Mid and stove as a sauna tent?

[Sverimerica]

Please forgive the ridiculous nature of this question, but am wondering: could a silnylon mid with a stove be used at home as a sauna? I have wanted a sauna tent for a long time and just wondering if it could double as a winter backpacking tent as well. Would the moisture inside have any long term negative effects on the shelter's durability?

Thanks

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[valtteri]

I have a Sawtooth and a 18” Lite Outdoors cylinder stove. Being Finnish, saunas are in my DNA and I have been wondering about the same thing.

I am planning on trying this out next summer. I think the main issue will be to get enough stones around the stove and getting them hot enough. These tipis are so small in space that I’m pretty sure the ambient temp inside will rise high enough, given that you just have enough wood to burn. The stones are another thing though. You’d need to get them hot enough to really vaporize the water being thrown at them, giving out the ”löyly” effect.

I am thinking of building some kind of tubular frame around the stove out of thin rod and then maybe using some lightweight steel mesh to hold the stones in place. Have no idea how well random rocks will soak and retain heat. The dedicated sauna stones are a certain type of stone with suitable characteristics but you can’t haul them with you.

The whole idea is to backpack to a remote lake, set up the Sawtooth sauna, heat it up, get in, get hot and jump in the lake! But how do I get cold beer, that is the real question!

 

[Seeknelk]

Not ridiculous at all. Saunas are a must! We have fabbed up a steel basket with a wire handle. We heat the rocks with a propane weed burner, then put leather gloves on and place in a Cabela's shower tent, with a roll up cedar floor of course. Loses heat fast thru tent of course but it's still pretty awesome after long cold day! Obviously this is just for truck camp. We have also made a hollow pile of rocks on the river bank, kept roaring fire in the hollow...then using notched stick ...moved em into a tarped over frame ... nothing fancy but got a good burn on! Then hit the icy river....so yeah...gotta be a way to use the mid and stove. Just stack rocks over stove maybe , have to feed it for quite a while I bet tho...

 

[AustinL911]

Can I ask what the rocks are for? I always thought saunas were just steamy rooms. Couldn't you just boil a shitload of water in there for the same effect?

 

[valtteri]

Throwing water on the hot stones increases humidity for a while, creates a feeling of heat and just plain ol’ feels good. When the water has evaporated, the air is again drier.

I think a Turkish sauna is more like a steam room with a constant high humidity level and lower temp. The traditional Finnish sauna is high temp low humidity and then water thrown on rocks to ramp up the humidity for a moment.

I think the feeling really can’t be explained, you need to try it!

 

[huntsman22]

heck, just dump the water on the hot stove......why mess with those pesky rocks?

 

[valtteri]

Damnit, that’s a legit point you got there! Seriously, this is what I’m going to try first next summer. Get the stove red hot and then drizzle water on it. Might warp the stove but hey, it’s all in the name of science! Haha!

 

[Jimbob]

Poor souls who have never had a sauna, nothing like it.

Hit the rocks with water and steams rolls up making it hard to breath through your nose and leaves the tips of your ears tingling. Most real saunas have a few levels of benches with only the harty being able to sit up top. As a kid I remember holding a wet face cloth over my face and trying to tolerate the steam.

One time we melted a plastic bucket in our sauna. You can easily steam yourself out by continually adding water to the rocks. Running to the lake and jumping in is euphoric.

So when someone mentions sauna they are not talking about the cheap fake ones at a gym. I'm assuming guys who know saunas want a real one.

One way to do it is like mentioned above. Just have a fire outside and place rocks directly in fire then bring them into your floor less shelter. Seal it up and add water to the rocks. This is how Native American's do their sweat lodges.


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[Jimbob]

heck, just dump the water on the hot stove......why mess with those pesky rocks?

It would not produce steam very long. You to be able to keep adding water ratcheting up the steam and temp inside. Need something rocks that will hold heat and produce steam after multiple soakings.


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[Sverimerica]

So Finland is the real place for saunas. I havent been there, but my first time in sweden, the family i was staying with took an old flat bed trailer and built a tiny cabin, if you will, on the trailer. 4 people could sit in there. They added a small old stove, like the one I have in my house, and then had a basket on top with rocks and they would pour water on it.

What I want to do is to use a pyramid shelter, set it up right by the lake at our property and just get the thing piping hot so I can do just what you said, jump in the lake, and repeat.

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[valtteri]

I think us Finns have the most saunas per capita. Wikipedia says that we have over three million saunas in Finland. Our total population is just over five million.

The tent sauna concept is pretty familiar to a lot of people here. Many people jerry rig something up during summer at beach parties. They use a $10 tarp sheet, make a fireplace with rocks and call it good.

Then there are actually some commercial tent saunas. Never tried one, but then again I want to jerry rig something backpackable with my Sawtooth.

Sauna tents from Finnish backpack manufacturer Savotta:
Hikimaja ("The Sweat Lodge"): Savotta Hikimaja Kiukaalla - YouTube
Kuinka pystytetaan Savotta Saunateltta - YouTube

Sauna tents | Savotta
Savotta online shop (only in Finnish): Savotta Telttasaunat - Savotta Store

I guess if I'd want a portable tent sauna - that might actually give you a fairly nice experience - I think I'd look at Savotta. Or for something slightly more permanent, a "tynnyrisauna" ("barrel sauna"). You don't really need a foundation, just lay it on something flat. These don't need a construction permit here in Finland, you can just get one, heat it up and jump in.

 

[Sverimerica]

The savotta tent was what gave me the idea, actually. I will be getting a mid at some point, and then will try it and if it sucks, I guess I will try the savotta. Savotta makes good gear. I have a 3 wall tent by them, used it in december with a fire in front.

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[bpietila]

I have tried many times and I think I am starting to get an idea for a tent/tarp sauna. Typically I have not planned ahead for a sauna it just ends up being a spur of the moment sauna with whatever tarp is big enough. Heating rocks in the fire works, but can be difficult to get a good steam since they cool off quickly. A teepee style is good for being able to gather poles to build a teepee, but if you have a hole at the top it loses steam and heat quickly. Here’s what I think might work. Teepee style that is completely closed at point. Wood stove with scavenged rocks with stove placed on ground. Wood stove pipe should go through tent close to ground to keep steam from escaping. I’m thinking a guy could use some light weight tent poles, a peak hub for 6 poles, and sili nylon to make a packable sauna. Although if you really wanted to be lightweight you might just clear your gear out of your tent, put some rocks on the stove, and get your sauna ripping that way.