SHAWN TRUDEL
CABIN RIVER OUTDOORS
From: Squamish, British Columbia, Canada
Shawn follows his dreams and builds a life in the Canadian wilderness with just his bare hands! Follow his incredible journey via his YouTube channel.
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
Shawn is a carpenter who worked primarily on remote industrial sites throughout Canada doing a mix of industrial carpentry and civil construction projects. Lots of far away working locations in the north, where he was often away from home for months at a time.
INSPIRATION
I grew up reading books about trappers and indigenous peoples who survived in the wild without the tools we have today, about Arctic explorers and early settlers who carved out a life in remote and unforgiving lands. I was drawn to the thrill. It was man versus nature. I always thought about these stories, and as an adult with a steady job routine and a lot of travel, i decided there had to be a different way to make money. I remembered hearing that people could actually make money by having a YouTube channel. This surprised and fascinated me. I bought the most remote property he could find and decided to go for this YouTube thing. I wanted to be independent and live on my own property far away from "normal" life. No more regular jobs.
TAKE THE CHANCE
Bit by bit, the pieces fell into place. I had the property and learned the basics to be able to make videos. Modern technology like starlink allows me to work from the wilderness. One day i decided that it was time going to do this. It seemed a little crazy, but i was attracted by the risk of it all. The unknown. The risk of an extreme career change. The risk of being alone a lot of the time and a big shift in my social life. I went for it and so far it has worked out fine. Today im glad i took the leap and dared to go for it.
THE MOST REWARDING THING OBOUT THIS LIFE
It must be the freedom and independence I feel waking up every morning and being my own boss, making my own decisions and not following a rigid schedule. I still work hard, but I do things my own way and I'm not locked into anything. It's a great feeling.
I DECIDE
"I'm not locked into any calendar, deadline, or dependent on others to do my job. Everything goes at my own pace"
CHALLENGES
Capsized boat and rude beavers
There have been some challenges along the way. The boat capsized on the river, the beavers that live in the area flooded your path, and the car broke down. How do you deal with equipment breaking down and the unpredictable nature?
Dealing with difficulties and challenges is something I think people get better at over time. There is a lot of "learning by doing" when problems or setbacks arise in the wilderness. Patience is also really tested out here, but slowly but surely gets better from all these events. Something that has been helpful for me has been reading literature and local books about some of the first people who lived and worked in the area here. Many of them came from Scandinavia to this particular region in the early 1900s.
"I am in a very unique microclimate in the region of British Columbia known as an inland rainforest"
Even today, this region is sparsely populated. Traditionally, even the indigenous people of the area avoided making any kind of settlements here and only used it as a passage for old trade routes, so it is certainly a demanding climate to live in. When I read about the difficulties people had when trying to settle here, I quickly realize that my modern problems are nothing compared to those who came here before the train tracks and machines. Reading the stories helps a lot and puts things in perspective. Some engineers in the early 1900s said that it was not possible to get trains and equipment through this region, so I have plenty of challenges here.
Regarding equipment. I am not much of a mechanic, but I learn along the way. I have always been incredibly persistent and had the attitude that no matter the mechanical failure or broken machines, I will always have two legs to take me where I want to go, no matter how far. A broken machine cannot be a defeat out here. Just a small setback.
DO YOU RECOMMEND THIS LIFESTYLE?
I would recommend this lifestyle to anyone who has a burning desire to try it. If you try it, you will find out if this is something for you or not. If you don't like it, so what? Then you have tried and you will become wiser and, not least, you will not have to think about "what if" when you get old.
Statistics would suggest that this is not for most people and the challenges in the first few years generally prove overwhelming for many. One tip is to try your hand at it. You don't have to move into the wilderness full-time right away, but a week here and a month there can help with the acclimatization process.
However, there are varying degrees of how remote and inaccessible one wants and should live. If you have very difficult access to your property, your challenges increase enormously. If you have a remote property, but still have access to it via some kind of logging road (as is the case with many remote properties in Canada) and can still drive your vehicle to the property, then it will definitely make life easier.
Much of the key is how you overcome the problems that are sure to come. For example, if you are going to be working a lot with trees and wood, get good at sharpening your cutting tools and keeping them sharp. It will save you a lot of time and headaches. Otherwise, build simple and robust and don't overthink it.
WEARTESTING
Shawn works and builds in all weather conditions, regardless of the season. Our clothes are truly put to the test and we get valuable feedback on the products that we can use to improve.
