Devils River Campground

Awesome campground! We stayed here for 2 weeks in our 2021 Keystone Hideout 250BH. They don't have a ton of sites and they are reserve only. The weekdays are extremely quiet but the weekends get a little busy due to the seasonal sites.

The sites are electric/water and they do have a dump station very close by. The central pond and waterfall were awesome! 

As far as amenities - the bathrooms/showers were very clean and well kept. They also had laundry services! Mowing day is on Thursdays!

The only negative with our stay (which the campground can't help) were the mosquitos, flies, and bees. So bring bug spray!!!

There are several things to do - hiking, biking, caves, Lake Michigan, etc.

The New Hope Cave is only open to tour 1 weekend of the month. It is usually the 3rd Saturday of the month but there were scheduling conflicts and it was open on the 2nd Saturday in August so we weren't able to tour. We were still able to visit the other caves and walk around and look at wildlife. If you go when it is raining you won't be able to go in many of the caves as they become flooded but it does make some really cool waterfalls! The Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse is on Lake Michigan about 30 minutes away from the campground but we definitely recommend going to see it!  We would definitely stay here again!

Campground Review

Every year it seems there are changes at Devil's River. The campsite are still nice, though if you want privacy, there's not a lot. This is great for camping with friends or family. We usually have 4 sites with family over Labor Day weekend. This year they've added a deck off of the bathroom/shower building. It seems like it was almost done.

One night there was very loud partying at some of the seasonal campers sites. It was a bit obnoxious, but they were mostly quiet by 11pm. There were a lot of seasonal sites with Trump flags and I saw one Confederate flag…so interesting cross section of humanity.

One of the season campers had some giant inflatable climbing/bouncing things for the pond, so that kept the kids and some adults occupied. The same person also projected a movie in the new covered deck. He's a generous man, willing to share with the other campers.

We played cards and lawn games and Slammo and frisbee in all the open space and also swam in the pond. It was a great weekend, as always.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time, this time I got to test the RōM Pack from RōM Outdoors.

I'll be upfront and honest…this might be the most disappointing product I've tested for The Dyrt. It definitely isn't all bad, but the concept, in my opinion is a failure.

The RōM Pack is a convertible backpack that can unfold into a poncho or a blanket.

As a backpack…

What I like:

• It is stylish
• The material quality is heavy duty

What I didn't like:

• It is very heavy…when empty
• The main pocket isn't very large due to the excess material needed for the poncho/blanket

As a poncho…

What I like:

• It is a poncho

What I don't like

• The snaps don't stay snapped
• It is too short in the front
• It is too warm….it has a fleece lining
• The hood is small
• It looks a bit funny when you where it with the backpack straps and the flaps…I was laughed at by my family

_As a blanket…_it is great. It is warm, large enough and water resistant.

Overall, the concept doesn't seem practical. If I'm hiking and I expect rain, I'd pack a raincoat or a lightweight poncho to wear over my regular clothes. I'd dress for the weather. I'd never need a fleece lined poncho. I likely wouldn't need a blanket either…and if I did I could roll up a blanket and put it in a regular backpack.

The RōM Pack is also quite expensive at $120. The build quality is very good, but the execution and the concept are where it fails. The best "mode" is blanket mode, but I can recommend any number of cheaper blankets. I wanted to like this, but I'm afraid I can't recommend it.

Campground Review

I've been going to Devil's River for as long as I can remember on Labor Day weekend. My grandparents used to have a permanent site there, and my family has continued to camp there since my grandparents' deaths. It is a nice campground, not far from Green Bay, in a nice area. The weekender sites have been made more level in the past few years and are pretty grassy with some trees.

They removed the old small pool and installed a large swimming pond. It is a treated pond, so it is murky water, but the open space is nice for a swim on a hot day. The pond is full of clay at the bottom, with not much sand except for by the beach, so it isn't the best for walking, just swimming or floating.

The bathroom building is old, but mostly clean. The showers are in need of an upgrade. Some were out of order when we were there.

There is access to the river and the nearby Maribel Caves park is nice as well. This is a great campground to just relax at and play cards.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time, this time I got to test the ColdPruf Platinum II shirt and pant base layers.

Being from Wisconsin, I have to own long underwear to really enjoy going outside in the winter. I've always found the stuff I had to be uncomfortable and hard to move around.

I wore these camping over Labor Day weekend when it got down into the mid-40s, and I was comfortable without any coat or outer layer. In the winter I would wear these under other appropriate clothing and I'm confident I'll be warm enough.

ColdPruf has better quality materials (not cotton) than the old stuff I have, and the fit is much better. There are excellent sizing charts and sizes for tall people, like myself. The fit is great. I could comfortably play sports or other activities in the Platinum II without any range of motion restrictions. It is tight enough fitting for a base layer (the modern name for long underwear), but not too tight.

The best part about ColdPruf is the value. You are getting very high quality, warm base layer for a great price. I would definitely say ColdPruf Platinum II is Ranger-worthy and can whole-heartedly recommend them.