Backcountry Hot Tub

[treillw]

Alright, who's with me and thinks this would be awesome? Any ingenious ways of rigging one up?

 

[Pony Soldier]

The only backcountry hot tub I remember was the snake river below Pittsburg landing. They would shut of the damns and drop the river level 6-8 ft. It would reveal circular openings in the rock and the sun would heat it up. When we were done the dams would open up and flush them out for the next night.

You can make hot water with a hose length or two, a stream above you and a small tarp to create a head. Below that you need 15 ft of 1 in copper pipe that you coil around a five gal bucket. Leave about 4 ft on either end to attach the hoses. Build a fire on the coil and control the temp with an outlet like a hose bib. At full open it will be cold. Too slow you get steam. Adjust the temp to your desire. The tub can be a stock tank to a hole you dig lined with a tarp.

 

[downthepipe]

Mike high outfitters had one at their camp at Cabin Creek in the Frank Church Wilderness that I used. Heated by log fire. Took prob 40 minutes to get to 100 degree temp. Not certain but I think the Forest Service forced them to remove it.

 

[SonnyDay]

Back in my intemperate youth a bunch of us did a boundary waters/quetico canoe trip. It was rainy and cold and due to a series of unfortunate events, most folks had lost rain gear and tent rain flys. We decided to pull one of the aluminum canoes up onto a rock shelf, fill it with water, and light fires under the bow and stern. It was actually kind of amazing... two of us could soak at a time, and it got hot enough that we had to add lake water to cool it down.

We paddled for another few days with an obviously deformed and dented canoe which large scorch marks front and rear. When people asked what happened we told them we got struck by lightening....

We ended up having to buy the canoe from the outfitter... but, due to said unfortunate events, that was almost certainly in the cards anyhow!

 

[grfox92]

There are some natural hot springs in my area that I've heard of. Although I've never personally been to them.

Sent from my SM-G990U using Tapatalk

 

[MTPipeliner]

Some friends in college had a wood fired hot tub on a trailer- you could tow it up to the mountain empty, fill from a stream, then get the fire going. It was pretty awesome.

 

[RS_Non-Res]

@SonnyDay ... If you smear soap on the outside of the canoe before smoking it up, it's easier to clean the soot off.
Rotomolded kayaks need not apply.

 

[MEdude]

Back in my intemperate youth a bunch of us did a boundary waters/quetico canoe trip. It was rainy and cold and due to a series of unfortunate events, most folks had lost rain gear and tent rain flys. We decided to pull one of the aluminum canoes up onto a rock shelf, fill it with water, and light fires under the bow and stern. It was actually kind of amazing... two of us could soak at a time, and it got hot enough that we had to add lake water to cool it down.

We paddled for another few days with an obviously deformed and dented canoe which large scorch marks front and rear. When people asked what happened we told them we got struck by lightening....

We ended up having to buy the canoe from the outfitter... but, due to said unfortunate events, that was almost certainly in the cards anyhow!

I’ve got nothing to add to the hot tub concepts.
But felt it incumbent upon me to express my great appreciation to have opportunity to interact with those who bathe, where no one has bathed before. A true trail blazer. Or canoe blazer as the case may be.

 

[5MilesBack]

Back in my very cold rifle season days, we had this thought more than once. In college our fraternity used to rent portable hot tubs that had electric heaters. The tubs were built into a trailer. We considered renting one and hauling it and a generator up, but even back then it would have been quite expensive and a pain to have to haul that thing up a 4wd trail.

These days during archery I'd be leaning more toward hiring a masseuse for the week, but my wife certainly wouldn't tolerate that.

 

[TheHammer]

One of the inflatable hot tubs off Amazon ran on a generator? Was about to buy one for the basement last winter, but the kids would mistreat it.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

I just backed packed ours in along with the 5KW generator last time. No problem.

 

[Maverick1]

I used to just bathe right in the mountain stream. That was pretty chilling, especially on an overcast day. But worked well for taking off the edge off the fromunda cheese.

A few years ago I tried out a a solar shower (bag that lies out in the sun to heat up, with a cheap shower nozzle.) That is about as close to a hot tub as I can imagine in the backcounty!

 

[NRA4LIFE]

I used to just bathe right in the mountain stream. That was pretty chilling, especially on an overcast day. But worked well for taking off the edge off the fromunda cheese.

A few years ago I tried out a a solar shower (bag that lies out in the sun to heat up, with a cheap shower nozzle.) That is about as close to a hot tub as I can imagine in the backcounty!

I jumped into a lake in the boundary waters in MN in early June to remove the filth. It was really cold, it snowed the next day on my birthday. We called it fumunda cheese, same stuff. Nasty after a week. When your in a tent with an unbathed human for 2 weeks, I found that sleeping in a canoe was preferable.

Back on track. If you're anywhere near Steamboat Springs, just go up to Strawberry. Hot tub solved.

 

[kcormack]

This!

 

[DawnPatrol]

My brother and his friends (mostly engineers) built a backpacking hot tub. I think it was basically a copper coil that went in the campfire and a hypolon “tub” that could fit one person (or two who were real friendly). They said it was something around 10 lbs, but you could split it up between several folks. It was fun but not super practical if you were going in more than a couple miles.

 

[Tjdeerslayer37]

Our deer camp in the UP of michigan has a cast iron tub set back in the woods. its been there for almost the entire life of the camp (~64 years). fill it full of beaver pond water and light a fire under one end. first buck on the pole has dibs on the tub.

 

[ColoradoV]

They are nice but like most things take work. This one is at 10,700’ and took about 4-5 years to dial in. Nothing like seeing your buddy jump into 113 deg water!! Wood heated w a by pass valve is what did the trick. We even use it in the middle of the winter on snow machines. Heading back up again in a few weeks once all this snow melts.

We even glass for bucks n bulls from right in the tub while drinking a cocktail and have killed some studs! Yea rough.

Got to love high country mining claims!!

 

[IdahoSwede]

Maybe a more backcountry friendly warming tool would be a sauna. Bring an extra medium duty large tarp, heat up some rocks and splash em with water. Then boom, you will be nice and de-hyrdrated to start the next 4 am hike.

 

[SonnyDay]

@SonnyDay ... If you smear soap on the outside of the canoe before smoking it up, it's easier to clean the soot off.
Rotomolded kayaks need not apply.

Noted for next time!