from their EU location. I am no expert but drifta email support is pretty good in my experience.

I would try to message backwoodsoverland via Instagram. I have meet him in person, very nice gentleman.

 

[OnlyTaco]

Yeah I saw them at Expo east as well. Nice looking products but the website says coming Fall 2018. Um, is it fall 2018 yet?

I'm waiting for this to drop as well. As long as the pricing is reasonable, I think this is my route

 

[Brewbud]

Interesting. I like how easy the vehicle-mounted one would deploy. I am a bit worried it may make a muddy mess near the vehicle though. I have a cheapie free-standing shower from Ozark trails. I use it with a small propane water heater if there is a good supply of water or a solar shower if water is limited. I usually set it up towards the edge of camp. I have the single room one but they make a two room so you don't have to dress in the wet shower or do the naked dash

 

[PapaDave]

I got the soft bag because I mounted mine perpendicular to my rack and right behind my rear window on my Tacoma. I made a custom telescoping mount and I’ve got to tell you how amazing it is to take a shower after rolling into camp. In the Mojave desert I would set up camp, shower, then cook and eat. Being clean made each night nice and climbing into bed dust free was nice. I bought a $12 bamboo shower platform off amazon and it didn’t really make much of a mess next to my truck. It’s also a great changing area.

In these photos I had yet to put bed liner on the mount, but it shows how it slides out. My truck goes from daily driver to off road set up, so the rack lives on saw horses most of the time.

 

[Jeff Alsterlind]

I bought the aluminum box unit from Backwoods Overland back in April. It showed up in June with broken plastic hinges. It could have been packaged better IMO. Very nice very nice construction except for the cheap plastic hings that are riveted on, what a shame. I've been trying to get a solution for the last five weeks but it's still sitting in a box collecting dust. I hope I get my shower before the season ends.

 

[PapaDave]

I bought the aluminum box unit from Backwoods Overland back in April. It showed up in June with broken plastic hinges. It could have been packaged better IMO. Very nice very nice construction except for the cheap plastic hings that are riveted on, what a shame. I've been trying to get a solution for the last five weeks but it's still sitting in a box collecting dust. I hope I get my shower before the season ends.View attachment 107856

That’s a bummer, is the company going to fix it?
Or you can hinge it yourself, which I realize is not ideal for a new item

 

[Jeff Alsterlind]

That’s a bummer, is the company going to fix it?
Or you can hinge it yourself, which I realize is not ideal for a new item

Nick from Backwoods got back to me and is sending a replacement that should arrive in a week. I had reached out to Quick Pitch HQ and they got back to me too. They were helpful and offered to send me a new unit or meet me in the states with repair parts if necessary! They let me know the hinges are special with a ball bearing hitch that holds the cover open. Also they chose the hinges for corrosion resistance. Nice to know the manufacturer cares about end users on the other side of the world. I’ll report back once I get everything sorted out.

 

[Dr Gil]

I've had my Quick Pitch for over a year now and I think it's an awesome product. The copy cats are no better.
Nice to know they back their product.