Where the River Day Really Ends: Around the Fire with Drew Baker

A Float Trip That Didn’t End at the Takeout 

For photographer and outdoorsman Drew Baker, a good day outside is rarely measured by one perfect moment. 

It is the full rhythm of it. The early start. The gear getting loaded. The changing weather. The missed fish. The dogs doing dog things. The kind of laughter that only happens when everyone is tired, hungry, and still not quite ready for the day to end. 

On a recent rafting and fishing trip with friends, Drew brought PACKFIRE along for the kind of river day that keeps unfolding after the boats hit shore. 

Credit: @drewbakerphoto

The float had all the ingredients of a proper day outside: friends in rafts, rods in hand, weather moving through, and enough near-misses to keep the stories alive long after the lines were reeled in. But when we asked Drew what moment felt the most memorable, his answer was not about a fish. It was about what happened after. 

“Honestly, it was probably towards the end of the day once everyone got off the river,” Drew said. “We’d spent the whole day fishing, dealing with the changing weather, laughing at missed fish and typical puppy behavior, and then everyone was able to slow down and we gathered around the fire eating some good food while the sun dropped behind the mountains, while we swapped stories about ‘the big one that got away.’ Those are the moments that stick with you way longer than the fish count.” 

The Best Part Came After the Boats Hit Shore 

There is a familiar ending to most float trips. 

Everyone gets off the river tired. The boats get loaded. Gear gets tossed into trucks. People say goodbye while half-thinking about the drive home. The day ends quickly, even when no one really wants it to. 

This trip felt different. 

Instead of rushing, the group made shore feel like part of the plan. Boats were unloaded. A few cold beers were opened. Dinner started coming together. The fire became the place everyone naturally moved toward. 

“The PACKFIRE became the centerpiece once we hit shore,” Drew said. “We unloaded the boats, cracked a few cold beers, started cooking dinner — cheddar dogs and mac and cheese, my favorite — and everyone naturally gathered around it. We got a chance to hang out together after a busy day, instead of rushing to load the boats to hit the road.” 

That is the shift PACKFIRE is built for. 

 Credit: @drewbakerphoto

Not just bringing fire somewhere, but giving people a reason to stay there a little longer. 

PACKFIRE is centered around portability, low-smoke performance, and a fold-flat design that can go from packed to burning quickly, which fits naturally into this kind of river-day setup.  

The Little Moments That Make a River Evening 

The photos tell part of the story. 

They show the river, the boats, the friends, the fire, the food, the glow of the evening. But according to Drew, the real feeling of the trip lived in the in-between moments. 

The ones that are hard to stage and even harder to repeat. 

“Someone trying to keep the fire alive while everybody else stood around giving ‘advice,’ dogs wandering around camp looking for scraps, 90’s hip hop playing low while dinner cooked, and everybody swapping stories from the day while the setting sun bounced off the canyon walls,” Drew said. “Those are the moments that really made it feel like a proper river evening instead of just a quick stop after fishing.” 

That line says a lot: a proper river evening. 

Not just a float. Not just a fishing trip. Not just a fire. A full ending to the day. 

Credit: @drewbakerphoto

There is something about gathering around a fire that changes the pace of a group. People stop half-packing. They stop checking who is leaving first. The stories get longer. The food tastes better. The missed fish get bigger. The dogs get a little bolder. The canyon gets quiet. 

And suddenly, the end of the trip becomes the part everyone remembers. 

Making the End of the Day Part of the Experience 

When we asked Drew what made this feel different from a normal campsite or a regular day on the river, he came back to one word: intentional. 

“It felt more intentional,” he said. “Normally after a float everyone’s tired and rushing to load boats and head home. This slowed the whole experience down. Instead of the river just being the activity, it turned the end of the day into part of the experience too.” 

Credit: @drewbakerphoto

That is what outdoor gear should do at its best. It should not complicate the day. It should open up more of it. 

On a trip like this, PACKFIRE was not there as a big production. It was there to make a simple thing easier: gather, cook, warm up, tell stories, and stay. 

A fire does not need to be the loudest part of the trip to become the most important part. Sometimes it is just the thing that keeps everyone in the same circle long enough for the good stuff to happen. 

The jokes. The second round of food. The “remember when” stories from six hours earlier. The shared silence when the sun finally drops behind the mountains. 

Nobody Wanted to Be the First to Leave 

Drew’s one-sentence summary of the evening might be the best description of the whole trip: 

“It felt like one of those evenings on the river where nobody’s checking the time and nobody wants to be the first one to leave the fire.” 

That is the kind of moment PACKFIRE was made for. 

The river gives you the day. The fire gives you the ending. 

And sometimes, the ending is the part that stays with you longest. 

Credit: @drewbakerphoto