Gear Abby Episode 8: From Butt Hugs to Bear Hugs: Snakes, Lakes & Wedding Cakes
- colin7931
- 1 day ago
- 42 min read
In the latest episode of Gear Abby, host Shawnté Salabert and producer Colin True tackle the full spectrum of outdoor awkwardness: from trailside wildlife encounters to underwear performance reviews and the ethics of inflatable flamingos. Episode 8 manages to slither, shimmy, and splash through a set of questions that perfectly capture the mix of humor and hard-earned wisdom that makes Gear Abby such a must-listen.
Pre-Question: The Rattlesnake Conundrum
The episode opens with Colin confronting an age-old hiker’s dilemma: what to do when a rattlesnake refuses to yield the trail. With no trekking poles and little room to pass, he’s left negotiating with what Shawnté affectionately calls a “danger noodle.” Her advice? Skip the rock-throwing, resist the urge to panic, and instead make your presence known with vibration. A few firm stomps or pole taps to let the snake know it’s time to move on. A reminder that in the outdoors, patience and respect usually win the day (and prevent emergency room visits).
Question 1: The Great Merino Underwear Debate
Listener Fritz wrote in after Colin’s previous mention of merino wool underwear, asking which brands hold up best for those of us blessed with “larger thighs.” Shawnté brings in gear reviewer and thru-hiker Sam Schild, who joins from the Pacific Northwest Trail to share his findings from Treeline Review’s mega-test of men’s underwear.
The verdict:
Ibex Natural Boxer Briefs: Most supportive and least prone to stretching but pricey.
Ridge Merino Performance Briefs: Soft, comfortable, and a strong value pick.
Arms of Andes Alpaca Boxers: Cozy and luxurious, though quick to stretch. Schild also offers practical care advice: never put merino in the dryer hang-dry only if you want them to last longer than your last relationship.
Question 2: How to Get Married in a National Park
Next, He Put A Ring On It wonders if it’s possible to get married in Yosemite National Park. Turns out it’s not only possible it’s surprisingly straightforward. Shawnté walks listeners through the process: apply for a Special Use Permit (currently $150), secure a Mariposa County marriage license, and respect the park’s group-size limits and location restrictions.
While Shawnté jokes about her own credentials as an ordained minister of the “Church of the Latter-Day Dude,” her step-by-step breakdown makes park weddings sound far more approachable than the traditional banquet-hall blowout. Colin just wants to make sure there’s parking.
Question 3: Floaties in the Backcountry
The show then takes a playful dip into the topic of inflatable rafts and floaties at alpine lakes. As Lake Enthusiast asks: are they obnoxious?
Shawnté argues that joy, in moderation, belongs everywhere. If you’ve hauled a flamingo floatie 10 miles into the backcountry, you’ve earned your lake time. The takeaway: so long as you respect the environment, other visitors, and any local restrictions, there’s room for both silent reflection and lighthearted floating.
Question 4: Trailside Repair 101
Finally, Marcus From The Alps (possibly not Kilian Jornet, though Shawnté has her suspicions) asks what to pack for a one-day mountain run requiring serious vert.
Shawnté breaks down a minimalist repair kit inspired by the classic “Ten Essentials”:
Duct tape (wrapped on poles or bottles)
Safety pins (multi-use for first aid or gear)
Mini super glue
Tenacious Tape or small patches
Thin cord or spare lace
Tiny sewing kit (the hotel kind works fine)
Small multi-tool or a giant Rambo knife
The Takeaway
From venomous encounters to merino maintenance, Episode 8 is a masterclass in practical outdoor smarts delivered with a wink. Shawnté and Colin remind listeners that there’s no single “right” way to adventure, whether you’re waiting out a rattlesnake, saying “I do” under El Capitan, or paddling into the sunset on a bright-pink flamingo.
Episode Bings (aka Footnotes)
Merino boxer briefs. SW, Woolly, Ridge Merino, Ibex, Arms of Andes (Oh and hey Smartwool, call us. We’ll help change the narrative.)
