Cyclist types across all genres of the sport spend a great deal of time in the great outdoors, following their passion for fun and adventure. Life beyond the comfort of air-conditioning also leads to sweat and accumulation of grime. A little dirt and grime are good for one’s constitution, but post workout, it’s less than ideal, sitting around in manky cycling kit.
OnTrack Gear’s founder, Joseph Valentin, with a polymer engineering background and a passion for the outdoors, feels the same way. Joseph took it upon himself to design simple and effective products to help one clean up after the day’s adventures, and once again be presentable to the public at large.
Pictured above are two-thirds of the On Track Gear “Rinse Off Bundle”. The bundle comprises of a pressurized rinse off shower, changing mat and microfiber towel (pictured below).
Making this bundle even more useful was the addition of On Track Gear’s ultra-light changing Poncho, pictured below.
Note, my review sample of the On Track Gear Poncho is in a Turqoise colour, the only option available at the time of this review.
Finally, a Rescue Dogs themed towel was also included. This extra-large, ultra-compact towel measures 60 inches by 30 inches and is designed to be super soft, absorbent and quick drying.
Over the space of almost a year, I’ve run all of these products through the gamut of real-world testing.
The Review
Starting off with the portable shower, at first glance, you could be mistaken for thinking this product is a reconstituted Roundup sprayer container, sourced from Lowes, Home Depot, Bunnings (Australia) or whatever your favorite local hardware chain store may be. On Track’s portable shower solution is a lot more than that. Firstly, there is a handy carry handle which makes for easy toting about the place.
The pump handle which passes through the removable water filler cap, is how the shower is pressurized. It takes about six to eight strokes of the handle to pressurize it appropriately.
Pay close attention to the water level. In the photo above, it is nearly empty, but the max fill line should be observed. Space within the container needs to be available for pressurization. Not shown is the spring-loaded relief valve, which automatically prevents damage from over-pressurizing the system.
The shower head is designed to maximize water pressure and good water flow, but without dumping a ton of water all over the place. Think a well-measured stream. The spiral hose keeps the shower head neatly contained closeby, a boon for traveling.
At right in the photo above, the spring-loaded pressure release valve. The valve will expel excessive air pressure automatically, or pull up the pink valve mechanism by hand. For transport or storage, be sure to release pressure from the shower’s container.
Pictured above, the pump handle for the shower sits ready for inflation. Two plastic claws that are part of the filler cap hold the handle in place when in storage or transport.
Above, the portable shower is ready for transport.
On the subject of transport, the portable shower stows well into a free nook or cranny in your vehicle.
Pictured above is my preferred method for using the shower. For a sedan type vehicle, in my case a Toyota Prius, I popped the hatch open and sat comfortably in the tail end of the vehicle as I doused myself clean. I’ve tested it with a Honda Element, which features a drop-down type lower tray door, similar to the pickup truck above.
The On Track Gear changing mat is an essential part of cleanup. Place it on the ground, whether that be pavement, grass, or dirt, and the mat provides a barrier between bare feet. The mat’s design drains water instantly, and keeps your now clean feet from gracing the ground beneath.
During the rinse off process, I add soap to really get myself clean. It isn’t perfect, but you can almost take a complete shower from the back of your vehicle. The portable shower doesn’t hold enough pressure to unload all of its three litres / .75 gallons of water in one go, so you’ll need to pump the shower’s handle a few extra times.
Now, you may be thinking… “OK JOM, we can see how you’d clean your exposed legs, arms, face / head and chest, but what about your personal regions, etc?” This is where the On Track Gear changing poncho comes in.
Unlike the average rain poncho, a product that usually features a neck hole and two arm holes, On Track’s version adds two more holes, positioned about half-way between the arm holes and the bottom of the garment. These two extra holes allow you to put your arms and hands inside the poncho, for the disrobing of one’s cycling shorts but without exposing one’s self to the public. The same applies for dressing. Bring your garment of choice into the poncho from below, stick your hands into the secondary holes to pull up and adjust.
In between this process, I used the portable shower to clean up my personal regions with a dousing of soap and water, maintaining my modesty in the process. The poncho / robe features the same microfibre cloth as used in On Track’s towels, which is handy for spot drying inside the poncho. This product is non-gender specific, sparing everyone’s modesty in the process!
Pictured above, I’m standing on the changing mat, all clean and fresh, with a t-shirt and boxer shorts on, soon to be followed by some casual and stylish off-the-bike shorts. The final task, sit in the back of my vehicle, dry off my feet, and put on socks and shoes.
I’ll spare readers photos of the On Track Gear towels in use, but they perform as advertised. Super compact, absorbent and quick drying.
The On Track Gear portable shower, mat, towels and poncho also come in handy for car camping. Car camping, the sort of camping I do to avoid paying for a hotel room!
I never gave much thought to post-ride cleanup until I received these products for review. Now, they reside permanently inside my travel vehicle of choice (Honda Element and Toyota Prius). The portable shower has stood up to a year of me dragging it about the place, and continues to perform as well as it did on day one. The changing mat is indestructible and the provided towels have worn well. They’ve been washed several times and continue to perform as expected.
If you’re a car camper, regular camper, cyclist, runner, equestrian, or anyone into the outdoors, I cannot recommend the On Track Gear portable shower, changing mat, poncho and towels highly enough. They are well thought out and I feel, good value for money.
| On Track Gear Portable Shower | On Track Gear Changing Mat | |
| Click the Link to BUY from Amazon | Click the Link to BUY from Amazon | |
| On Track Gear Dog Theme XL Towel | On Track Gear Changing Poncho | |
| Click the Link to BUY from Amazon | Click the Link to BUY from Amazon | |
| On Track Gear Travel Towel | ||
| Click the Link to BUY from Amazon |
Now that is what I call a must have piece of equipment, where can I get one
Check out the links at the bottom of the review… Amazon or direct from the manufacturer.
All well and good to be cleaned up, but can you use it to hose off your bike?
Sure, but there isn’t enough pressure to blast dirt and grime. Blasting bearings and such is never good anyway.
This seems kinda nice and all, but I just keep a pack of Wet-Wipes in the car and use those. Can get a pack for about $2 in the travel sample section of Target, Walmart, etc.