Today the blog is taking us on an adventure up north to Ontario’s cottage country where Gord, the man behind GP Outdoors, can be found enjoying the rugged landscape and sharing it with those who share his passions. With just under four acres of land right on the lake and almost 300ft of shoreline, the property was the perfect spot for a cabin.
Gord describes his piece of paradise as something that resonates with a lot of us who love forestry and the life that comes with it. Waking up and watching the sunrise in the morning, watching it set at night, spending time with good neighbors, and keeping the day filled with the tasks necessary to maintain a property in the forest, from cutting firewood to property maintenance are all staples of his channel.
An Online Community Built Around Quality Products and Beautiful Forests
In October of 2017, the idea of the YouTube channel was born when Gord decided to film his new tractor and put it up on YouTube. He had purposely decided to exclude satellite TV from his cabin and on a rainy evening, the spark of an idea of something creative he could do would eventually ignite into GP Outdoors.
“I didn't know much about YouTube, [besides that it] was a public place where you could post your videos. Didn't know much about the growth of the channel or monetization, I was just doing it out of interest. I knew a lot of people were looking at compact tractors, and I just purchased one, and a lot of my research came from watching YouTube videos.”
-Gord, GP Outdoors
After that first video, it just started to grow, and more and more folks started watching. Gord found that he actually started to form friendships through his YouTube channel as it attracted people with similar interests and it has only continued to grow every month since he started it.
Gord doesn’t really see his viewers or subscribers as an audience in the way a typical YouTube channel would, he talks about them more like close friends and people sharing a journey with him. Even now with almost 59,000 subscribers, his focus isn’t on growth, it’s all about quality information and useful organic content.
Currently, GP Outdoors encompasses the YouTube channel and an online store where Gord only recommends the products that he uses!
Tried and Tested Tools for Working Outdoors
As many notice immediately, the pricing on Gord’s online store website is very modest and reasonably priced.
“I started the website because as I came across what I believe were good, valuable, quality built tools, and products that I actually use every week, still to this day. And those are the only products on it.
In fact, since things have grown, I was just joking with my wife that I spend an incredible amount of time rejecting or declining product offers. I check them out, do my research, and 9.9 times out of 10 I just find it might not be a product that I'd want to use on the channel or tell folks about.”
-Gord, GP Outdoors
Are There Tools That Make Handling Firewood Easy?
Gord explains that as the community he’s built through his YouTube channel are his friends and he views them as such, for him, there isn’t a reason to feature products he doesn’t back or use personally because he wouldn’t mislead his friends. He takes the integrity of his channel and community very seriously. There are tools that can make the job easier, and Gord is dedicated to making sure he only recommends the best.
“I've got a lot of subscribers that have been with me almost since the beginning. And I think of them the same as I would if we were sitting on the dock at night having a coffee and I was face to face with them.
I'd rather not be focused on the potential benefits that come from displaying a product versus being able to look people straight in the eye and tell them the honest truth of what I think. I don't edit out bad things. I don't focus on good things. Whatever I'm doing in the forest that day, you see everything.”
-Gord, GP Outdoors
Sharing the Experience of Working Outdoors
This mindset is also notable in the content that Gord puts on his channel. While he knows that a lot of folks are always trying to create new content, that isn’t his approach. He doesn’t try to make content for the sake of content and he won’t do a project just because he feels he needs another video. What he does is simply film his daily life and property maintenance. All of the projects that Gord does are things that he and his family want to accomplish on the property and he just shares that organic journey with his audience.
For example, Gord explains how he finally got around to clearing walking trails through the forest for his wife and daughters, because he’d been promising to do it for several years. So he put in about 1500 feet of walking trails, and although he videotaped all that, it was decided long before the YouTube channel. Another big part of the channel is wood splitting and other projects that Gord takes on with his neighbors.
How Do You Cut Wood Without Hurting Your Back?
“I've got a lot of neighbors that are a little older and wiser than I am, and wonderful people, and I love helping them out. We have a great time there.”
-Gord, GP Outdoors
Another big focus of the channel is Gord’s dedication to improving the quality of life for himself, his neighbors, and his community.
While the hard work outdoors keeps you fit, if you’re not careful it can cause some pain and problems and he wants to be able to do what he loves outdoors for as long as possible. An example of this has been the night and day turnaround that the LogOX has provided in terms of pain and sore back relief.
