The Backpacking Podcast

Could you thru-hike with nothing but a LifeStraw? Should you eat food at Walmart BEFORE you pay for it? And why was a mysterious jogger repeatedly pooping in the same Colorado neighborhood?
We’ve got a lot to unpack this week.
John and Jeremiah kick things off with a backpacking Pro Tip after a hiker asks whether a traditional LifeStraw would work as a primary water filter for a thru-hike. We compare the classic straw-style filter with more practical backpacking systems and talk about what we’d actually trust for months on trail.
Then we put some of the internet’s finest backpacking pickup lines to the test.
“Is your Patagonia made of boyfriend material?”
Yeah… some of these are rough.
Then Poop Talk returns with one of the strangest stories we’ve ever covered: The Mad Pooper of Colorado Springs.
Back in 2017, a mysterious jogger became nationally known after repeatedly stopping during her runs to poop in people’s yards and on sidewalks—including outside the same family’s house week after week. She was confronted, photographed, investigated by police…and still vanished without ever being publicly identified.
Now the bizarre unsolved story is getting its own documentary, so naturally we had to revisit it.
Next, Trail Court gets heated.
Is it acceptable to grab food or a drink while shopping, eat it as you walk around the store, and simply pay for the empty package at checkout?
Jeremiah says yes.
John VERY MUCH says no.
Parents, this one might divide the room.
Finally, in What’s Trending, we try the new AllTrails AI Trip Assistant live on the show. We give it destinations, difficulty levels, and multiple days to see whether AI can actually build a backpacking itinerary we’d trust.
The results?
Useful for discovering trails and getting ideas.
Planning your entire trip with it? We’re not there yet.
And stick around until the end for another completely unnecessary—but highly entertaining—version of The Backpacking Podcast theme song, this time with John and Jeremiah entering their gangster rap era.
🎒 The Backpacking Podcast with Jeremiah Stringer and John Kelly — backpacking gear, hiking stories, trail debates, outdoor news, questionable opinions, and apparently an unreasonable amount of poop talk.
📧 Send us your stories, questions, pro tips, guest ideas, gear finds, and topics:
backpackingpodcast@gmail.com
👍 Like, subscribe, and tell us in the comments:
Is it fair or foul to eat something in the store BEFORE you pay for it?
#Backpacking #Hiking #ThruHiking #LifeStraw #AllTrails #BackpackingTips #HikingGear #TrailCourt #PoopTalk #OutdoorPodcast #Camping #TheBackpackingPodcast

It’s the Halloween episode of The Backpacking Podcast, and somehow Mario and Ghost Rider have a lot of opinions about hiking.
John and Jeremiah kick things off with nine weird hiking hacks that supposedly make life on trail easier. Hiking backwards for back pain? Holding your hands over your head to fight sausage fingers? Warming food in your crotch? Cuddling a bottle of pee for warmth? And storing dog poop next to your gas cap?
Some of these might actually work.
Others… we have questions.
Then in That Don’t Make No Sense, we revisit one of the great outdoor arguments: rock cairns. Are people actually damaging ecosystems by stacking rocks, or has the internet exaggerated the problem? And what about the people who dedicate their time to kicking every cairn they see back over?
Next, Trail Court is officially in session.
With hunting season approaching, who needs to adjust—the hiker or the hunter? Should hikers avoid areas open to hunting during rifle season? Is wearing blaze orange enough? Or should hunters expect hikers to be using the same public land?
Then we debut a brand-new segment:
SHOULD I EAT THIS?
John finds a Greenbelly meal buried in his basement that he believes he bought around 2020.
Naturally, he eats it live on the podcast.
It starts surprisingly well.
Then he finds the fermented part.
Finally, Jeremiah gives a Red River Gorge backpacking trip update with Mr. Backpacking with Jason and the Kentucky crew. There are Oreo balls, hard miles on Swift Camp Creek, a broken Silky saw, questionable navigation, muddy trails, old friends, and—most importantly—Jeremiah somehow manages to win the “Don’t Poop in the Woods” game for the entire trip.
At least until Monday.
Stick around until the end for John’s Halloween-inspired version of The Backpacking Podcast theme song.
🎒 The Backpacking Podcast with Jeremiah Stringer and John Kelly — backpacking gear, trail stories, hiking debates, outdoor culture, questionable decisions, and whatever else happens once the microphones turn on.
📧 Send us your stories, gear finds, pro tips, guest ideas, backpacking meals, and show suggestions:
backpackingpodcast@gmail.com

