- Steve Wallis has racked up over a million YouTube subscribers by camping in unique locations.
- He slept in an old power plant, a storm drain, and outside under a blanket fort instead of a tent in winter.
Most people associate camping with a relaxing evening spent in a nice, maintained campground surrounded by nature. For Steve Wallis, camping can mean a lot of things.
Such as: sleeping in a 1950s train wreck, an abandoned power plant, a chilly storm drain, or a freeway interchange. He's spent the night in a U-Haul when it was 30 degrees below zero and behind a welcome sign off a busy highway. He's done tent-inside-a-tent winter camping and spent five days on a homemade solar-powered river raft.
Wallis has spent the night in dozens of unusual locations, at times in places he's not exactly supposed to be or in temperatures so cold they could kill you.
"I like to experiment with unique locations, unique shelters, and unique weather. Always, one of those factors has to be there," Wallis told Insider. "If all three, that's even better."
Wallis, who is based in Western Canada, documents his adventures on his YouTube channel, which has racked up 1.27 million followers who come to watch him — as he describes it — play "adult hide and seek."
His show, "Camping with Steve," typically shows him arriving at the location, setting up camp, cooking dinner, spending the night, and leaving, with each video lasting 20 to 30 minutes. Wallis talks through every aspect of the experience, including when he's nervous about being discovered or when he makes a mistake by forgetting essential gear.
One of the most eye-grabbing locations Wallis has camped was the center of a traffic roundabout in British Colombia. The video shows Wallis crawling into the middle of the heavily landscaped roundabout in the middle of the day, with cars present. Once inside and mostly obscured from the road, he proceeds with camping.
"People are driving past, and they've got no idea you're in there," he explained. "You're making a chicken wrap and going to sleep and waking up and stumbling back out like you belong there, with some work gear on, cleaning the place up, and off you go."
Stealth camping: 'A chance of getting caught'
While he has posted videos to YouTube for over a decade, his channel didn't really blow up until about three and a half years ago, when he posted his first stealth camping video, which showed him hanging his hammock for the night in a forested area of a residential community. The term "stealth camping" is typically used to refer to sleeping in an urban area that is not intended for overnight camping. It's often associated with people living in vans or RVs, or cyclists on cross-country trips, who need to be able to sleep discreetly.
Wallis said he grew up camping often with his family, likely because it was cheaper than hotels, and that he always loved it. "There's something about the smell of the campfire, being outdoors," he said.
When he got older, he and his friends started doing more of the bush-party style camping, where they could go out, make a big fire, have some beers, and be much louder than what would fly at an official campground. He also spent several years living in a motor home, which required finding low-key places to sleep, and has done a long-distance cycling trip, all of which instilled in him an affinity for stealth camping.
"A stealth camping spot can't be too good, and it can't be too bad. You need that Goldilocks zone where there's a chance of getting caught, but not too good of a chance. And the more in plain sight something is the better," he said.
Finding locations that aren't 'overtly illegal'
The legality of some of the camping Wallis does is questionable. He said he never trespasses and only camps on public land, like city parks or highway medians, and always checks the local regulations. For instance, at one location he was scouting he discovered the area had a $10,000 fine for camping outside a designated campground, so he called it off.
"It takes a lot of time to find locations that will work and not be overtly illegal," Wallis said, adding he's always on the hunt for a prime spot, which has become increasingly difficult since he's used up all the ideal spots in his area. He also said that in the places he chooses to camp, it's unlikely he would be charged or fined, but rather simply told to move along.
He added he's not the only person sleeping in public, noting there are others who are between homes or struggling. He said some people who have experienced homelessness have even told him they got useful tips from his videos.
Wallis has yet to be confronted by an authority figure while stealth camping, but said it may be a matter of time. "It's going to happen if I do it long enough," he said. "Everything happens if you keep it up forever."
Stealth camping has also gotten a bit harder as his channel has grown more popular. It's not uncommon for fans to honk at him or stop and say hi when he's trying to discreetly access a spot, he said, adding he may need to get better disguises: "At least if they're a subscriber, they probably shouldn't be ratting me out."
He has ended up in some questionable situations, usually extremely cold weather, but says safety is a top priority, adding he also lets someone know exactly where he'll be and that if he was ever truly concerned he would simply leave.
'Camping for the people'
When he posted his first "secret camping" video to YouTube in August 2019, he expected it to be a one-off and was shocked by how it took off. Millions of views later, he's been able to go full-time with his channel and even has other people helping him manage it. He makes money through AdSense, merch sales, and a "beer fund," in which supporters donate and then can get a shout-out in one of his videos when he cracks a beer.
"I don't do the sponsorships from companies. I find that really cheapens the entertainment value and my authenticity," Wallis said, noting that part of his goal is "taking back camping for the people" by showing you don't need expensive gear to get outside.
The channel has become much more of a job than he realized it would, but he said he still really enjoys doing it and has been pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming support he's received. Many have told him the show helps them relax or alleviate stress.
"A lot of people find the videos, for some reason, help with anxiety — when I'm hiding from security guards," he joked, adding he was thankful he could help people in that way.
He said he wants his viewers to be entertained and inspired, and that many have said his videos got them back into regular camping, not necessarily the kinds he does on the show.
"I know a lot of people that have camped when they were younger and have not done so in a while," he said. "I'd like to see them rekindle that."