As part of one of his recent “new words” videos over on Instagram, “Social Dad” James Smith shared the term “bromeopathic medicine.” The idea is that when you’re feeling a little down, hanging out with your “bros” can offer a therapeutic effect and help you feel better. It’s perhaps only fitting that the whole idea behind the annual #5DadsGoWild camping trip started with James in the first place. And it’s true. We all feel a little better after getting together for our yearly meetup in the woods.

In past years, we’ve stuck a little closer to home. We usually do our thing at Manning Park in the fall, but we head over to Skagit Valley in late summer in 2020. This time around, we ventured quite a further east over to Kananaskis Country in Alberta, east of Banff National Park between Canmore and Calgary. Thanks to an unexpected two-hour detour through Radium Hot Springs, this was a 14-hour drive for us from Vancouver…. but only about 45 minutes for “Life With Benjamin” David from Calgary.

A change of scenery and a break from routine does everyone a bit of good, right? Let’s recap a few highlights from our #5DadsGoWild trip this past weekend.

Trapper’s Tents at Sundance Lodges

Well, this was a pleasant change of pace. No need to pack a tarp and pitch our own tents, because we booked some trapper’s tents at Sundance Lodges. This is perhaps moving in the direction of “glamping” in some people’s eyes, but we still had to make do without electricity or WiFi or anything like that. It was great not having to deal with putting up and taking down the tent, for sure. The trapper’s tent is almost like a canvas cabin.

I don’t show it in the video, for obvious reasons, but Sundance Lodges also has shared washrooms and showers too. Like a real washroom, not just an outhouse (though there are a few of those around too). It made things a lot more comfortable for washing up and all that.

Horseback Riding at Boundary Ranch

One of the big highlights of our weekend was a two-hour trail ride with Boundary Ranch, just down the road from Sundance Lodges in Kananaskis. I’ve been horseback riding a handful of times before, so I was already quite comfortable in the saddle and I knew the basic commands. That being said, these horses already know the routine, so you don’t need to guide them all that much. My horse, Morgan, was a bit more eager than most… which perhaps suits my personality too. And the ride allowed for that beautiful photo opp at the top of this post.

Hiking Trolls Falls and Marmot Creek Waterfalls

Truth be told, I’m not much of a hiker. I don’t think of us on this trip are (maybe David?), but if we’re going to go camping in the middle of woods, we have to seek out a beautiful trail to explore, right? For that, we did the Troll Falls hike and took in the scenery of Marmot Falls. It’s a relatively easy trail without too much elevation change — we saw plenty of families with young children — and it only took about two hours with some extended photo stops.

On Modern Fatherhood and Digital Content Creation

On some level, you could say that we have two main objectives for our annual 5 Dads Go Wild trip, above and beyond the whole male bonding and “get away from it all for a few days” ideas. First, we take this opportunity to discuss the nature of modern fatherhood and how we can use our platforms as “dad bloggers” for the betterment of parents everywhere. Among the many topics we talked about on and off camera was tackling why some dads aren’t as actively engaged as others.

You might already know that I’m quite passionate about this topic. I really want to challenge the prevailing narrative of the Supermom Martyr and the lazy, incompetent dad. As dad bloggers, perhaps the five of us on this trip exist in a bit of an echo chamber. And that’s all the more reason why we all need to work together to move what it means “to be a good dad” well into the 21st century. We’re not Red Forman or Archie Bunker.

Another big side of #5DadsGoWild comes from the fact that we are all online content creators. It’s a great opportunity to learn from one another when it comes to all these different forms of digital storytelling. What does podcasting look like 2022? What is the difference between traditional YouTube videos and the short-form vertical videos we see on TikTok? How will YouTube Shorts evolve in the coming months and years?

A great example of this — sorry if this reveals how the sausage is made — is the Instagram Reel embedded here. “A Dad in the Burbs” Stacey Robinsmith wanted to come up with a creative, unique way to show off his new gear from RYU Apparel. So, Stacey, David and I workshopped the concept and worked through shooting and editing the video together. Considering that we all produce our content solo most of the time, this collaborative exercise was a literal breath of fresh air.

Supporters of #5DadsGoWild 2022

Speaking of RYU Apparel, the provider of “urban athletic apparel” was one of the main supporters of our trip this year. They outfitted each of the dads with a selection of active wear. For my part, I got a breathable camp, a stretchy t-shirt, a waterproof rain jacket, and a versatile backpack. The fashionable and functional gear is just as home in the woods as it is at the gym or around the city. It’s all “driven by movement.”

The good people at House of Knives have been proud supporters of 5 Dads Go Wild since the very beginning. We went about it in a slightly different way this year, as each of us dads was given a gift card to do some shopping at our local House of Knives store. We all came back with something a bit different. Stacey got nonstick pans, for example, whereas James and Stephen got several smaller gadgets. Me, I got a wicked axe from CRKT, for starters, plus a Zippo lighter and a Hydro Flask tumbler.

What would a camping trip without a great cup of coffee to start each morning? Koobe Coffee Roasters generously stepped up with several bags of coffee for us to enjoy on our trip. We all really liked the full-bodied Cove Forest dark roast with its bittersweet chocolate and toasted almond notes. Of course, Stephen whipped out his precision brewing method for every cuppa joe.

Where Will We Go for #5DadsGoWild Next Year?

We look forward to this trip every year and then it’s over before we know it. Maybe spending 14 hours driving in each direction further contributed to that feeling this year. In addition to what I’ve shared above, I’ve also added a #5DadsGoWild Story Highlight section to my Instagram profile page, in case you missed it “live” over the weekend. Be sure to check out the posts and stories from the other dads as well.

The tentative plan, if you can even call it that, is for #5DadsGoWild 2023 to take place around the same time next year. That said, we’ve talked about whether we want to do this more than once a year. And if we want to invite more dads (and dad bloggers) on this trip too. Not unlike fatherhood and online content creation, #5DadsGoWild will always be a work in progress.

Where do you think we should go next year?