On Cultivating Love

Steve Wallis is a YouTube’er who lives in Edmonton. His channel is called Camping with Steve. He’s blown up since early 2021, doubling from 500,000 subscribers to over 1 million. I first learned of Steve last spring when a friend sent me a video of him camping behind the “Welcome to Camrose” sign off the highway. What in the hell, I thought. After an initial laugh, I quickly realize that this was special.

The premise is simple: Steve films himself camping, often in non-traditional styles such as “boondocking” and “urban stealth camping.” His equipment is inexpensive and modest, usually from Canadian Tire. He takes no corporate sponsorships, choosing not to peddle expensive gear despite having every opportunity to do so. He only accepts beer donations from fans for his famous “Step 2” (having a beer after his campsite is setup).

Steve does zany things. He built a custom pontoon and took it on the North Saskatchewan River for a multi-day day camping cruise with his neighbour, eloquently dubbed “Crazy Neighbour.” He starts campfires with a giant propane-fuelled torch after dousing whole logs with copious amounts of fire starter. He dresses up like a construction worker or a businessman – complete with dress shoes, a blazer, and briefcase – so not to rouse suspicion as he waits for the perfect opportunity to slip into the woods behind residential neighbourhoods. Recently, he strung together a series of blue tarps to create a fortress around his campsite. Why? Why the hell not?

This may sound strange, but Steve has had an unexpectedly profound impact on my life over the last year. His videos are warm and intimate as if you’re there camping with him. He’s humble and just happy to be there. There’s an honest, child-like simplicity to Steve that is both therapeutic and admirable. For Steve, camping is play. This is rare, as we usually shun the idea of play in adulthood despite its numerous health benefits.

Steve’s likeness is contagious. His comment section is pure and wholesome – a rarity on the internet. It’s strange to think how much a person you’ve never met can impact you. To me, he personifies the honest and unrelenting pursuit of self-love and discovery. Steve is my reminder that love – and most importantly self-love – requires endless cultivation. He’s a reminder to live on your own terms even if it’s not glamorous or in vogue. He’s the least shiny camper on the internet who built the brightest community by simply being unapologetically Steve.

We don’t need more tired, lifeless copies. We need those who pursue their deepest intentions in the most honest and meaningful ways. In an attention economy ripe with artificial happiness, Steve is sincere and authentic.

He refers to his wife, Jess, as “Beautiful Wife.” She would accompany him on some camping trips and would often drop him off at remote locations. She prefers to not be seen on camera, though. You can tell how much he loves her. He would still be living in a motorhome had he not met her. There would be no Camping with Steve without Jess, he confesses in his last video posted on August 25, 2022.

It was titled “Rest in Peace My Beautiful Wife.”

Earlier that week, Steve says that him and Jess went to bed but only he woke up. My jaw dropped and I cried. I know every one of his fans did too, because that’s the kind of community he cultivated.

We need more Steve Wallis’s in the world. When I think of the why, I think of Steve.

Here’s to Steve and Beautiful Wife. May she rest in peace.