Mobile Sauna Trailer
Introduction: Mobile Sauna Trailer
Don't want to spend over 3,000$ on a new sauna? You want to build your future sauna exactly the way you want? Then, a portable sauna trailer might be what suits your needs best. We did it. And so can you!
Our story begins in winter 2019 when we came up with the idea of having a sauna next to our little lake in the woods. In Germany law is rather strict when it comes to buildings outside a residential area. Therefore our sauna had to be mobile.
You can visit the German blog here.
Step 1: Getting Started
After some research it was clear that the basis had to be a trailer which is big enough to carry the sauna. To save some money I made a deal with my neighbor. He was happy to give me his old trailer for free. In return we’ll share the sauna when it’s finished.
If you don’t have a neighbor that is as friendly as mine, buying a used trailer is a cheap way to get the basis for your sauna. Keep in mind that the size of the trailer determines how large your sauna will be. To give you an idea: Our trailer’s dimensions on the
* Outside are: (L x W) 311 x 168cm or 66 x 122 inch
* Inside are: (LxWxH) 146 x 289 x 208cm or 57 x 113 x 82 inch
The next question to answer: Is your traile’s maximum weight enough to carry your sauna? To be on the safe side, I recommend a larger trailer with 2 axes which often have a maximum weight of over two tons. If you think your sauna might exceed the maximum weight, it is advisable to make a quick calculation how much your materials weigh.
Step 2: What Helped Us With the Planning
To keep the costs low, we cut the wood planks out of a log with an alaskan sawmill.
Here are some questions that helped us with the planning:
How should the room be laid out?
Here is how we did it: The door is located on the back of our trailer. When you enter the room, the Harvia stove will be to your left. The room is fitted with two benches, large enough for two adults to lie comfortably.
* Do you want your sauna to have a window? On the opposite side of the door is a double window I kept from the last renovation of our home. 428
Unfortunately one of the two windows cracked a little bit because it isn’t made for sauna temperatures, but it’s still usable.
* Do you prefer a stove or an electric heater? The three questions to ask yourself are: Do you have electricity where your trailer sauna will operate? Do you prefer the pleasant heat and atmosphere of a wood stove or the quick electric heaters? Do you have firewood available?
* What kind of isolation material do you want to use? You could do it like us and choose a mineral wool. (Glass wool in our case) Or you could use Cork, Hemp or Polyester insulation.
Step 3: Isolation
Since we built the sauna outdoors, we had to cover the roof with a tarp. In the picture (Step 1) you can see the metal frame that already came with the trailer and provided a great foundation for the walls and the roof. Keep in mind that the stove needs a safety distance from the walls because of the heat. It is barely noticeable at this stage, but if you look closely you can see where the double window will be located. We definitely needed that window to enjoy the view on our little lake during the sweating experience.
The wall is built in the following order:
* Wooden interior cladding
* Aluminum "barrier" between interior cladding and insulating material
* Insulation material (in our case glass wool)
* Roofing underlay
* Exterior cladding made of wood
We realized the interior lining with self-sawn boards to get a "rustic outdoor look". The insulation material is normal glass wool. The aluminum layer can be seen in the photo below. It prevents moisture from penetrating the insulation. The reason why roof underlayment is important is that it’s open to diffusion. You can think of it as a jacket that lets moisture out, but doesn't let moisture in. On the outside, the roof underlay is covered with wood for the optimal Finnish sauna look.
Step 4: Stove-Setup
When choosing a heating system, we wanted to install a wood stove in our self-built sauna for two reasons. First, we don’t have electricity on our recreational property. Second, we like the atmosphere of a wood stove much more than that of an electric stove. 428