A night in a lean-to: your first night outdoors?
Spending a night in a lean-to by the campfire has a real atmosphere to it. A lean-to is a good place for your first night out, and an easy first step if you want to turn day hikes into overnight trips.
You'll find lean-tos along hiking trails, including routes maintained by towns and municipalities and at sites run by Metsähallitus (Parks & Wildlife Finland), such as national parks. Hiking has grown in popularity, and these days you'll rarely have a lean-to to yourself and your group. Be considerate of others: don't take over the whole shelter, and if you're staying the night, always bring your own shelter. If others are using the lean-to, you'll be glad you can pitch your own a little way off to the side.
Lean-tos usually have a fire pit where the landowner permits fires. During forest and grass fire warnings, however, fires are only allowed in places with a flue or chimney. These are usually marked separately if lighting a fire is permitted.
It's worth practising fire lighting without carrying dedicated firestarters. With a sharp knife, you can easily carve feather sticks to get the fire going.
One challenge of having more people on the trails is the amount of firewood being used. Metsähallitus has a limited budget, and maintaining fire sites is expensive. Some lean-tos and huts have even been closed because there isn't enough money to keep them up. So use firewood sparingly, and don't light a fire just for the sake of it.
Cooking over a fire has a character all its own. If you're not walking far, you can easily carry plenty of fresh ingredients and cook just about anything over the fire that you would at home.
It's also a good idea to bring a camping stove, as the lean-to may have run out of firewood, or there may not be room around the fire for everyone who wants to cook. That's when a stove comes in handy.
Watch us make some seriously good pizza at a lean-to:
Popular gear for cooking at a lean-to includes Kupilka tableware, kuksa cups, knives, and cast iron cookware from Leisku and Petromax.
A night in a lean-to is a comfortable way to sleep out. You'll need a soft sleeping mat, as the floor is hard. Wind also tends to get inside, so it's a bit colder than sleeping in a tent. Bring a sleeping bag that's warm enough.
For a night in a lean-to, you'll need:
- Sleeping mat
- Sleeping bag
- Pillow, or something you can make into one
- Sleeping bag liner (optional)
Read more on our blog:
PACKING LIST FOR AN OVERNIGHT TRIP
CHOOSING A SLEEPING BAG AND MAT — HOW TO PUT TOGETHER A SYSTEM THAT WORKS
If you think you might get cold, you can also use two sleeping bags or two mats. The campfire won't do much to warm the inside of the lean-to, and even if it does, nobody keeps it going all night. Sparks from the fire are also a hazard: they can burn holes in your sleeping bag or even set it alight.
Waking up at a lean-to is a treat: you can cook breakfast over the fire and warm up by the flames while you're at it.
There's usually a toilet near the lean-to, which makes camp life that much easier.
You can also carve your own kuksa. Camp tableware like plates and chopping boards is easy to make too, and it gives your camp table a real sense of occasion.
We also spent a night at a lean-to – watch the video:
All that's left is to wish you great nights at the lean-to!