The LogOX Impact and Pain Relief
Gord spoke a little bit about some of the important tools that he feels have contributed to his quality of life. He notes that the LogOX was a huge game-changer for him because even though he is only 57, folks age differently at different times in their lives. For Gord, he notes that his lower back has not treated him well over the last few years. Any day he was doing firewood and swinging rounds around on a splitter, he would usually end up that night with a bottle of Advil or a trackball and a pillow behind his back in front of the fire.
Your back gets a tremendous workout when you're in the forest and chopping wood can hurt your back. Swinging logs can also cause pain, there’s a lot of physical activity needed for an active outdoor life. Gord had never owned a tool like the LogOX before and he recalls that at first, he was a little skeptical because it looked very awkward but he gave it a try and he was extremely pleased with the result.
“I tried using it, and honest to goodness, without a word of a lie. I can't tell you the last time I needed Advil or Tylenol at night after a day splitting logs. It's the honest truth.”
-Gord, GP Outdoors
Quality Tools for a Quality Life
At the end of the day, it really is about using the right tools to let you do what you love and enjoy doing it for a lot longer. Getting to share that knowledge with his community and friends is a huge part of why Gord loves his channel.
“A large part of my demographic is over 45 or 50. We all have similar interests and we love being outside. We love working with wood. We love chainsaws. We love being outdoors in the fresh air, splitting firewood, felling trees, and living.
It's one of those things when you think about quality of life. It's what you want, as you get older and you retire. So this LogOX tool, which quite honestly surprised me, I believe is one of the very important tools that I've got in the firewood trailer that allows me to enjoy what I'm doing a lot longer and a lot safer.
I've had it for over a year, almost two years actually now, and I'm getting pretty good with it. I can pick up a round and I can literally sling it several feet away from me without having to drop it. It comes very quickly. I mean, there's not a lot to it, it's just the first few times that first day, it's a little awkward, because you're trying to get a feel for where the tool lies.
I've said to my neighbors, the tool looks awkward, but it's because it's so well engineered and balanced. That's why it has kind of an awkward profile to it. But when you actually use it on a round or on a block of wood, it grips that wood, and you lift the wood. That's where you see the engineering in that tool that looks so simple. It's got an awkward shape, because once you lift that log, it's balanced.”
-Gord, GP Outdoors
Another Game Changer for Firewood
The WoodOX Sling is another product that Gord believes has great value and offers tremendous quality. Gord actually decided to purchase one of the WoodOX Slings for his neighbor in his 70s who hauls his firewood from the stack outside up a flight of stairs, into his main room with the woodstove. He’d always used, like most people do, one of those carry leather or canvas bags and he absolutely loves the Sling.
“He said it delivers exactly what it said. It's ergonomic in the way it carries the weight of the wood, and the thickness of the fabric is perfect so he's able to carry the wood up that flight of stairs from outside so much easier.
He said it’s his favorite carrier now. And so I talked to Austin [at LogOX] about if I could perhaps sell it up here in Canada for him, which is why you see it on my website.”
-Gord, GP Outdoors
Until Next Time, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from LogOX!
Thank you so much Gord for taking the time to talk with us and share your thoughts on our products. You’re an incredible beacon of knowledge and integrity in this industry and we can’t wait for your next video! Also thank you for making sure that our fellow outdoor enthusiasts know how they can protect their back and body while doing what they love out in the forest. For our sign-off today we thought we’d leave it in Gord’s hands.
“I think the most important point is that there's a real importance to quality of life and quality of life into your senior years. If outdoor activities and firewood and working in the forest is something that gives you peace of mind, or is something that you enjoy, it's something you're going to want to do as you get older.
I think tools such as the LogOX are the type of tools that you want to invest in and that you want to have with you to ensure that you're able to enjoy those years outdoors. Despite how you age or when you age.
We're all different so our definitions will be different, but if you're like me and you love being outdoors and you love working with good friends out in the forest, running your tractor and hauling firewood, and splitting and stacking wood, and doing all those great things- you want to be able to do that for the years to come.
Quality products such as the WoodOX Sling or the LogOX are the type of products that are going to ensure you're able to keep doing it into your later years.”
-Gord, GP Outdoors
Thank you all for reading and we will see you next month with another awesome LogOX Customer Feature, be sure to give Gord a follow as well, and have a great holiday season!
GP Outdoors: www.gpoutdoors.ca
GP Outdoors Channel: YouTube
LogOX Channel: YouTube
Watch the LogOX on GP Outdoors: Playlist