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Backpacking Light Podcast

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Latest episodes

Episode 149 | Durability

October 12, 2026 · 42 min

This is Part 1 (of 4) in a new series called Principles of Outdoor Gear Design and focuses on the topic of outdoor gear durability. Ryan Jordan examines durability through the relationship between product, use case, and user behavior…
Episode 148 | Rain Jackets for Mountain Minimalism

June 15, 2026 · 32 min

Learn why ultralight rain shells can be appropriate for mild trail conditions but inadequate in exposed mountain weather. Explore a decision framework based on exposure duration, retreat options, terrain, abrasion, wind, and thermal margin…
Episode 147 | Thermoregulatory Debt

June 3, 2026 · 34 min

Thermoregulatory debt describes the delayed cost of layering decisions made during movement in cold, wet, and windy conditions. A small delay in venting, changing layers, eating, or managing moisture can later become wet clothing…
Episode 146 | Dirtbag Rich with Blake Boles

May 2, 2026 · 1 hr 3 min

Ryan Jordan interviews Blake Boles, author of Dirtbag Rich, about redefining wealth through time, purpose, flexibility, and outdoor freedom. They explore dirtbag culture, careers, housing, relationships, risk, and the pursuit of a life…
Episode 145 | Backpacking at Altitude

April 2, 2026 · 55 min

Learn how altitude changes oxygen availability, hiking performance, sleep, recovery, appetite, and risk for acute mountain sickness. In this episode, we reframe altitude as cumulative hypoxic dose shaped by sleeping elevation, ascent rate…

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Episode 144 | Trail Steepness vs. Difficulty

March 4, 2026 · 36 min

Hiking effort doesn't scale smoothly with slope. It shifts across physiological regimes driven by muscle contraction type, aerobic limits, gait mechanics, and safety regulation. In this episode, we explain why mild downhill can be most…
Episode 143 | Managing Fatigue

February 18, 2026 · 32 min

This episode presents an operational framework for fatigue management in backcountry travel grounded in a non-circular load–fatigue–capacity model. Load is defined as external demand, fatigue as accumulated physiological and cognitive…
Episode 142 | The 72 Hour Backcountry Reset

January 19, 2026 · 40 min

This episode explores why time in the backcountry can improve how we function beyond recreation. Ryan Jordan describes how modern life overloads attention through constant interruptions and unfinished obligations, then walks through staged…
Episode 141 | Hiking at Night in a Blizzard

December 15, 2025 · 56 min

What gear do you actually need to hike out safely through a winter blizzard at night, in sub-freezing temps and high winds, when stopping isn't an option? In this episode, Ryan breaks down a focused foul-weather kit: core layers, shells…
Episode 140 | Winter Storm Decisions

December 9, 2025 · 30 min

Ryan walks through a structured, six-question framework for deciding whether to stay put or move when a winter storm deteriorates around you, using real backcountry examples to show how terrain, weather, gear, consequences, people, and…
Episode 139 | Repair Kits

November 20, 2025 · 34 min

In this Field Notes episode, Ryan breaks down ultralight repair kits using a simple framework: context, consequence, and capability. He compares short-term overnights to long-term expeditions, explains how to right-size your kit, and walks…
Episode 138 | Plan – Focus – Trust

November 10, 2025 · 44 min

In this episode, Ryan introduces the Plan-Focus-Trust framework - a simple but powerful approach to managing hard, uncertain objectives in the wilderness and beyond. Drawing on lessons from our recent BPL community trip in the Colorado…

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About the show

The Backpacking Light Podcast explores the technology, gear, skills, and philosophy of backcountry wilderness travel through stories, interviews, and investigative reports.