Take this Midwest-made portable sauna to the lake. To your cabin. To your friend’s backyard.
This article first appeared in Traverse Northern Michigan. Find this story and more when you explore our magazine library. Want Traverse delivered to your door or inbox monthly? View our print subscription and digital subscription options.
There’s not much we don’t love about a sauna: it staves off frigid winter temps, promotes relaxation, increases circulation and invites fellowship. But with the exception of some funky ’80s vacation homes here and there, most of us don’t have an in-house sauna setup ready to rock on a cold January day.
Problem solved: Inspired by our northern Midwest’s sauna tradition, the Wisconsin-based cold-weather camping company Snowtrekker teamed up with Upper Peninsula outerwear icon Stormy Kromer to create a sauna experience in a portable package.
How it works: Each 73-by-91-inch “hot tent” is constructed from two layers of Snowtrekker’s signature canvas and comfortably sits up to six people. The base of the tent, sod cloth and full-coverage rain fly are all protected by 9.5-ounce pyrocell, which is flame retardant and totally waterproof.
The nitty gritty: The package ($4,200) includes the sauna tent, fly and hardware for setup, and comes with detailed instructions for building a frame (which the company encourages as a DIY; more winter fellowship). Pre-constructed frames are also available for $300, and sauna stoves are sold separately.