Pacific Off-Roaders 4 X 4 Club CAMPING STUFF
Sauna Making it All Fit ... 
. Guide to Winter Camping ... First Aid ...
- Camping list
I thought I'd throw in this camping list that we've been using for the past few years...please note that some of the articles won't be required if you happen to live in a wonderfully warm climate year round! Hopefully it can save some headaches for those of us who often forget to pack one or two things!
After a long day of driving down a dusty trail or to relieve an aching back from the jarring of off-roading, nothing beats a nice hot sauna. We've been building these as almost a ritual the last few years. All you need is a nice size tarp (min 20'x20'), some rocks, water and a nice big fire. I guess the first part would be to build a structure. The size and shape of this depends on your surroundings, as well as how many people will take part. We've built them with a floor space large enough to fit 10 people and small enough for two people. In any case, you want the roof line to be low (about 4' high) so that you're not wasting any heat up high. Basically, you're building a tent with a tarp and five poles(four corners and a center pole). We've also built them by tying rope to three or four trees and draping the tarp over the rope. The floor space has to allow for the amount of people plus a "rock pit" to place the hot rocks on (you don't want the hot rocks to touch the ground due to the possibility of smoke from roots or whatever other debris). Once you've draped the tarp over your "frame" be sure to tuck the tarp's edges over using sand or rocks to make a good seal. Also ensure you have left yourself a door way that is sealable the whole enclosure as to be as air tight as possible. It will take a bit of experimenting to find the best structure. As for the rocks, you want to stay away from the "earthy" types - they give off an almost sulphur smell which isn't very much fun after a few beers. Also stay away from using slate as it explodes, unless of course you like dodging shrapnel. Granite is the best rock and probably the only rock we use now. It just crumbles when you pour the water on it. You're going to need 5 to 8 rocks about 6" in diameter or bigger. In this case, bigger is better. Get your fire really big and hot and start placing the rocks so that they'll get covered by the coals. It will take a few hours to heat them up to red hot. In the mean time, get at least a five gallon container of fresh water ready in the sauna along with a cup. When the rocks are ready, remove them with a shovel and definetly wear work gloves-these rocks are very hot. Place the rocks on the rock pit that you prepared under the tarp - it might take a few trips. Tell everybody to get in and close the doorway behind them making sure that it's sealed. Using the cup, pour the water on the rocks SLOWLY as the rocks are hot enough to steam everyone out of there, so take your time. We usually jump into a lake after being in the sauna - it's a shock but is refreshing. It's also a good idea to place a few lanterns around the area so that you have plenty of light. PLEASE REMEMBER SAFETY FIRST the rocks are very hot......... The first time we were shown this it was about -2 celsius (below 35deg. F). We thought they were nuts, but once they persuaded us to join them there was no turning back, and yes we did jump into the lake that time too. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!
