Podcast

Outdoor Vitals marks 12 years with a clear gear direction: performance-first ultralight equipment for remote wilderness, smarter product development, better availability, and continued work on packs, apparel, women’s-specific gear, and the CIRC tent roadmap.

The team breaks down a three-day Coyote Gulch trip, including Hurricane Wash logistics, Hole-in-the-Rock Road, wag bags, Jacob Hamblin Arch, Stevens Arch, sandals versus trail runners, Leukotape limits, gaiters, cotton versus polyester sun hoodies, and desert canyon safety.

Ask OV answers practical backpacking questions about jacket packability, Pursuit Fleece layering, why ultralight matters beyond big miles, and choosing one pack for day hikes and weekends.

Ask OV 11 covers practical gear questions: water filters versus purifiers, why the Platypus QuickDraw keeps working well in the field, how backpack frame stiffness should match load, comfort camping without overpacking, and why hooded layers often come first.

Paul Ferraro recounts the purpose, preparation, logistics, and hazards behind his 2015 3,121-mile walk from Virginia to California for the Navy SEAL Foundation. He and Tayson discuss earlier walks, a 90-pound cart, training, route-specific gear, public kindness, severe dehydration, and the need to keep extreme determination in check.

Tayson, Tyler, and Derek describe the historical 2023 OV 100 Mile Challenge and the beta-year experiences that shaped it. They examine why a large goal can change preparation, how continuous and stacked miles serve different hikers, and how a baseline, training framework, shakedowns, live calls, and community can support a dream trip.

Tayson answers listener questions about training for ultras after 50, tent footprints, sunlight and perceived warmth, historical product plans, layering, pack fit, pack capacity, watches, snowshoes, and the Garmin inReach Mini 2. The conversation repeatedly returns to personal experience, actual fit, and matching equipment to the way it will be used.

Tayson gives a January 2023 company update covering Outdoor Vitals’ 2022 launches, private ownership, direct-to-consumer model, customer feedback, conservation focus, product development, and plans for the coming year. The historical forecast included a pad, windbreaker, backpacks, apparel, tent poles, events, and a revised 100 Mile Challenge.

Tayson, Brigham, and Tyler unpack their 2022 trip to ISPO in Munich, where supplier meetings and wholesale conversations put outdoor-product tradeoffs in focus. They discuss direct-to-consumer design, material selection, sustainability, European travel, and the clothing and luggage systems that worked across airports, trains, cities, and cold weather.

French runner Aurelien Sanchez recounts three self-supported attempts on the John Muir Trail before his 2018 south-to-north fastest known time. He and Tayson discuss food and gear failures, Grand Canyon training, severe sleep deprivation and hallucinations, the lonely finish, and how a failed effort can reveal the next problem to solve.

Filmmaker and hiker Kraig Adams joins Tayson to discuss solo travel, fast hiking, minimalism, outdoor storytelling, and the systems behind his videos. They also examine group-trip friction, an iPhone-only filming setup, early gear mistakes, and serious incidents on Mount Whitney and in Alaska.

American Perimeter Trail founder Rue McKenrick explains the evolving 2022 vision for an estimated 14,000-mile conservation corridor built through recreation and local ownership. He and Tayson discuss provisional mapping, private land, road and water hazards, Rue’s long-distance background, and why a scouting success should never be mistaken for a safe public route.