Poop Talk is BACK. And apparently we had a couple weeks of material saved up.
This week on The Backpacking Podcast, John and Jeremiah dive into one of the great outdoor debates: what are you supposed to do with dog poop when you’re camping miles from a trash can?
Bury it? Pack it out? Wag bag it? Burn it? Leave the dog at home?
As you might expect, the internet has opinions.
From there, Poop Talk somehow continues as we break down what to do when a bathroom emergency hits miles from the nearest toilet. We talk trigger foods, hydration, backcountry bidets, Imodium, IBS, the art of “winning the game,” and why your pre-hike meal might deserve a little more thought than you’re giving it.
Then in Hiker News, we cover a truly bizarre trail accident out of Arizona, where strong winds reportedly knocked over a massive saguaro cactus onto a hiker, pinning her underneath and knocking her unconscious. It’s one of those freak accidents that makes falling trees seem almost predictable.
Next up is That Don’t Make No Sense, where we tackle modern tipping culture.
Do you tip at Subway? What about a drive-thru coffee shop? Should you tip when you order standing at a counter? And if Walmart wants us to scan and bag our own groceries… shouldn’t we at least get an employee discount?
We also share some of our favorite recent listener comments—including apparently learning that John and Jeremiah have the wrong voices for their bodies. 😂
Finally, Jeremiah needs some life advice.
Another backpacking trip is coming up, but should he head out Friday with the rest of the group—or stay home with the wife and kid, then wake up early and join everyone Saturday?
Sometimes the hardest backpacking decisions happen before you ever reach the trailhead.
Let us know where YOU land on all of this in the comments.
🎒 The Backpacking Podcast with Jeremiah Stringer and John Kelley — backpacking stories, hiking news, trail advice, outdoor culture, questionable opinions, and apparently a concerning amount of poop talk.
📧 Send us your stories, questions, pro tips, guest ideas, animal encounters, gear finds, and show suggestions:
backpackingpodcast@gmail.com
👍 Like the episode, subscribe, and stick around to the end for another very special version of The Backpacking Podcast theme song.
#Backpacking #Hiking #BackpackingPodcast #HikingNews #OutdoorNews #BackpackingTips #Camping #ThruHiking #PoopTalk #TrailSafety #OutdoorPodcast #TheBackpackingPodcast

The backpacking meetup happened… and somehow we ended up carrying coolers into the backcountry, eating Philly cheesesteaks and Oreo balls, relocating a snake named Sheila, dealing with gear failure, and trying to beat a tropical storm out of the woods.
Just another normal weekend.
This week on The Backpacking Podcast, John and Jeremiah recap the latest meetup at Big South Fork before jumping into another round of Backpack or Send It Back.
First up: a 3.2-ounce ultralight jacket that costs $195 but doesn’t come seam sealed, followed by possibly one of the strangest pieces of backpacking clothing we’ve seen yet—down sleeves. Useful ultralight innovation… or gear nobody asked for?
Then in Animal Encounters, we meet one of the biggest bears we’ve ever seen: Katmai National Park’s appropriately nicknamed “Honky Chonk Bear Donk-a-Donk.” Yes, that is apparently what we’re calling her.
In Hiker News, we congratulate former guest and ultrarunner Jeff “Free Outside” Garmeyer on getting married—sleeveless tuxedo and all—before diving into the chaos surrounding the Moab 240. Flash flooding, deep mud, sleet, high winds and severe weather stranded roughly 70 runners and volunteers overnight and ultimately forced organizers to cancel the race. Thankfully, everyone was safely evacuated.
And finally…
The Neighbor Update is officially its own segment.
Jeremiah gives the latest on the ongoing situation with his neighbor’s dog after animal enforcement finally got involved—and we may actually be moving toward a solution.
Maybe.
Stick around until the end for the latest version of The Backpacking Podcast theme song, this time with a little Disney-inspired flair.
🎒 The Backpacking Podcast with Jeremiah Stringer and John Kelly — backpacking gear, trail stories, hiking news, outdoor culture, questionable decisions, and whatever else happens when we start talking.
📧 Send us your stories, gear finds, pro tips, guest ideas, animal encounters, and show suggestions:
backpackingpodcast@gmail.com
👍 Like the episode, subscribe, and let us know what YOU would backpack or send back.
#Backpacking #Hiking #BackpackingGear #UltralightBackpacking #Moab240 #HikerNews #KatmaiNationalPark #Bears #OutdoorGear #ThruHiking #Camping #TheBackpackingPodcast

Outdoor Vitals Resolve Down Anorak: https://alnk.to/cwX2fyNMeetup AllTrails Link: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/custom-routes/creator-meetup-route-to-camp-a0671d7?u=i&sh=luwlk4Permit Link: https://www.nps.gov/biso/planyourvisit/permits.htm
🥾 IN THIS EPISODE💰 Backpacking Upgrades for Pennies or FreeWe take on five ideas from a list of 42 low-cost backpacking upgrades, including using fishing line for repairs, keeping your pillow in place with a T-shirt, trimming unnecessary gear, and intelligently downsizing your first aid kit. We also debate whether an $80 tree table deserves a place at camp.🏞️ The Government Hates the Outdoors?We discuss changes to Bears Ears National Monument, public land conservation, and new recreation surveys being conducted in Daniel Boone National Forest. What does this mean for outdoor access, privacy, and the future of our public lands?📰 Hiker NewsMeet the Great Colorado Route, a massive Colorado hiking route connecting existing trails, and hear why one school's 50-mile Appalachian Trail backpacking requirement is getting our attention. We also discuss the proposed Chiricahua National Park designation in Arizona.🐻 Animal Encounters: Bear Trouble in TennesseeWhy have dozens of bears been euthanized following human-bear conflicts in the Smokies region? We talk about irresponsible wildlife feeding, unsecured food and garbage, and why keeping wild bears wary of humans matters.😳 Jeremiah's Neighbor UpdateThings take a serious turn in Jeremiah's ongoing story about his neighbor's aggressive dog. Hear the latest developments and why the situation has become so frightening.🎒 Plus: Outdoor Vitals' Resolve Down Anorak jacket, our upcoming Big South Fork meetup, Kentucky's legendary Ale-8-One soda, plenty of laughs, and a special rockabilly version of the Backpacking Podcast theme song at the end!