Why save all the fun for football games and downhill skiing?
By Matthew Ross
We created Wander North with a few intentions. To slow down a bit. To explore more of the place we call home. And, most importantly, to work with and promote the people who make the magic happen.
To go more places, we decided to build out our Jeep using as many homegrown brands as we could find. Go Overland Canada provided us with an incredible rooftop tent to use on our travels (which we lend out from time to time), paired with a fantastic rack and propane tank mounting system from ORO Racks.
We partnered with KUMA Outdoor Gear, who set us up with some of the best camping gear we’ve ever used and spawned the idea of our own take on a tailgating après.
Our version? Enjoy time with your friends, outdoors, after whatever activity floats your boat. We decided to test drive the idea with a group of mountain bikers from Collingwood.
The venue? A lovely parking lot setting at Three Stage in the Blue Mountains. The set-up? A KUMA grill and burner stove plus a two-burner propane stove, a camp kitchen, and a cooler full of ice-cold beverages.
And the menu? Well, that was the fun part. We started with our take on mac and cheese with hot dogs. Matty Matheson’s fantastically creamy Cracked Pep Pep is paired with sausages from local Good Family Farms. Crispy cauliflower bites, veggie skewers made from produce we picked up at the farmers’ market, and a variety of drinks, including Gingerbug and some Ontario cider options.
The key to enjoying a tailgate après is to do as much of the prep work as possible at home. You don’t have a ton of space working out of the back of a vehicle, so the less chopping and mixing in the parking lot, the better.
We prepped the mac and cheese and skewered the veggies in the kitchen, fired up the sausages on our BBQ, let it all cool and threw it in the cooler.
Keep the food light and fun. This isn’t supposed to feel like a lot of work to host. Unlike our friends to the south, this isn’t about building up excitement before the game. The idea is to create a comfortable, casual atmosphere post activity while your heart gets back to its resting rate.
Gear that works and is comfortable is key. You’d be surprised at how much space you will need when cooking, plating food, and getting the snacks and sauces out. We love KUMA’s Busy Bear Camp Kitchen for managing all the clutter, and their Lazy Bear heated seats make cold bums a thing of the past. Throw in their Fireside Stump and you’ve got yourself a table that doubles as a stool.
Invest in solid gear like this, and you can use it for camping, tailgating, overlanding, and weekend getaways year-round. Remember to respect the space you’re in, being mindful of noise and never leaving anything behind. Beyond that, get out there, get dirty, and have fun.