A Portable Wood-Fired Hot Tub for the Outdoors – First Look

It’s ‘a hot tub you can take anywhere’ according to the makers of this portable wood fired spa bath. Could this be the future of camping après?

The term ‘portable’ is definitely relative in the context of camping and hiking.

The ultra-portable Jetboil Minimo camping stove weighs 576g. This ‘portable’ hot tub weighs 27kg. 

So, if you have room in your hiking pack for the weight of 46 Jetboils, why not upgrade to this Portable Wood Fired Hot Tub?

It’s called ‘The Salty Barrel’ and it’s the ‘most portable hot tub on Earth’ according to its makers. The funny thing is, they’re probably not even wrong. Designed to fit four people it’s 150cm wide and 60cm tall.

Once the kilos start racking up on a single item of gear, let alone hit double digits, it becomes a piece of gear designed for car camping and most definitely not overnight hiking. 

However, the Salty Barrel is compact enough to fit into a car boot, so it’s not inconceivable to think you could take it on a road trip.

Whether you’d ‘set it up on a mountainside at sunset or at your remote campground’, is another story. But, it comes with a reasonably small carry bag that two people can manage for a short distance.

It’s designed to fit comfortably in your car or on one dromedary camel

How does it work?

Just two ingredients are required to run the Salty Barrel: water and wood. 

Where they expect you to source the water on a mountaintop or out in the bush is a big unanswered question. It’s called the ‘Salty Barrel’ so perhaps salt water is the answer when setting up near the ocean. It’s also unclear how many litres are required to fill the ole barrel, but you’re going to need more than a few camelbaks.

The tub features a stainless steel heating coil that’s designed to contain the wood fire (that they expect you to start, no questions asked). 

As the coil is heated, the water within it will rise and follow the spiral of the coil up and back into the tub. Meanwhile, cooler water is sucked from the bottom of the tub through another coil that takes it back to the fire for continual heating. The whole process takes care of itself without the use of any pumps.

How long does it take to heat?

Ignoring how long it’d take you to stuff around and get a roaring fire going (probably an hour plus), the Salty Barrel takes about two hours to heat to hot tub temps when the air temperature is above 15°C. 

Were you to fire it up between 0°C and 15°C, you can expect to wait a good two to three hours. 

So, how bad do you want to soak?

What’s included?

The hot tub itself is made of a heavy-duty, fire-resistant tarpaulin, and the whole kit comes with:

• Portable tub 
• Stainless steel heating coil 
• Fire resistant hoses 
• Quick connect fittings
• Tub lid
• 60L dry bag
• Thermometer 
• Carry bag

You can actually use the fire to cook over. Whether you combine marshmallows and snags is your call

Want one?

The Salty Barrel ships worldwide, the final catch is the cost… 

It retails for a cool (not hot) $1,350. So, you’ll be lugging it around a while before you get your money’s worth in my opinion.

Images thanks to Salty Barrel