Some people just feel like Will & Bear from the moment you meet them. Ethan Abitz is one of those people.
We first crossed paths with Ethan around seven years ago, and since then he’s become a familiar face on more Will & Bear adventures than we can count. From cabin hopping around Australia and the USA, to Summer Camps, cowboy shoots, road trips and even Will & Bear’s wedding last year — Ethan has been there, usually with a camera in hand and a hat somewhere nearby.
Based in Vermont, USA, Ethan is an adventure and cabin photographer and filmmaker whose work is grounded in nature, travel, slow living and telling stories that feel real. Years spent road-tripping across the US and travelling the world have shaped his documentary-style approach, capturing everything from huge landscapes to the small, quiet moments in between. These days, his biggest adventure is a little closer to home: building his own cabin in the woods of Vermont.
He’s basically our Bear in the Woods — and after years of being inspired by what he creates, where he travels and what he builds, we thought it was about time we shared a little more of his story.
Behind the Lens
Photographer, filmmaker, traveller, adventurer and now cabin builder — Ethan has spent years creating a life around the things that inspire him most.
His work has taken him around the world, documenting wild landscapes, unique places and the people and brands he meets along the way. He shoots both digital and film, bringing a grounded, documentary feel to his imagery that has always felt right at home in the Will & Bear world.
There’s an honesty to Ethan’s work that we’ve always loved. It’s less about creating the perfect moment and more about noticing the good ones already happening.
Where It All Started: An Aussie Cabin Tour
We first met Ethan when he came to Australia and joined us on an Aussie cabin tour through Queensland.
Together, we hit the road to visit four of our favourite cabins, spending our days exploring some pretty special places and our nights tucked away among the trees.
It made sense that cabins brought us together. Ethan has long been fascinated by cabins, tiny homes and off grid living, spending years seeking out and photographing unique stays across the US, Canada and beyond. To date he has stayed in 75 different unique accommodations — from A-frames and treehouses to yurts and tiny homes.
Seven years and plenty of adventures later, not much has changed. Give us a cabin in the woods, a few mates and somewhere new to explore and we’re pretty happy.
From Cabin Tours to Building His Own
After years spent travelling the world and finding inspiration in other people's spaces, Ethan is now putting down roots of his own.
He’s currently building Fern Grove, his own cabin on a piece of land in Vermont — taking on the DIY cabin build and documenting the process along the way.
It feels like a pretty fitting next chapter. After years on the road, there’s something special about watching Ethan take everything he loves about cabins, thoughtful spaces, nature and slower living and turn it into a place of his own.
From a life on the road to a cabin in the woods. We’re very here for it.
Our First Summer Camp — USA
Somewhere along the way, Ethan stopped feeling like someone we worked with and became part of the Will & Bear community.
He joined us for our very first Summer Camp in the USA — the kind of weekend filled with tents, campfires, long afternoons outside and plenty of good people.
It was everything we love about bringing our community together, and naturally, Ethan fit right in.
Then We Did It All Again in Australia
A few years later, we had our 4th annual Australian Summer Camp — and Ethan came down under to join.
Another country, another campfire, another adventure together.
There’s something pretty special about friendships that pick straight back up no matter how much time or distance sits between them. Whether we're somewhere in the States or camping back home in Australia, Ethan always feels like part of the crew.
Our Original Cowboy
Before cowboy hats became a much bigger part of the Will & Bear world, there was Ethan.
He was the cowboy in our first-ever cowboy shoot, bringing exactly the rugged, lived-in energy we wanted to capture.
No overthinking required. Put Ethan outdoors, give him a cowboy hat and point a camera in his direction. Job done.
Always Somewhere Worth Exploring
One of the things we’ve always loved about following Ethan is that you never really know where he’ll end up next.
His years on the road have taken him across the US and around the world, photographing landscapes, cabins, people and those quieter moments that make you want to pack a bag and head somewhere new.
His work has continually inspired us — not just because of the places he visits, but because of the way he sees them.
Grand landscapes or tiny details, digital or 35mm film, Ethan has a knack for making you feel like you were there.
First to Test the Tasman Backpack
So when we needed someone to take our new Tasman Backpack out into the wild, there was really only one person for the job.
Ethan was the first to test-drive it, putting it to work the way we'd always imagined — loaded up, thrown in the back of the car and taken somewhere worth exploring.
Seven years after our first hat joining him on his adventures, it felt pretty fitting to have our Bear in the Woods taking another new piece of Will & Bear gear along for the ride.
From Work Trips to Weddings
And if you need proof that this became about a lot more than work somewhere along the way, Ethan even made the trip back to Australia for Will & Bear’s wedding last year.
From meeting on a cabin tour seven years ago to celebrating one of life's biggest moments together — there have been plenty of good memories in between.
We’ve watched Ethan travel the world, build an incredible body of work and, now, quite literally build a home for himself in the Vermont woods.
And through it all, he’s remained one of those people who reminds us exactly why we started Will & Bear in the first place: get outside, stay curious, make things, meet good people and enjoy the adventure along the way.
We’re pretty lucky to call him a mate.
And we have a feeling there are plenty more adventures still to come.
To see more of Ethan work: www.ethanabitz.com
Follow on socials @ethanabitz
Watche on YouTube www.youtube.com/@ethanabitz