Fun fact: sandpaper testicles is (not) a real affliction.
A Cotton T-shirt For Your Junk would be a great album title
Do bears eat mule deer? According to Google they do. Apparently Gear Abby doesn’t know everything.
Some would argue that Gear Abby is on the fun police given her anti-speaker stance.
Yeah that totally got cut out. But Colin’s wedding was epic.
Happy to report that Kilian is a Gear Abby fan. You’ll see.
We’re open for business, NNORMAL
Here’s the deal on Colin Fletcher and also Mountaineering Freedom of the Hills
Listen to the Full Episode
This recap only scratches the surface, listen to all of Gear Abby Episode 8 here or just click the player below.
If you’ve got your own gear dilemmas, want to safely discuss how you like to smell your outdoorsy underwear, or just want Shawnté to settle a debate, send your questions to deargearabby@gmail.com, they just might land in a future episode.
And remember: there are no dumb questions... just smart advice.
Episode Transcript:
Shawnté Salabert
00:00:01.120 - 00:00:48.890
All right, just in time for fall, we're happy to introduce our new partner here on Gear, Abbey Fjallraven. Because you can't Fjall without Fialraven. That's right. Fall doesn't get nearly enough credit for hiking.
Everyone thinks summer's the season, but for hikers, autumn is the real deal. You got cooler days, quieter trails, more space. And fall is exactly what Fjall Rubens came Kebb Collection is built for.
Born from trekking in northern Sweden, their jackets, fleeces, trousers, everything lets you focus on nature. All specifically designed to make cold optional.
Check out the whole Kebb Collection by clicking on the link in the show notes or search for it when you head to fjallraven.com where your fjall or your fall begins.
Gear Abby Theme Song!
00:00:53.610 - 00:01:10.470
You got questions going out of your mind. Someone with answers. Now that' like the what and the why in the how stuff works. Or just where to go to avoid all the jerks she's Gear Abby. Gear Abby.
Gear Abby. Advice that doesn't suck.
Shawnté Salabert
00:01:10.870 - 00:02:20.230
Gear Abby.
Hello there, my outdoorsy friends, and welcome to Gear Abby, where we tackle the controversial, weird, obscure and taboo topics that other outdoor podcasts refuse to touch. I'm Shawnte Salabert and an outdoor educator, writer, former school social worker, and one time underwater hockey player. That's right.
Who's hiked, run, climbed, paddled and adventured across the United States and beyond.
And here on Gear Abby, I channel all that experience and more into answering your burning questions about our relationships with outdoor people, products, places and pastimes. Because remember, my outdoor loving pals, there are no dumb questions, just smart advice. So you know how this works. That's right.
You're going to send questions to dear Gear Abby, and that is a bby. I am not Edward Abbey, and I will pick my favorites to answer here on the show. And the moment you've been waiting for, as always.
Joining me today is my partner in Gear, the producer of Gear Abby, and a guy who just wishes that all the horny salmon in this world could find their one true love. Colin. True.
Colin True
00:02:21.260 - 00:02:28.900
I just want love for the salmon. Just want love. They deserve it after all the time they spend on the other side of that dam. But Gear Abby, I have a question for you.
Shawnté Salabert
00:02:28.900 - 00:02:30.900
Uh, oh. I'm not prepared for this. This is.
Colin True
00:02:30.900 - 00:02:33.900
You're flipping the script on the spot. I am. Oh my gosh.
Shawnté Salabert
00:02:34.140 - 00:02:36.180
What if I can't answer questions in the morning?
Colin True
00:02:36.180 - 00:02:44.700
Oh, you can. This. This is a layup. Total layup. This is something that you Probably I'm going to step on a reader's toes. Excuse me, a listener's toes.
Because I know that they would have asked this question eventually.
Shawnté Salabert
00:02:44.700 - 00:02:45.180
Okay.
