Hiking baths: features, types and making their own hands

Bath - a room in which to wash, as well as steaming, heating for this air to high temperatures. Characteristics of a particular type of bath vary depending on the cultural and national characteristics of the area in which they are settled.

There are marching variations of baths, distinguished by their compactness and versatility. Depending on the situation, ready-made camping models can be used, as well as home-made modifications.

The walking bath is a portable tent with a stove. Tourist modification of such a bath is a complete structure, which, if desired, can be laid down to a compact size, which makes it extremely mobile when transporting over long distances.

Ready portable bath is equipped with a device that can act as a furnace and allows you to heat its internal space.

The furnace of such a bath is different from the traditional model. Its design provides for the space used for laying stones. Stones laid in a special lattice groove are heated by transferring heat from the main body of the furnace.

The shop variant of the camp bath within the framework of one or another model complete set provides for the following components.

• Metal carcass, whose configuration is determined by the characteristics of a particular model.
• Covering canvas, made in the form of the frame. It is made of non-combustible or non-combustible materials, for example, a cotton thread impregnated with a fireproof water-repellent solution.
• Forgery - special fabric, repeating the shape of the frame, separating the inner space from the outer leaf (provided for a complete set of specific models of bath tents).
• Various fasteners: cords, wedges and others.

The market of travel accessories offers a wide range of models of hiking baths, differing in a number of individual characteristics. Their main difference from each other is the capacity parameters, which are determined by the value of the useful internal space.

The structure and functionality of field baths are identical to those of their stationary counterparts. Their main distinguishing feature is the availability of the use of available materials collected in the area of ​​the tourist parking.

The undeniable advantage of a self-made hiking bath is the ability to use scrap materials, most of which are in sufficient quantity in any household. DThis fact causes a significant reduction in the cost of construction.

However, in comparison with the store versions, home-made analogues have several disadvantages. Among them is the need for manual preparation of the material for the assembly of the frame, which may be complicated by the peculiarities of a particular area (lack of vegetation, its unsuitability and other factors). Besides, assembling a homemade bath-tent will take a large amount of time allotted to rest.

The main purpose of mobile baths is to provide an opportunity to wash and steam in the field. They are indispensable during long-distance tourist crossings and long stays in the wilderness. When used properly, the camp sauna allows for warming, toning and even therapeutic procedures.

The impact of heated air and hot steam has a positive effect on the physical and psychological state of a person, which is very important during his stay in field conditions. A visit to a portable bath leads to relaxation of the muscles of the body, relieving fatigue, and a positive effect on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems.

While inside the field bath, the use of field and forest plants and branches with medicinal properties, such as coniferous paws or birch twigs, is allowed. They are soaked in hot water, they cover the floor inside the bath or hold over the steam rising from the hot stones.

Recently, a positive opinion has been formed among the users of marching baths in relation to some of their manufacturers.

Bath-tents produced by this company are characterized by simplicity of design, compactness and functionality. Their distinctive feature is the possibility of operation without the use of the factory frame.

For the assembly of the support frame of such a bath, you can use the available materials - wooden poles, made from tree branches growing within the tourist camp. The presence of this feature provides a reduction in the total weight of cargo carried by tourists manually, and saving free space in the cargo compartment of transport.

The Nova Tour bathhouse is equipped with a special combustion compartment, the fabric walls of which are protected by a non-flammable material. The oven itself is not provided for a complete set of tents of this series.

The company specializes in the manufacture and sale of handkerchief, hiking baths and other tourist equipment. The range of bath tents offered by her is extremely wide.

On the shelves of tourist shops can be found folding, backpack and universal modifications of the Mobiba baths, equipped with and without stove equipment, with one or more windows, single-layer, two-layer; in the form of a cube, a triangle and a semi-cylinder, and also winter or summer options. Besides, a variety of assortment is complemented by many different colors.

Models manufactured under brands are less popular, but not less functional. "Walrus" and "Beach". They differ in price acceptability and decent quality.

To choose a bath for tourism, it is necessary to consider several determining factors. Parameters of the purchased bath should meet the requirements of capacity, safety and functionality.

Each mini-bath is made with the calculation of the amount of free internal space, intended for its use by a certain number of people at a time. Knowing this will help determine its spaciousness.

In addition to the free space intended for people, the camping bath is equipped with a technological compartment. In its perimeter, a stove, a tank for stones, a firebox, and the necessary bath accessories are installed.

When you purchase a finished bath It is important to pay enough attention to the safety standards with which it is responsible. The presence inside the marching bath of a source of increased danger - a hot furnace or hot stones, suggests the occurrence of a fire hazard situation.

The functionality of the camp bath of a particular model determines the degree of comfort of its use. The presence of additional devices - seats, opening windows, special flooring, shelves, hangers and others, is welcome.

The material from which the metal frame of the tent is made, if any, must have an adequate margin of safety. Anodized coating of metal components is considered an advantage.

In some cases, the choice may be determined by the coloring of the surface of the canvas of the tent. For example, for hunters, a forest-style color will suit, and for ordinary tourists - in bright and catchy tones.

Preparation for the autographic assembly of the bathing tent begins before the campaign. It is necessary to calculate its size and quantity of materials that will be used.

