The moment the weather turns a bit north of zero I start dreaming about being outside. Outside in the park, outside in the backyard, outside in the forest, outside somewhere else.

I used to have a tent in my backyard growing up. We’d never go camping, but we would drive out to a park, and make food on a fire. Like me, my mom liked (and still likes) making a fire - and we get really into it. It’s a deep point of pride when it works out the way we wanted it to.

I also spent regular summers in the woods at summer camp with a mix of cabin sleeping and tent sleeping, and I’m hoping to help fill our small human’s life with those experiences as well. I enjoyed them while I was there, and I look back on those times quite fondly.

This year, the first of our outdoor adventures was at Point Pelee National Park. We rented one of their Otentiks for most of the week and just enjoyed the birds and the sounds of not-so-distant lake erie lapping at the nearby beach.

When it comes to Otentiks, they all basically look the same. But some of them have extra bonus parts that are neat - the ones at Point Pelee have indoor heating (either gas or wood), all come with cooking utensils and equipment (like cutlery, pots and pans, plates, cups, and bowls, and more) which makes it possible to pack a bit lighter. It felt quite luxurious, even compared to our last Otentik visit along the Trent Severn Waterway (where there wasn’t heat or supplies.)

The Otentiks also have mattresses inside, so all you need to bring is a sleeping bag or your bedding of choice. The mattresses are mostly twin size with a double size on the top bunk, so they can fit standard sheet sizes if you want to go that route.

We had a wonderful time running through the forest and pathways around the camp site. I enjoyed walking up to hundreds of birds singing their special songs. Our son loved the wagons we used to move our camp gear to the car, and to wash dishes. There was something for all of us.

The Campsite was within walking distance of lake Erie so we got to see some incredible sunsets a few times during our visit.