Colin True
00:02:45.660 - 00:02:47.020
I think I sent you this video.
Shawnté Salabert
00:02:47.460 - 00:02:47.940
Oh, boy.
Colin True
00:02:48.180 - 00:02:49.740
I don't know if you can see it. Okay.
Shawnté Salabert
00:02:49.740 - 00:02:50.660
He's holding up his phone.
Colin True
00:02:50.740 - 00:02:53.380
You can't see the trail. So that's a rattlesnake.
Shawnté Salabert
00:02:53.380 - 00:02:54.220
Okay, I see a.
Colin True
00:02:54.220 - 00:02:55.500
This is on a trail behind my house.
Shawnté Salabert
00:02:55.500 - 00:02:57.460
Oh, you didn't lick it, did you?
Sam Schild
00:02:57.540 - 00:02:58.820
I'm not gonna go any further.
Colin True
00:02:58.980 - 00:02:59.860
Good to see you.
Shawnté Salabert
00:03:00.500 - 00:03:02.820
Ooh, spicy rattlesnake.
Colin True
00:03:03.060 - 00:03:17.780
So I encountered this rattlesnake on this trail by my house. Hiked to this mountain hundreds of times. Literally can walk to it from my house. So it's like my go to up there.
One of the few sections of trails, pretty narrow. And also, I've never seen a rattlesnake before. Happened to see a rattlesnake this one day.
Shawnté Salabert
00:03:17.780 - 00:03:18.180
Yes.
Colin True
00:03:18.740 - 00:03:31.140
And, you know, I was at a point, it was almost at the summit. I was kind of late for dinner. It's time for me to turn around and go home anyway. So I would have gone up to the top, but it was like, ah, whatever.
But there was not a lot of room to navigate. Navigate around this guy.
Shawnté Salabert
00:03:31.220 - 00:03:31.700
Yeah.
Colin True
00:03:31.940 - 00:03:37.100
And on, you know, in a lot of hikes forward is the path. Right. You're not going to just turn around like.
Shawnté Salabert
00:03:37.100 - 00:03:38.900
Well, just start spinning in circles.
Colin True
00:03:39.460 - 00:03:55.360
Guess I'm gonna. Now, do you sit and you wait for the snake to depart? Do you lob rocks at it? Do you just sort of gingerly take the.
You know, because it was basically like a hill kind of on the one side of the trail and then that snake was on the other side. Do you kind of trek up off trail to kind of give yourself some. A wide berth? What do you do?
Shawnté Salabert
00:03:55.360 - 00:04:05.360
I mean, Colin, did you try just asking like, hey, Mr. Snake. Hey, danger noodle. Can you. Can you just scoot a little bit? You could do the Midwestern. Oh, oh. Could you just move over just a little bit?
Colin True
00:04:07.360 - 00:04:08.320
We had a conversation.
Shawnté Salabert
00:04:08.320 - 00:04:08.960
You did? Okay.
Colin True
00:04:08.960 - 00:04:10.840
I told him because I wanted to wait.
Shawnté Salabert
00:04:10.840 - 00:04:11.920
Did he respond to you?
Colin True
00:04:12.100 - 00:04:13.260
He responded with his rattle.
Shawnté Salabert
00:04:13.260 - 00:04:15.700
Ah, I see. So he was real excited you were there.
Colin True
00:04:16.260 - 00:04:18.100
He's like, hey, what's up? Fuck off.
Shawnté Salabert
00:04:18.740 - 00:04:19.220
That's a.
Colin True
00:04:19.220 - 00:04:20.340
That's what he had to say to me.
Shawnté Salabert
00:04:20.340 - 00:04:25.620
Yeah, their. Their English is very limited. So, I mean. All right. Did you have trekking poles with you?
Colin True
00:04:26.180 - 00:04:26.740
I didn't.
