Winter in Fairbanks is confining. It's not like other wintery places, where you can spend significant time outside in the snow. It is just too cold or too dark, even with the best snow gear. I encouraged our oldest son to play violin after he showed interest, for this reason. Music is one way that people of any age can socialize, express themselves, and challenge themselves no matter the temperature or the quantity of light. A few other activities, such as swimming, reading, and many other arts come to mind. But, surely, you can't ski or bike (two of my favorite things to do) very easily the entire year around. And you sure can't camp very easily all year around unless you own or rent a cabin. And cabins ... they don't move, so you are stuck staying at the same location over and over again. Me, I like to try new places. I never like to bike the same route or camp in the same spot. You probably won't see me buying plane tickets to the same place unless there is family there that we need to visit. There are too many new things to see and far too little time.
I tried winter camping once. I went with the Outdoor Adventures group at the local University to hike in the mountains with snowshoes on my feet and our gear on my back. I was in my early twenties, around eight years ago, and it was still very tough. I was cold. I was in pain. I decided that it is for the more hardy than I. I do not like to snowshoe, and I do not like camping with only a candle to warm my tent. In fact, there are many things that I do not like about camping. On top of the fact that I do not like to be cold or in pain, I do not like to sleep on a hard ground or battle mosquitos. So, when my husband said that he was seriously considering buying an Arctic Oven, I thought about it for quite a while and then finally said to go for it. It is one toasty way in which to incorporate the outdoors and take a break from the norm. It's too heavy and large to pack on your back so you have to take either a car or snow machine, and in winter the floor is too cold to sleep on without mats or cots so it is sure to be comfortable. And, best of all, it can go anywhere any type of vehicle can take it. This seemed to be our ticket to the outdoors in the winter. And in the summer ... until the boys are old enough to go backpacking.
Our first trip was about eight miles down the Tanana River from our local boat landing. We were close to being within cell-phone range. I strapped my daughter onto my chest with a stretchy Boba Wrap and covered her with her great-grandfather's Carhart and hopped on the machine behind my husband. She fell asleep right away on the snow machine rides, and she loved to look around inside of the tent and play with the zippers on the sleeping bags. She loved getting all of the attention from mom and dad, while her brothers where staying at grandma and grandpa's house. As the temperature fell from about 15 degrees to about -20 degrees and my husband learned to regulate the woodstove and the vents in the tent, we went from being in our underwear to being a comfortable temperature. They don't call them ovens for nothing. 
