Surviving With Less: Uncle Tito's Story
Uncle Tito Is Just Like Most of Us, With A Family And 9 To 5 Job, Yet He Dedicated The Rest Of His Time To Bushcrafting In The Canadian Backcountry
"I have nothing to prove to anyone, except myself," says Uncle Tito. Uncle Tito runs Uncle Tito Outdoors, a popular outdoor Instagram (nearly 37,000 followers) devoted to simple, effective backcountry camping gear, as well as a place to document his travels in the Canadian backcountry. His account highlights and captures within an image, or video, quality and effective bushcrafting camping gear available directly at his Amazon store.
Uncle Tito is an interesting guy. He spent most of his life in the city and did not do much camping growing up. "If we did, it was occasional car camping, never anything backcountry," Uncle Tito says. By the way, Uncle Tito comes from the Filipino word for Uncle (Tito), which his nieces and nephews call him. He started gaining interest in backcountry camping about 3 years ago. "I am in my 40s, I have a wife and kids and I am at the point in my life where I don't go to the club and don't go out so wanted to find someway to stay connected with my friends," he says.
So he started watching some YouTube videos and then asked his brother-in-law if he wanted to do a backpacking trip through a Provincial Park (Canadian version of a National Park) and they went out for 3 days. "It was really amazing. The feeling of isolation and solitude. I was hooked," Tito says. Now, three years into it, “Our wives are getting used to it,” he laughs, “And that loss of identity that comes with starting a family and being in the work world for a while is starting to be found again.”
After a few months, he planned his next trip - a 3 day canoe trip. He loved it just as much, but felt like he was carrying a ton of gear. "I realized I had a huge skill deficit, coming from the city and all, and wanted to learn more," Uncle Tito says, "So I did a survival course learning about different knots, plants and trees, how to make a fire, and more." This got him really hooked on bushwacking and bushcrafting, going to isolated places and building a camp that can withstand the elements. He also wanted to start camping all year round and started researching and gaining experience with different gear, which he shares on his Instagram.
He is not a survivalist, though, and does this for the enjoyment of it. "I have a 9 to 5 job and a family that I always want to get back to," he chuckles. "So I do it with moderation." He learns as he goes and sets goals for himself. "The first time I slept just under a tarp instead of a tent is a good example," he recalls, "I knew I wanted to try to sleep under a tarp, but I had a friend who was sleeping in a tent nearby that would let me bunk with him if the bugs got too bad, or I felt too uncomfortable." This really tested his preconceived notions of what it means to be in the wild. "It made me start to think about what I am afraid of. If an animal is going to come to the camp, would a tent really stop them?," he reflects. Tito realized that animals are just as afraid of us as a group as we are of them, especially out in the wild where there is no learned behavior on part of the animal. Goals like this keep Uncle Tito learning more about being and surviving out in the backcountry.
His experience the past few years has been well-documented on his instagram and hearing his reflections on what it has meant to him is interesting, to say the least. "I love being outdoors and I realize more and more that you don't need more in your life, you need less," he says, "So when I get away for 3-5 days and I find I can survive on very little and still be comfortable and happy, that's a great feeling." He also likes the primitive feelings that come up doing these outdoor things. "I am not a hunter, nor did I grow up with friends who are hunters," he explains. But getting to know more people that are interested in outdoorsman activities, he has got into hunting and thinking about sourcing his own food. "I remember the feeling of pride I had the first time I ate something that I hunted," he says.
The products that he recommends on his Amazon store, as well as Instagram, are high-quality, investment type outdoor gear. “I get a lot of people asking what I recommend and those are the things on there,” he explains. As Uncle Tito gets more experienced he realizes that he would first recommend taking a course in an area that interests you. Therefore, you can make more informed decisions about what you need instead of buying a bunch of stuff you don’t need.
As he gains experience and continues to find more adventurous places to go, he is realizing how much it means for him to teach what he is learning to his kids. “I want them to appreciate something that is going to be gone before we know it. With climate change and species of animals going extinct, I want them to have the opportunity to connect with this part of the world,” he says. “I want them to rely less on technology. To be confident outdoors and gain life lessons and become more self-reliant. To be outside and find themselves.” Given Uncle Tito’s work towards bettering himself as an outdoorsman, there's no doubt he will succeed.
Andrew Malo
A graduate of Northeastern Illinois University in Education, Andrew has taught for the past decade in Chicago, New Mexico, and Japan. He enjoys tinkering with trucks and motorcycles, woodworking, reading and computer programming.
Make Sure To Check Out:
@Uncle.Tito.Outdoors, dedicated to helping beginners find the right gear and with things like when getting lost and/or separated from your pack, what items could hopefully sustain yourself for 12-24 hours.