Patreon: Surviving Ringworm
In May 2024, Ryan Fritzsche introduced the world to Kuiper, a Bernese Mountain Dog.
In 2020, at the beginning of Covid, recluse Ryan Fritzsche bought some land in the woods somewhere in Michigan. “No roads, no power, no water.” He arrived with his best friend Tito, chainsaws, hand tools, and video equipment.
After Tito returned to civilization, Ryan stayed put. Every Saturday morning, he releases a long-form video showcasing his adventures. For many fans, including me, the show is nostalgic of Saturday morning cartoons from childhood.
After I’ve watched an early morning Formula 1 race or Glasgow Celtic FC game, I refill my coffee and look for the new Ringworm video. When I find it, I feel happy and calm.
When I don’t, I worry about his well being.
Ryan is whimsical, goofy, and self-deprecating; traits that belie his intelligence, craftiness, and serious survival skills.
Things he seems to love: cheese, chainsaws, camping, cold weather, storms, gun range, Ryobi tools, innovating, science, viewing bugs under a microscope, playing the guitar, and eating candy & chips while watching movies with his girlfriend when she visits “The Worm.”
At some point, he added an Alaskan Mill to improve his wood and projects. For several years, he lived outside in a tent on a platform he built to keep his bed above the snowfall during winter. Skillfully, he crafted a swinging bed in the tent.
Eventually, Ryan constructed a 190-sq-ft cabin and adopted Kuiper, a Bernese Mountain Dog (named after the Kuiper Belt). And of course, he concocted a large dog house attached to the cabin.
He’s still out there building stuff. Last year, he bought a mini excavator to improve his creations and the property foundation. Currently, he’s crafting an outdoor kitchen because he prefers cooking and eating in cold weather.
Ryan carves the names of Patreon subscribers (816 as of June 11, 2026) into his picnic table and Kuiper’s dog house. Yup, I’m on the picnic table somewhere, “Damon C.”
His YouTube channel boasts 97,300 subscribers and has 292 videos.