There are spots in the forest that make you stop mid-step and just stare. A wide clearing carpeted in thick, springy moss, surrounded by tall pines filtering the light into soft green columns — that’s exactly what my buddy Flo (@fitdad_flow85) and I found on this overnighter deep in the German woods. We both had the same shelter with us, and yet our setups couldn’t have been more different.
Setting Up Camp on the Forest Floor#
Flo was inaugurating his brand-new Carinthia Observer Plus — poles included, fully set up like a proper bivy tent. I, on the other hand, had conveniently forgotten my poles at home. So mine became a pure bivy sack for the night: sleeping pad inside, zip up, done. Honestly, it worked brilliantly. The Observer is so versatile that it functions perfectly either way — as a freestanding shelter or as a minimalist bivy. The moss underneath was so soft and cushioned that I didn’t miss a single gram of extra setup.
We picked our spots a few meters apart, rolled out our sleeping pads, and took a moment to appreciate the silence. No trails nearby, no traffic hum — just the occasional bird call and the creak of pine trunks in the breeze. Flo and I agreed: this was one of the best camp spots we’d found in a long time.
Steaks, Vegetables and Mulled Wine by the Fire#
Once the camp was sorted, we turned our attention to the important part — dinner. I set up the X-Fire 19 fire basket and got a proper fire going. The X-Fire is perfect for campfire cooking because it lifts the fire off the ground and creates a concentrated bed of embers exactly where you need them. With the fire blowpipe I brought the coals to a steady glow in no time.
While the embers settled, I started prepping: zucchini, leek, peppers — all sliced on the cutting board right next to the fire. The vegetables went into the Hunter’s Pan first, sizzling in a bit of oil over the open flame. The carbon steel pan holds heat beautifully and gives everything a proper sear. Once the veggies had some good colour, I set them aside and dropped two thick steaks into the same pan with garlic. The sound alone was worth the hike. A few minutes per side, resting on the board with a pinch of coarse salt — simple, rustic, and absolutely delicious.
We ate sitting on logs beside the fire, cutting into the steak with our knives, sharing the vegetables straight from the pan. Flo had brought mulled wine, which we warmed in a pot over the remaining embers. There’s nothing quite like sipping hot spiced wine next to a crackling fire in the cold evening air while the forest goes dark around you.
Morning Mist and a Quiet Walk Out#
I slept surprisingly well in the Observer bivy sack. The moss gave a gentle cushion, and the night stayed dry. Waking up to morning mist drifting between the pines, still zipped into the bivy with only my face exposed — that’s a feeling you can’t replicate indoors. Flo was already up, sitting next to the cold fire pit, enjoying the silence.
More impressions from camp
We packed up slowly, left the spot exactly as we’d found it — Leave No Trace, always — and hiked back through the misty morning forest. An overnighter like this doesn’t need to be complicated. Good company, a solid shelter, a hot meal, and a quiet spot in the woods. That’s all it takes.