Tent dimensions are calculated based on the number of people who will use it at the same time. In most cases, the optimal size assumes 2-3 places inside. With a larger number of them will need more materials for the manufacture, time and resources for the arrangement and heating.

Based on the data on the number of people, a drawing of the future bath-tent is drawn up. It should indicate the dimensional parameters of individual parts of the structure and the total size of its dimensions. The prepared drawing is placed in a package that can prevent it from getting wet, and is taken along on the hike.

The bulk of materials of construction are mined on site - in field conditions, however, some of them must be prepared before the campaign.

Covering cloth made from polyethylene. For the procurement of this material in the hardware store purchased a segment of dense film, the length of which will be sufficient to cover the precast frame. This takes into account the fact that store film sold in half folded form. On the site of the tourist parking it can be deployed, which will provide an opportunity to cover twice the area.

Fasteners are prepared. In their quality can act scotch, twine, wire and others. They fasten the individual parts of the frame. The preference of these fasteners is due to their low cost and ease of installation.

To build a field bath with your own hands, you will need a minimum set of tools - an ax, a knife, a mini-handsaw, a shovel and others.

Immediately before assembly, wood poles are prepared. They can be cut from long, relatively straight branches. The length of the poles should exceed the height of the future structure by 0.25-0.5 m. This is necessary in order to compensate for the lack of height that can occur after driving poles into the ground. The optimum height of the finished product is 1.5 m. Exceeding this value will lead to an increase in the internal space, therefore, to an increase in the duration of the heating period and the expenditure of a larger amount of covering polyethylene.

Four poles of 2 m are driven into the ground to a depth of 0.5 m, forming a quadrilateral.Their tops are interconnected by other poles using tape, wire or rope (in this case, tape is preferable, since it can be used to soften the sharpness of the corners of the connections of the poles). The result should be a cube or parallelepiped, the faces of which are wooden sticks.

On one side they are connected to the corner vertices of a cube or parallelepiped, and on the other edge they rest on the ground. Due to this, the effect of expansion of the bath is achieved, providing free space for laying stones. This space is separated from the main perimeter of the internal area, which contributes to the comfort and safety of operation.

The frame is covered with a film. It is important to be careful, since the gap of polyethylene can lead to significant heat loss.

The edges of the film, which lie on the ground around the frame, are pressed down with stones or a felled tree trunk cleared of knots and sharp branches. Other parts of the film coating are fastened with pegs or paper clips. This will reduce heat leakage and prevent the integrity of the skin from being compromised in the presence of wind, rain or other external factors.

To provide additional convenience, a recess is dug into the floor of the process compartment into which the stones will be laid. Its depth depends on the number of stones. The presence of this recess will provide protection from the effects of heat on the film, as well as reduce heat loss.

The side of the frame on which the entrance to the bathhouse will be located is arranged in such a way that it is convenient to open and close the film in this place. Clamping devices are also used to fix it in the closed position.

Ensuring the use of the bath in nature in the best way will help compliance with some recommendations.

It is advisable to set a tent bath near a reservoir - a lake or river. The close location of the water will make it possible to turn a visit to the bath not only into a necessity, but also into a useful rest. This fact is explained by the use of contrasting temperature changes affecting the human body.

An organism heated by a hot bath steam, dipped into cold water, undergoes an emergency cell restructuring process, which has a beneficial effect on the general physical condition and has a tonic effect.

The short distance between the bath and the reservoir will allow you to avoid the prolonged presence of heated people within the limits of the impact of drafts and greatly simplify the process of visiting the forest steam room. In addition, while staying inside it is necessary to use enough water to create steam and maintain the temperature at the required level.

It is recommended to place the bath on a flat surface overgrown with grass. To prevent unpleasant situations, the possibility of sharp stones, twigs or branches falling into the perimeter of the internal space is excluded.

The presence of the herbal layer will provide a soothing and massage effect that will make the rest even more pleasant and rewarding. To enhance this effect, it is recommended to cover the floor of the bath with branches of coniferous trees, birch or oak. The enzymes contained in their leaves have a relaxing and healing effect on the human body. If there is high bush or grass vegetation in the area where the bath tent is installed, it should be removed.

When using a homemade bath structure, the stones are heated outside its perimeter.This is because the installation of the furnace in a plastic case without the risk of ignition or melting is extremely difficult. Given this fact, the place for heating stones settles down at some distance from the steam room.

The stones are heated as follows: the stone house is surrounded by a large amount of dry wood. The better their burning proceeds, the faster the stones will heat up to the desired temperature.

Stone properties must meet safety standards. They should not burst when heated and quenched. These parameters correspond to river stones. Sandstone is not strongly recommended.

The size of individual stones should be medium, since too small ones imply the necessity of spending a large amount of time on moving them to the technical compartment of the tent. The use of too large stones is associated with the subsequent difficulty of carrying them in a heated state.

To move the hot stones from the fire to the bath, it is necessary to prepare special tools. They can be a metal bucket, a road or a shovel, a wood goat, an improvised stretcher, or something similar.

During the installation of a homemade bath and its subsequent operation It is important to adhere to generally accepted safety standards. As a precautionary measure, you can prepare and hold nearby a water tank designed to extinguish an uncontrollable fire, or a car fire extinguisher.

How to make a camp bath with your own hands, see the next video.