Sometimes the best adventures start with a simple question. When my two boys — aged 9 and 13 — asked if we could spend a night together in the forest, there was only one answer. A few hours later we were hiking into the woods with our packs, ready for an evening of campfire cooking, good conversations, and falling asleep to the sounds of the forest.
Setting Up Camp Under the Tarp#
We kept the shelter simple: a DD Tarp 3x3m in camo stretched between the trees. Three metres by three metres is just right for a father and two kids — everyone had enough room to spread out their sleeping bag without elbowing each other in the night. The boys helped with the guy lines while I got the ridgeline sorted. Having kids involved in the setup is half the fun; they learn knots, figure out tension, and feel a sense of ownership over the camp.
For sleeping we relied on our Carinthia TSS sleeping bags. The modular system is brilliant for trips like this — you can adjust layers depending on temperature, which is especially handy when kids tend to run warm one night and cold the next.
Once the tarp was up and the sleeping area sorted, it was time for the main event: fire and food.
Campfire Cooking: Dinner, Dessert and Breakfast#
The X-FIRE 19 served as our fire pit for the entire trip. It’s a solid, portable fire bowl that keeps the flames contained and gives you a stable platform for cooking. We had it burning within minutes, and the boys took turns feeding it small sticks — a task they took very seriously.
Dinner was straightforward and satisfying: thick-cut steak with beans, seared in the Stabilotherm hunter pan XL. The 28 cm pan handles campfire heat beautifully, and there’s enough surface area to cook for three hungry people without crowding the meat. The sizzle of steak over an open fire is one of those sounds that makes every outdoor trip feel special. The boys devoured their portions and asked for seconds — always a good sign.
After dinner, we let the fire settle into a bed of glowing coals. Then came the moment my youngest had been looking forward to all day: marshmallows. We skewered them alongside butter cookies — a combination that sounds unusual but works surprisingly well. The cookie gets warm and slightly soft while the marshmallow caramelises on the outside. Both boys agreed it was the highlight of the evening, and honestly, I wasn’t going to argue.
Breakfast the next morning was just as hearty. I fired up the X-FIRE again and cooked scrambled eggs with bacon and beans in the Stabilotherm pan. Hot coffee came from the SilverAnt Titanium Bushcraft Kettle, which heats water quickly and weighs next to nothing in the pack. While the eggs sizzled, the boys were already up and poking around the woods — collecting sticks, inspecting beetles, doing exactly what kids should be doing outdoors.
For processing firewood and clearing a few branches around camp, the Terävä Skrama 240 did its usual reliable job. It’s hefty enough to handle bigger wood but not so heavy that it slows you down on the hike in.
Waking Up in the Forest#
The real magic of a trip like this isn’t the gear or even the food — it’s waking up in the middle of the forest with your children. That moment when you open your eyes, see the trees above you through the open side of the tarp, and hear nothing but birdsong and the breathing of your kids beside you. No screens, no schedules, no noise. Just the forest.
My boys talked about that morning for days afterwards. The older one said it felt “like being in a movie.” The younger one just said he wanted to do it again next weekend. That’s the best feedback a dad can get.
You don’t need a remote wilderness or expensive equipment to give your kids a memorable outdoor experience. A patch of forest, a tarp overhead, a fire, and good food — that’s enough. The rest happens on its own.
If you want to watch the full tour, you can find the video here: https://youtu.be/XJ5f_kBlHMU.
