Many of the gear items Dave uses are quite traditional. They don’t stem from the modern mountaineering or leave-no-trace school. They stem from a bush-living tradition that is much older.
Obviously this is inappropriate for Parks and Conservation Areas that see a lot of use. But about a third of Canada is Boreal Forest, and is Crown Land — not park or privately-owned at all. As a Canadian Citizen you own it (as much as anyone does) and are allowed to wander it fairly freely. (You must obey the laws of land use and fish-and-game of course.)
In this environment — the back-country — away from the roads, cutting firewood for a little tin stove, and a tent-ridgepole from a stand of choked-out spruce, is not a bad thing at all. And even with the growing interest in hot-tent winter camping, the overall imprint is nothing. The number of people who actually want to go out and sleep in the snow will always be small.
Dave was turned-onto this style of camping in the 1980s by a Quebec trapper friend. It was quite an eye-opener! (Dog-team, leather, down, wood-canoes, tin stoves…) Initially Dave borrowed gear from his friend, but later started to make his own, and modified them. Many of the items were modernized to reduce weight.
In this series of videos, Dave explains the thinking behind these gear-items, and techniques.
They are the result of a long evolution.
So far there are 6, all on his youtube channel. See the Playlist.