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The Backpacking Light Podcast

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

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Latest Podcast Episodes
October 20, 2025
Episode 136 | Fringe Season Layering

Debunk wicking myths, optimize thermoregulation with hydrophobic base layers & utilize shell layers effectively to help with fringe season layering in the backcountry.

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October 13, 2025
Episode 135 | Field Notes – The Metabolic Cost of Bushwhacking

Understand how brush work, impedance work, and hazard work explains the true metabolic cost of bushwhacking and how resistance, rhythm, and stability impact energy.

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October 6, 2025
Episode 134 | Sleep Quality in the Backcountry

Disrupted backcountry sleep affects recovery, judgment, and safety. Learn how altitude, stress, and gear impact rest, and discover strategies for better sleep.

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September 15, 2025
Episode 133 | Human Waste Management

In episode 133 of the Backpacking Light podcast, we challenge traditional cathole practices, advocating for pack-out systems in alpine, desert, and high-use areas based on science and LNT ethics.

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September 1, 2025
Episode 132 | Satellite Messenger Weather Forecasts

In Episode 132 of the Backpacking Light Podcast we talk about satellite messenger weather forecasts.

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August 19, 2025
Episode 131 – Ultralight First Aid Kit Strategies

Learn to design ultralight first aid kits for backcountry travel, matching modular kits (Overnight, Weekend, Expedition) to trip demands. Avoid errors, maintain your kit, and understand the medical rationale for each.

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August 4, 2025
Episode 130 | Bivy Sack Camping

Discover Ryan’s discreet bivy sack camping methodology for alpine environments, encompassing essential gear, requisite skills, and a critical analysis of tent practicality. Embrace the experience of open-air slumber.

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July 28, 2025
Episode 129 | Field Notes – The Limits of Wilderness Minimalism

Ryan Jordan examines wilderness minimalism under stress, using physiology, psychology, and Stoic philosophy to analyze five high-risk scenarios.

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July 7, 2025
Episode 128 | The Metabolic Cost of Carrying a Backpack

What does it really cost your body to carry a backpack in the backcountry? In this episode, we explore the science behind the metabolic demands of load carriage – how pack weight, load distribution, terrain, and walking speed impact energy expenditure. (included: interview with pack designer Dan Durston.)

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June 23, 2025
Episode 127 | Field Notes – Shelter Fabrics

In episode 127 of the BPL Podcast, Ryan Jordan explores shelter fabrics: strength-to-weight, waterproofing, coatings, pitch stability, storm resilience, strength-to-weight ratios and waterproofing to coating quality, pitch stability, and storm resilience.

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