EXPERIENCE THE
OUTDOORS
OUTDOORS
Featuring: iKamper, Isle Paddle Boards, Dometic, Coastal Offroad, Ooni and Denver Outfitters.
Wellington lake is a privately owned lake and campground which is open to the public year-round and was the first stop on our car camping trip through the Colorado high country.
Whether you’re interested in an overnight stay or a fun day trip, Wellington Lake is the perfect venue for fly fishing, off-roading and car-camping. After driving from Fort Collins, Colorado to Wellington Lake we were ready to pop the iKamper X-Cover roof top tent and set up camp. The X-cover’s design eliminates the bulky pvc cover of traditional roof top tents and saves time to be able to assemble the tent in less than 3 minutes. After the first use of the X-Cover it was clear why this roof top tent won the Overland Journal’s coveted Editor’s Choice Award and was also a finalist in the Outdoor Retailer’s Innovation Awards.
The best part about the X-Cover roof top tent is the king-size 2.5” high-density memory foam mattress that can sleep a family of 2 adults & 2 children or up to 3 adults. We slept 4 adults in it comfortably for one night. The X-Cover’s double Sky-view windows offer extra light and fresh air circulation by day, and a view of the stars at night. Wellington Lake offered a great car camping campsite with waterfront access to fulfill our stand up paddle boarding and fly fishing itch.
– Weight: 120lbs / 55kg
– Size (closed): 46“ x 76″ x 14.2″ / 194cm x 119cm x 36cm (including X-Cover cross bars)
– Size (open): 91″ x 76″ x 46″ / 230cm x 194cm x 119cm
– Capacity: 3 adults / 2 adults & 2 children
– Crossbar load rating: 65lbs / 30kg
– Fabric: 300GSM poly-cotton canvas + polyester rain fly
– Floor: honeycomb aluminum panels
– Mattress: high density memory foam (2.5″ / 6.5cm)
– Distance between cross bars: 29.5″ / 75cm
– Cross bar length: 31.5″ / 80cm
The best part about the trip was that it happened to be my birthday and having the Dometic CFX 75DZW 12v Electric Powered Portable Cooler, Fridge Freezer connected to the Dometic PLB40 Portable Battery was clutch. Keeping the battery running while the car is turned off keeps it ice cold while the car is turned off. We kept the fridge at negative three degrees and we were able to have ice cream cake and ice cream kept cool during our overloading adventure.
The next morning offered us sunshine and no wind so we unloaded the ISLE 2019 Sportsman Inflatable Fishing Paddle Board and we paddled out to get some relaxation and fly fishing on the ISLE SUP. The day was perfect and we had some time to read, fish and chat while on the water.
After Wellington Lake we packed up and headed to meet up with some friends to camp in Breckenridge, Colorado. The campsite was up a back road where a close friend had a hunting tag for archery season. There were some very technical maneuvers to get into the campsite giving my 4th generation 4runner a run for its money. Luckily my Coastal Off-road front bumper provides high clearance for anything the Colorado High Country will throw it’s way. The Low profile design is engineered to provide maximum ground clearance and complements the factory body lines – this bumper protrudes less than 4″ from the center of the grill allowing freedom to run clean and simple lines while off-roading. While overlanding in the Colorado Rocky Mountains you can become limited with the clearance and capacity of your vehicle. Mounting the low profile front bumper was the best decision I made to be able to take on whatever Colorado backroads have to offer. The Coastal Offroad Front bumper comes packed with many options to build it unique to your build. The Coastal Offroad Fab offers many different light options as well as a winch mount option that can be customized in a number of ways. This front bumper has to one of my personal favorites because it offers the same functionality of other front bumpers without having to break the bank.
At our campsite in Breckenridge we had the best pizza ever using our Ooni Koda Gas-Powered Outdoor Pizza Oven. Packing all our pizza making supplies in the Dometic Fridge we were ready for our first backcountry pizza party. Using propane and the The Original Tailgater Tire Table we set the Ooni grill up and we prepared our favorite pizza recipe.
Pizza recipe: Marinara base, pepperoni, Tillamook Mozzarella, green chiles and cream cheese.
The pizza was perfect and after a quick pizza prep and bake time we were eating warm thick crust pizza in the back country within 20 minutes!
After hanging at camp with friends in Breckenridge we traveled South to Buena Vista, Colorado and spent time off-roading in the Collegiate Peaks. The Collegiate Peaks is a name given to a section of the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains located in central Colorado. Drainages to the east include headwaters of the Arkansas River. The Collegiate Peaks include some of the highest mountains in the Rockies. Mt Harvard, towers at 14,421 ft in elevation and is the tallest of all 14ers in the Collegiate Peak mountain range.
In Colorado, there’s no need to settle for an average campsite. Whether it’s a one-night stopover after a long day’s hike or a base camp for a few days of fishing or relaxation in the mountain air, you’ve worked hard to get there and might as well enjoy it. Buena Vista is an off-roading paradise holding some of the most unique outdoor access. The public land access for hopping on the road, finding a public camping spot is limitless. Having the ability to car camp is the most versatile means of accessing unique locations throughout the high country.
