As a reluctant doomsday prepper and eager vanlifer, Dometic’s battery-powered Go Faucet has, for the last few years, played a central role in my bougie bug-out kit and my camping rig’s water system. So it took me all of two minutes with Dometic’s new Recon 360 Faucet to realize it’s an upgrade in every single way that matters — and then confirmed after a week of testing it.
As to the upgrades, the Recon 360 Faucet ditches the easy-to-miss touch surface for real mechanical buttons. One button produces a standard water flow to brush your teeth or fill a glass, and the second, larger button emits a more forceful stream for washing dishes, your hair, or quickly filling a water bottle before heading out on a hike. The water stream shuts off with a second press of the active button, otherwise it’ll automatically stop the flow after 90 seconds or 1.5L/3L to avoid depleting that precious resource.
In my testing, pressing the smaller button extracts one liter of water in 41 seconds (at a loud 52dB from arm’s length), while the fast button yields one liter in just 24 seconds at an even louder 60dB. The low-flow mode is quieter than the original one-button Go Faucet, with a less annoying drone due to its lower pitch. However, it’s still too loud for vanlifers to sneak a glass of water at night while others sleep, although the bright LED light that illuminates the stream certainly makes it possible.
And as the name suggests, the base can now be rotated 360 degrees for more placement options. It’s a welcome change that should reduce the number of times I have to clean water off my kitchen counter when the stiff, crimp-resistant water hose — included with both Dometic models — caused the lightweight Go Faucet to twist away from the sink.
Thankfully, the new tap has also been migrated from Micro USB to a USB-C connector for charging, with a battery that’s still good for about 150 liters (about 40 gallons). The Recon 360 Faucet now also has a 4-stage LED meter on top that shows the remaining charge.
The faucet is slightly smaller but a little heavier than the Go model. It comes with a selection of metal pucks that can be adhered to a countertop or water jug to create a platform for the faucet’s magnetic base. The force of the new magnet feels about twice as strong as the older model, which should hold the faucet in place better when driving down bumpy roads. That’s good because I’ve sent my Go Faucet flying through the van about five or six times now, yet it just keeps on pumping. I hope the Recon 360 Faucet is just as durable.
The only real issue is the price: $149.99 for the Recon 360 Faucet, instead of $99.99 for the Go Faucet, which Dometic still sells. The Go Faucet is great, but the Recon 360 fixes so many little complaints that I think it’s worth every extra penny. Yes, there are cheaper and less-functional alternatives to be had on Amazon and Aliexpress, but if you need to use a portable faucet regularly, like I do, then Dometic’s durable and feature-rich faucets won’t disappoint if you can afford them.
All photography by Thomas Ricker / The Verge