Burtons Landing Winter Camping
So you got a bunch of new camping gear for Christmas.... Now What....
Well the answer for my Dad and I was head north for an overnight trip from December 28th to the 29th. We had both received some new gear during the holidays and we had some other items we had acquired during deer season that we still wanted to test out. We ended up with a high temp of about 32F and a low of about 20F and had about 6 inches of snow on the ground to deal with.
We both like the area and have fished the Au Sable River in the past, but had always visited in the warmer months. We had stopped into the small rustic campgrounds along the river to check them out and always wanted to camp there but Gates Au Sable Lodge is the usual go to (if you get a chance its a great lodge with some great people and a great little restaurant).
Since I had this dumb idea last minute and we figured we wouldn't be fighting for a camping spot anywhere this time of year we decided to give it a go. Our original plan was the campground at Keystone Landing, but drove through and we just weren't feeling that spot. Burtons Landing is a few minutes drive closer to Grayling, but the camp sites were a bit closer to the river. To top it off we found a good stash of leftover firewood in a campsite as well.
On this trip I wanted to try out my new Apex Solo Tent from Eureka, but since its a bit small for two people (hence the solo part) we also brought along my Dads 12' x 12' Cabela's Tent. My Dad also brought along a Mr Buddy Heater and a 10 lb tank of propane to keep him warm. His tent was also my plan B if I froze in my little tent.
I fully expected to freeze my unmentionables off in this little tent and end up in the heated lodge my Dad calls a tent. To my surprise I was actually quite comfortable for the night. I did research and prep a bit because I knew how much fun it was being unprepared for winter camping from previous experience. This time I had a Thermarest Z lite pad, a self inflating Thermarest pad, a Field and Stream 20F mummy bag, a fleece bag, and a bottle of water heated up on my camp stove to keep my feet toasty warm too. On top of this I also packed a fresh pair of long johns and wool socks only to be put on right before climbing into bed. As a back up plan to stay warm there was also the ever popular Pee Bottle standing by, though I didn't end up having to break it in yet.
After taking all those precautions I managed to have a very comfortable night. Even managed to hop out of bed in the morning and get some bacon and eggs cooking along with coffee, and got a fire going to boot.
Since this was the first test for the tent and a lot of my camp cooking equipment I plan on doing some reviews on those later once they have had some more use. For a first outing, especially in harsh temperature conditions all my gear did well. The only failure to report was my trusty Gerber Axe. Its a shorter Axe and has a handy little Saw in the handle. It was a great little piece of kit that lasted me years. Unfortunately the over molding around the head broke free a bit the first night and got some wood wedged between the plastic and the head. The next morning it all but gave up a couple strikes into a log. This little Axe lasted for years of hard use and had some good features along with being fairly lite weight.
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| Burtons Landing Campground (Image from Google Maps) |
We both like the area and have fished the Au Sable River in the past, but had always visited in the warmer months. We had stopped into the small rustic campgrounds along the river to check them out and always wanted to camp there but Gates Au Sable Lodge is the usual go to (if you get a chance its a great lodge with some great people and a great little restaurant).
Since I had this dumb idea last minute and we figured we wouldn't be fighting for a camping spot anywhere this time of year we decided to give it a go. Our original plan was the campground at Keystone Landing, but drove through and we just weren't feeling that spot. Burtons Landing is a few minutes drive closer to Grayling, but the camp sites were a bit closer to the river. To top it off we found a good stash of leftover firewood in a campsite as well.
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| Eureka Apex Solo Tent |
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| Cabela's 12' x 12' Tent |
On this trip I wanted to try out my new Apex Solo Tent from Eureka, but since its a bit small for two people (hence the solo part) we also brought along my Dads 12' x 12' Cabela's Tent. My Dad also brought along a Mr Buddy Heater and a 10 lb tank of propane to keep him warm. His tent was also my plan B if I froze in my little tent.
I fully expected to freeze my unmentionables off in this little tent and end up in the heated lodge my Dad calls a tent. To my surprise I was actually quite comfortable for the night. I did research and prep a bit because I knew how much fun it was being unprepared for winter camping from previous experience. This time I had a Thermarest Z lite pad, a self inflating Thermarest pad, a Field and Stream 20F mummy bag, a fleece bag, and a bottle of water heated up on my camp stove to keep my feet toasty warm too. On top of this I also packed a fresh pair of long johns and wool socks only to be put on right before climbing into bed. As a back up plan to stay warm there was also the ever popular Pee Bottle standing by, though I didn't end up having to break it in yet.
Since this was the first test for the tent and a lot of my camp cooking equipment I plan on doing some reviews on those later once they have had some more use. For a first outing, especially in harsh temperature conditions all my gear did well. The only failure to report was my trusty Gerber Axe. Its a shorter Axe and has a handy little Saw in the handle. It was a great little piece of kit that lasted me years. Unfortunately the over molding around the head broke free a bit the first night and got some wood wedged between the plastic and the head. The next morning it all but gave up a couple strikes into a log. This little Axe lasted for years of hard use and had some good features along with being fairly lite weight.
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