Seasoned winter campers, David and Leah Jackson, take you through the set up of an Esker Tent and share the quiet moments in the hot tent after the work is done.
This timelapse video is a great tool for beginners to see how to properly set up their new Esker Tent and how to tear down efficiently.
Enjoy winter camping and hot tenting responsibly!
]]>The season has so quickly become the moments we cherish, those of warm stoves, glowing canvas, the aromatic balsam which represents so much of what we love about winter; hot tenting. In an instant, toboggans glide along snow following the trail of snowshoes, strings are fastened to poles, and the familiar is comfort in an otherwise uncomfortable place.
Leah gathers boughs in the trees behind our campsite, Hugo, the Newfie yellow lab who can’t fit in a canoe, trails along as a sporting companion. I work at securing the tent corners by freezing the webbing into the snow, then I raise the tent and secure the guy lines.
Before the stove is set, Leah and Hugo are spreading the forest as it slowly becomes our floor, mostly Hugo chews on the twigs.
Before long, the crackle of burning wood is our anthem, the warmth returns to our faces and fingers, and even if the lure of the outdoors gnaws at our adventurous sprits, for now we just lay and enjoy. The work until this moment slips away and gone are the labours of winter trail, the cold of short days, the wind on unseasoned skin. Our little tent is hot now, our energies rekindling, tomorrow we will fish, wander, eat, and enjoy winter, but for now, canvas, wood heat, and balsam are enough.
Leah and I have learned so much in three winters travelling throughout the cold northwestern Ontario winters together. From overnighters to three week, multi hundred kilometre trips, we’ve time again been transfixed by what winter brings to us, a certain sense of satisfaction and challenge that summer misses.
Winter is a time where simple tasks are hard, not frustrating like a summer cloud of black flies, but danger veiled in north winds and arctic temperatures. Tightening ropes with mitts, evaluating changing ice conditions, understanding temperatures and their effect on snow conditions as they relate to walking and pulling toboggans, there’s so many variables that become heightened by frugal weather. Through it all, Leah and I have built a relationship that is so much stronger throughout the complexities of travelling. At days end, when we find ourselves, after a hard day, or an easy day, in the same tent, by the same stove, enjoying the same tea with the same warmth, this shared revival is not motivation to travel another day, rather discipline to know that we have arrived to a place on our own power that together, we need the same power to get ourselves out of.
Esker Tents and wood stoves are freedom to rebuild your relationship with winter, they are the opportunity to set up near to home, invite family and friends, and enjoy the simple rewards that we feel sitting on, or near, the frozen earth.
Furthermore, hot tents are the freedom to roam further, to challenge yourself, and know that at days end you’ll be able to warm up, dry out, and tell stories not through shivered voices. I hope this season that everyone who dreams of winter finds themselves sleeping on boughs, cozy beside the wood stove, transfixed by dancing flickers of flames on the canvas.
Happy trails.
_ David Jackson
]]>For David and I, the adventure begins when we look at a map of canoe routes. We imagine the portages between lakes, we consider the fish hiding under thick ice, and then we imagine pulling our sleighs over those trails, our snow shoes leading the way through the frozen land. Our favourite summer campsites are traded for the shelter of dense balsam stands, their aromatic boughs soon to become our bed. I love the way winter forces us to be a better couple because every task requires a little more teamwork and good communication. From standing up the tent, guying out the ropes, and readying fire wood, the bed of boughs is the final step in making our cozy winter escape.
When we light the stove, that’s when the magic of winter camping is my real life dream. So quickly it doesn’t matter how cold it is outside, or that darkness is setting in for a long night, because the orange glow of the stove dances on the tent fabric and there’s water for tea about to boil. The aroma of wood smoke and green needles is so peaceful. We read and sip tea, then David starts to make dinner, and the smell makes our mouths water. In a moment, we reflect on the memory of the days adventure in to camp. We talk about how rewarding it is to dream of a winters escape and to actually be here, cozy in our Esker, clothes drying above our heads, beating winters blues one stick of firewood at a time.
When I wake in the morning, David’s up before me, he’s lit the stove, and soon I smell coffee. In summer we sleep so close to the earth, birdsong filling the world with noise, but in the winter we sleep above the frozen land, the silence only broken by the lakes groaning as it sluggishly makes ice, our frozen highway for exploring. Dawning our warm layers, slipping into moccasins, sheltering in our big parkas, we begin the day with vigour and excitement from the nights rest. A short distance out front of our camp, we cut holes in the ice and soon there’s trout tugging at our lines, our dinner from the depths.
David and I might love the reward of hard work, but it’s the connection we feel to the land which brings us closer to one another. Without our portable cabin in the woods, an Esker tent, I wouldn’t enjoy winter as much as I do. Between the nights sky, the cold wind at my cheeks, and the warm bed on shore, I love winter camping. That’s a story to tell my dad, and it’s not nearly as cold as I imagined.
_ Leah Maki, Northern Ontario
]]>As a family who lives in Northern Alberta, we have to get creative when it comes to winter activities. For us, purchasing an Esker Tent was a no brainer. Not only would we use this tent for hunting, but we knew the whole family would be able to enjoy this, even out on the farm.
We went with the Esker Classic and are happy to announce that it fit a family of four, along with two dogs very comfortably. The set-up is also easy enough with one adult, but kids love little jobs... so we put them to work! We involve the kids by having them help find the right tree poles, shovel snow, and pack firewood.
Not only do you stay nice and toasty in the tent, cooking on the Esker stove is a DREAM. You can boil water, cook eggs & bacon, and use it just as well as the stove top in your home.
For activities, we play cards, Ellie draws, and Jack… plays trucks all over the tent. Our nighttime experiences are always just as fun, much like summer camping; late nights, giggly children, and spooky bedtime stories.
If you’re second guessing yourself when thinking about buying an outfitters tent... STOP. The Esker is a high-quality tent the whole family will be able to enjoy, comfortably. Embrace all of our Canadian seasons!
_Lindsey Hill - Edson, Alberta
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