How to Go Off-Grid With a Hot Tub

You’ve got an off-grid cabin tucked away in the wilds - or dreams of one - and you’re planning on making it the ultimate getaway. Part of your game plan includes creating a haven for relaxation and wellness featuring a wood fired hot tub, outdoor shower, and possibly a sauna too.

If the logistics of an off-grid hot tub sanctuary feels somewhat daunting, we’ve got your back with how to make it happen. Not only have GOODLAND team members set up their own wood burning hot tubs in the wilderness of Canada, but we also have all kinds of customers who have shared and thoughtfully documented their off-grid experiences. We’ll lean on these examples below.

Now let’s roll up our sleeves and get down on the fundamentals of making a relaxing sanctuary happen on your dream property—whether it be in a forest, desert, acreage, or on a remote island.

Requirements for a Wood Burning Hot Tub

Off-grid hot tub or not, you’ll need these five elements in place to produce a rewarding soak:

1. Level site with good drainage for tub placement, e.g. gravel, wood chips, grass
2. Water source nearby - fresh or sea water
3. Firewood - seasoned/dry local firewood or found wood 
4. Accessible location for a 5-ton truck to deliver the hot tub - it can then be transferred to a smaller vehicle to get it into your property
5. Accessible hot tub site for two people carrying the tub from the vehicle drop-off point (more on this below)

1 / Shipping & ‘Curbside’ Delivery

GOODLAND makes it easy to go off-grid with a wood stove hot tub by shipping everywhere in North America*. 

A five-ton truck delivers the hot tub to the ‘curb’, which translate to the entry point of your property’s road in the rugged outdoors. This is included in the shipping estimate, eliminating any mystery around how much shipping will cost to get the tub in your hands.

My First Cabin documents their hot tub delivery experience below:

The tub arrives on a pallet that's lowered down to the ground for you to receive and inspect. 

If your property is only accessible by boat, there are a few delivery options to consider. Send us a message to discuss the best one for your location.

2 / Minimal Packaging

Being mindful of environmental impact, the GOODLAND Wood Burning Hot Tub is minimally packaged. A cardboard carton protects it from scuffs during transport while keeping it lightweight and sustainable. All of the packaging - including the pallet - is recyclable or reusable except for the tape and rigid bands.

3 / Moving the Hot Tub to Your Site

A reasonably-sized hot tub and streamlined packaging allows the GOODLAND Wood Burning Hot Tub to fit in the back of a pickup truck or even a larger SUV for the last leg to its chosen home. 

We love Jonathan Kuhn’s footage around the logistics of receiving his GOODLAND Hot Tub—he slid the carton into his Honda Pilot. Watch it here: 

After unwrapping your hot tub, if you take five minutes to slide out the cedar slats from around the hot tub’s exterior and remove the six components from inside the tub, it’ll make the tub easy for two people to carry (it’ll weigh 125 lb or 57 kg, in case you’re curious).

4 / Placement of Your Hot Tub

Whether you’re seeking views or seclusion, you’ll want your wood fired hot tub on a level spot close to your water source and wood (especially in the winter). 

The footprint is relatively small at 91.5" l x 37" w x 28.5" h and is easily moved at a later date once drained—see how easy it is to move in this clip. Some customers like to shift their tubs around their site with the seasons. Keep in mind that you’ll need a spot that offers good drainage. We recommend grass, laying down gravel, or building a wood deck. 

A 20 ft drain hose and valve kit is included with the GOODLAND Hot Tub. The drain hose can be positioned on the side of the tub that works best for your site, while the sloped tub base assists with the quick drainage.

5 / Off-Grid Water Use

Use whatever water source is simplest. Fresh or salt water is safe to use in the GOODLAND aluminum-lined hot tub—the aluminum is marine grade, the same superior corrosion-resistant material used in shipbuilding and other transport vehicles.

If you have limited water access, it’s worth noting that the GOODLAND Hot Tub requires almost half the water of other wood burning tubs. Its unique size comfortably fits two adults and two small children in 975 litres or 258 gallons of 24” deep water.

It takes 35 minutes on average to fill with a hose.

For photographer Jonathan Kuhn’s lakeside off-grid hot tub in the video and snowy photo above, his first time using the hot tub was in the middle of winter and the lake - his water source - was frozen. After cutting a hole in the ice, he dropped in a submersible pump and ran 70 ft of hose, pumping water out of the lake for his GOODLAND Wood Burning Hot Tub with a generator. 

In the spring they moved the hot tub closer to their sauna and lake. Above Jonathan shows how they move the tub, level the ground, and develop a faster pumping system without a noisy generator. It’s a really cool solar-powered setup drawing lake water in half the time using a high volume 12v pump from the tub drain—at the flick of a switch, on a timer too. 

The GOODLAND Hot Tub takes 10 minutes to drain. Since the waste water is untreated by chemicals, it can be re-used on your off-grid property for irrigation.

6 / Low-Maintenance Materials 

The GOODLAND Wood Burning Hot Tub is crafted with the highest quality, enduring and eco friendly materials: marine grade aluminum and western red cedar. 

The beauty of the aluminum liner is that it makes the off-grid hot tub incredibly durable and easy to care for. When drained, give it a wipe down with a soft cloth. There’s no algae growth to grapple with nor the need for chemicals.

When not in use for a period of time, it’s highly recommended to drain the tub and keep it covered to avoid debris building up inside the empty tub.

Designed and built in Canada, our hot tub is meant for all-season use. It’s fully insulated and the material will weather beautifully, marked with the patina of time. You can expect years of idyllic soaks in your off-grid hot tub, and can pass down this experience through the generations. 

*We’re currently working on shipping beyond North America–check our shipping page for updates and always feel free to contact us with any specific questions.

Find more how-to tips in the Resources section of our Journal.

Image credits (top feature to bottom): Hideaway Creative, Scott Sporleder, Taylor Yates, Jonathan Kuhn, Rebecca Benoit, Jonathan Kuhn, Tristan Deggan, Jonathan Kuhn