Text the show! Alex Rich of Mystery Ranch shares his journey from the production floor to the design team, where he now focuses on creating outdoor and hunting gear that prioritizes load carriage and comfort. We dive into the brand's unique approach to pack design, including the revolutionary overload system, which allows users to carry heavy loads…

Text the show! Andrew Cottrell is the lead designer of the Radix series of backpacks at Mystery Ranch, an innovative line of ultralight backpacks that combines comfort, durability, and weight-saving features. Andrew shares insights into his hands-on approach to design, the importance of balancing load-carrying capacity with ultralight performance, …

Text the show! Barefoot Ted is widely known for his role in the book Born to Run, but that's just a small part of who he is. In this episode, Ted discusses his approach to life and how to maintain a regular connection with the flow state in everyday life. Show Notes and Links The Connection Between Movement, Music, and Ideas Barefoot Running and th…

Text the show! Jack McClure and his wife hiked southbound on the PCT in 2023 with their 9-month-old baby and joins the show to share their journey and lessons learned along the way. We discuss what life is like as a SOBO, preparing for the hike, relationship challenges along the way, hitting the SOS button, and what it all means in the end. Show No…

Text the show! Will Cockrell joins the podcast to discuss his recently published book detailing the history of Mount Everest, his perspective on the draw of mountaineering, and the connection between suffering and achievement. Will also explains the need to tell the full story of Everest, as well as the misconceptions and negative narratives surrou…

Text the show! Brad Brooks joins the podcast to compare notes on our recent backpacking trips with our kids and discuss the importance of exposing children to the outdoors. We share our experiences and challenges while planning and executing our trips, emphasizing the value of involving children in the decision-making process and building their con…

Text the show! Aaron Owens runs “Backcountry Foodie,” a one-stop shop for backpackers and long-distance hikers who want to level up their food game in the backcountry. From ultra-light food recipes and meal planners to a robust calorie calculator and resupply service, Aaron has you covered. She loves backcountry food so much that she’ll even pack y…

Text the show! Robbie Kroger of Blood Origins joins the show to discuss the complex relationship between hunting and conservation. We cover a range of topics, including the reintroduction of wolves, the function of wetlands, what would happen if we stopped hunting altogether, and finally, the impact social media has had on hunting. We also discuss …

Text the show! Janelle Smith is the strategic communications team lead at rec.gov and is responsible for spreading the word about the myriad of offerings the platform has for outdoor enthusiasts. As the summer season approaches, many of us are deep in the planning mode for camping trips, making this conversation with Janelle and her team a no-brain…

Text the show! Dr. Dan Wildcat joins the podcast to discuss his new book "On Indigenuity" and how we can reframe our relationship with the natural world in both a personal and global way. Dan is a Yuchi member of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma, PhD, and teaches at Haskell Nations University. He's a wealth of wisdom and knowledge and offers a refre…

Text the show! Jen Loofbourrow is the Owner and Founder of Alpine Fit, a baselayer-focused brand that offers multiple fit options in a custom odor-resistant fabric. Jen joins the show to talk about her background in the outdoors, why she launched a baselayer clothing brand, why proper fit is so important, and much more! Show Notes and Links PCT Day…

Text the show! Bill Stoker is a retired Army Veteran with a passion for teaching others how to master the art of fieldcraft and land navigation. In this episode, Bill joins the podcast for a deep dive into how to gain the correct mindset and perspective when in the field, the importance of situational awareness, and how his childhood years impacted…

Text the show! In this episode, it's just you and me hanging out for a bit. We'll catch you up on life and why I've been missing from the podcast for a couple of months. Don't worry, the show still goes on, but I had some growing to do, and you're going to hear all about it. I love gear and trail stories as much as the next person, however, I think…

Text the show! Michael "Einstein" Gelfeld is an accomplished backpacker and bikepacker. He's logged thousands of miles doing both, but when you ask him what matters most after all of that, he'd tell you it's not the stats but instead, whether or not you enjoy what you're doing. Einstein joins the podcast to discuss current backpacking culture, how …

Text the show! Andy Wynne is the CEO of Nuyarn®, a Merino wool textile manufacturer that has reinvented the way Merino is spun so it can unlock its natural characteristics while enhancing performance. The result is a material that can outperform synthetics while maintaining the benefits of natural fiber. Nuyarn® is stronger, stretchier, softer, mor…

Text the show! Exo Mountain Gear specializes in load-hauling backpacks designed for hunters. Steve Speck and Mark Huelsing join me for a behind-the-scenes look at Exo's newest K4 pack design. After more than 3 years in development and over a decade of pack-building experience, the K4 is a finely tuned design and the best pack Exo has designed to da…

Text the show! Dan Becker is a backpacker from Wisconsin who turned his passion into his full-time profession. If you’ve poked around YouTube for backpacking, you’ve no doubt seen his videos a time or two. He’s grown a massive following and for good reason - he’s just a great guy. Dan is genuine, sincere, funny, and just loves to backpack. I didn’t…

Text the show! The Hexatrek is a 3000 km long-distance trail across France that begins at the border of Germany, traverses the Pyrenees Mountains, and ends at the Bay of Biscay. Thomas works for the Hexatrek organization and spent the summer and fall of 2022 hiking and documenting the trail. Thomas is able to recognize the realities of hiking a lon…

Text the show! Andrew Skurka is known throughout the backpacking industry as someone who knows what they’re talking about when it comes to spending time in the backcountry. He was thru-hiking before it became popular and has hiked well over 20,000 miles across both long and short expeditions. Andrew now operates a backpacking guide service. Andrew …

Text the show! Katie O’mara is the driving force behind Trail Magik, an outdoor brand whose mission is to make hiking and backpacking with toddlers efficient and more enjoyable. Once kids grow out of their backpack-style carriers, parents are forced into deciding how far their little ones can hike before needing to be picked up, but oftentimes ridi…

Text the show! Tommy Corey’s eye for outdoor portrait photography landed him front and center in the hiking community during his 2018 PCT thru-hike when he began posting fashion-esque portraits of fellow thru-hikers under the project name “Hiker Trash Vogue.” The photo project captured the attention of major outdoor brands and was even featured in …

Text the show! This is the second part of a two-part mini-series with Marketa and David Daley who in 2022 hiked 1300 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail with their 3 young kids. David and I dive into the more holistic side of hiking the trail and explore the meaning behind the struggle and process of a thru-hike. For anyone who enjoys the non-technica…

Text the show! Marketa and David Daley backpacked 1300 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in 2022 with their 3 kids and proved to themselves that yes, it was possible to hike the PCT as a family. At times they moved at a snail's pace, questioned their own sanity, and were forced to find creative ways to motivate their kids to continue moving down the…

Text the show! Evan Guzik is a Public Affairs Officer for the US Forest Service out of the Bridger Teton Forest and joins the podcast to walk me through the basics of wildfires. Not only am I honored to have the US Forest Service represented on my show, but it’s made even more special because Evan and I served together in the Marine Corps nearly 20…

Text the show! Alex Harz is a man of many talents. He’s a filmmaker, mountaineer, and even a radio host, but for the purpose of this episode we’re diving into his Mount Everest Expedition and the film he’s produced about it called “The Quest: Nepal.” Alex might be the physical vehicle for the telling of a story or the driving force behind it, but w…