Horsebox saunas
Towing a horsebox sauna: what vehicle do you need?
A horsebox sauna is the one build you can hitch up and take anywhere: a beach, a festival, a private booking. Sauna Box started that way, towing our own horsebox to the Norfolk coast. It is also the one people ask most about before they buy: what will pull it, will my licence cover it, and what happens in a muddy field? These are the answers from Tom Sutton, who has towed one for years.
The vehicle: bigger is nicer
Our horsebox saunas come in at around 1,800kg, which is within the towing limit of a lot of ordinary cars. Being allowed to tow it and enjoying towing it are different things, though, and Tom wouldn't recommend towing one with a small car.
There are two numbers to check in your vehicle's handbook, not one:
- Towing capacity (the braked figure): the heaviest trailer the vehicle may pull.
- Nose weight, sometimes called the towball limit: how much weight the tow bar can carry pressing down on it.
Some cars have plenty of towing capacity but a very low nose weight, so check both. Ask us for your unit's figures and put them side by side with your vehicle's before you buy either.
From my experience of towing the bigger the vehicle the nicer the towing experience
Licence, brakes and insurance
At around 1,800kg a horsebox sauna is a braked trailer: anything over 750kg has to be. A standard UK Category B licence covers towed loads up to 3,500kg (since December 2021), which fits our builds. You'll also want towing cover on top of your vehicle policy. The full list of what a sauna business needs is in our licensing and insurance guide.
If you haven't towed a trailer before, a short trailer-towing course is worth the day. It isn't expensive, and you come away having genuinely learned something.
Fields, mud and the case for a 4x4
Think about where you'll actually be pitching. A van will pull a horsebox sauna perfectly well on tarmac and gravel. A grass field after a few days of rain is another matter. Tom started with a van and switched to a 4x4 because he regularly had to ask for help after getting stuck.
If your plan is beaches, fields and festival sites, a 4x4 or any vehicle with proper off-road ability will save you a lot of embarrassing phone calls. If you'll mostly be on hard standing, a van or a large car is fine.
Fine in summer months but vans are next to useless in a muddy field
Arriving, setting up and leaving
- Chock the wheels, every time. On flat ground, with the chocks in and the ramp down, it isn't going anywhere.
- The handbrake: on a slope, on. On flat ground by the sea, Tom leaves it off, because brakes left on in salty air are much more likely to lock.
- Before you tow away, clear the embers into an ash bin, and check the door is fully shut and nothing inside can move.
Our video tutorials show pack-down and the daily checks step by step.
So, we use chocks on all of our saunas. Particularly if we’re on a flat surface.
How often will you actually tow it?
Here is the honest picture: almost every mobile sauna in the UK ends up working from one regular spot. Towing to a pitch and back adds an hour or more to each end of the day, and a regular site builds a regular crowd. The horsebox earns its keep for events, seasonal moves and simpler planning, and for the freedom to move if a site doesn't work out.
If you are still deciding between a horsebox and a container, our side-by-side comparison covers it.
Frequently asked questions
What vehicle do I need to tow a horsebox sauna?
One whose towing capacity and nose weight both cover the sauna. Our horsebox saunas are around 1,800kg, within many cars’ towing limits, but a bigger vehicle tows far more comfortably, and a 4x4 is the answer if you will pitch in fields.
How heavy is a horsebox sauna?
Ours come in at around 1,800kg, so it is a braked trailer. Ask us for your unit’s exact figures, including nose weight, before you choose a towing vehicle.
Can I tow a horsebox sauna on a normal car licence?
Yes. Since December 2021 a standard UK Category B licence covers towed loads up to 3,500kg, which fits our builds. You will also want towing insurance on top of your vehicle policy.
Can I tow a horsebox sauna with a van?
On roads and hard standing, yes. In a wet field, a van struggles: Tom switched from a van to a 4x4 after getting stuck too often. If you plan to pitch on grass, choose a 4x4.
Get started
Thinking about a horsebox sauna?
Tell us where you'd take it and what you'd tow it with. We'll tell you honestly whether it fits.
Tell us what it’s for and we’ll point you to the right next step.