Experience Winter Overlanding at The ChillOut
Overlanding rigs, campfires, good friends, and a snowy landscape made for a fun first edition of The ChillOut.
Put on by OverlandNTH, The ChillOut, held February 10th to 12th, was billed as a winter camping get-together for overlanders. The Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) in Bowmanville served as the location for the event, with a camping area among the trees and a view of one of the tracks (not that anything was happening there in February). It was a chance for local overlanders to do something quintessentially Canadian and go camping in the winter.
We arrived at CTMP around 5:30 on Friday night and set up next to some great neighbours. Overlanders tend to be a friendly and welcoming group of people, which helps when you’re setting up next to people you haven’t met. With the sun going down the snow was hardening up and there was a chill in the air. It was also windy. So windy that I had to fight with the side tent for our teardrop trailer while it tried to take off like a kite.
After getting camp set-up, we met up with a friend and toured the site to check out some of the rigs. As usual for these events, there were plenty of campfires to hang around.
For us, the weekend was really about relaxing and testing out some new gear, like our diesel heater. We did some reading, took the dogs for walks, ate good food, chatted with our neighbours, and got to spend time with friends.
A donut competition provided some good entertainment on Saturday afternoon, while Saturday evening featured prizes and giveaways around the campfire, followed by a chili dinner.
On Sunday morning we said our goodbyes and packed up early so we could grab breakfast at McDonalds, something I owed Darrell after a rather disastrous trip we’d had a few weeks before.
SHOULD YOU ATTEND?
If you love to go overlanding (aka car camping), or are just getting into it, attending an overlanding event is a great way to get inspiration and advice, and to meet others that like the same thing as you. OverlandNTH is organized by an incredible group of people who know how to put on a fun event.
The ChillOut is unique in that it’s a winter camping experience, and that requires a little bit more gear and prep. There’s no better way to try out winter camping for the first time, than to be surrounded by a group of helpful people who are more than happy to lend you gear, help you troubleshoot if needed, and thaw out your frozen water containers.
Finally, my favourite thing about these events is that they’re dog-friendly. We tried camping without the dogs once last year and it felt all sorts of wrong. They love being with us on these adventures. Just be sure that your dog is dressed for the weather or used to being out in the cold.
If you’re interested in attending an overlanding event, OverlandNTH will be hosting The Gathering at Albion Hills in June, and The Rally in Muskoka in September. Be sure to check them out!
Read about our time at The Gathering in this post.
argosgirl
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