Shawnté Salabert
00:04:26.740 - 00:04:40.660
Okay. One thing you can do if you encounter a rattlesnake is kind of like Bang your trekking poles on the ground. Not at the rattlesnake, not to the red.
Do not whip your poles at the rattlesnake, but just kind of like bang them on the ground. If you don't have poles, you can just use your feet and stomp.
Colin True
00:04:40.660 - 00:04:41.180
Just stop.
Shawnté Salabert
00:04:41.180 - 00:04:58.320
They don't like the vi. Not. They might go and fuck you and slither off. Slither off? Yeah, slither off into the sunset, as it were, to go find. Maybe they're out there mating.
You don't know, Maybe you could be like, hey, have you tried getting laid? Why don't you go do that?
Colin True
00:04:58.960 - 00:05:00.319
Did you see the tarantulas?
Shawnté Salabert
00:05:00.320 - 00:05:19.430
Did you see the tarantulas? They just had their mating season. It's your turn, Colin.
This is a real banner day today because not only did you just ask me a question, really throwing me off the game here, but I hear you also got some listener mail yourself. So let's hear it.
Colin True
00:05:19.990 - 00:05:21.590
We're rebranding Gear Pig.
Shawnté Salabert
00:05:23.430 - 00:05:25.590
I feel like there's people who would really like that.
Colin True
00:05:25.590 - 00:05:44.310
So probably hell, you're with Colin the Gear Pig. Okay, yeah, I did. I actually got a response to. God, was it our first maybe in our first episode.
We was first one of the first couple episodes where we talked about chafing and what to do in Exactly. And I mentioned that I was a merino wool fan.
Shawnté Salabert
00:05:44.310 - 00:05:44.990
Oh, you did.
Colin True
00:05:44.990 - 00:05:53.430
And so we received this email at our old address, which is still the current address for the rock fight. Myrockfightmail.com don't say anything.
Shawnté Salabert
00:05:53.430 - 00:05:53.790
Good there.
Colin True
00:05:53.790 - 00:05:54.470
I don't know if you're aware.
Shawnté Salabert
00:05:54.470 - 00:05:55.310
Send it all to me.
Colin True
00:05:55.950 - 00:05:58.910
I don't know if you're aware. We're having a battle. Ok. Who's going to get more emails?
Shawnté Salabert
00:05:59.710 - 00:06:02.110
So far, I'm doing all right. I just want you to know you're winning.
Colin True
00:06:02.430 - 00:06:30.080
Well, Rock Fight's been around for three years and somehow you're getting more emails. I don't know how this is happening. Okay, here's the letter that I received. Hi, Colin.
I was just listening to the most recent Gear Abby and I heard your comment about merino underwear. I also have to deal with larger thighs and wanted to ask a question. Which brand do you find holds up the best?
I've used smartwool in the past but started noticing durability issues. I was curious if there was a brand you might recommend. Love all the shows. I learned so much about the industry. Best, Fritz.
Shawnté Salabert
00:06:30.160 - 00:06:31.840
Best. Best.
Colin True
00:06:32.080 - 00:06:49.929
Yeah. And so, by the way, not to limit sponsorship opportunities, but my experience with smartwool has been the same.
I've my three kind of go to brands over the last year and mostly I wear them on a day to day basis. I do use them actively as well sometimes but have been Smartwool, Ridge, Merino and Wooly.
Shawnté Salabert
00:06:50.330 - 00:06:51.770
Wooly. I don't know. Wooly.
Sam Schild
00:06:51.770 - 00:06:52.210
Wooly.
Shawnté Salabert
00:06:52.210 - 00:06:55.690
Is it W O O L L Y I E. It is.
Colin True
00:06:56.490 - 00:07:15.510
But the Ridge I think fit the best. The smart wools really, they wear out quick.
And when you're spending upwards of you know, 30 to potentially 50 bucks on a pair of underwear which is what you're prob. You're getting Marino, you know it's not going to last as long as maybe as you want to ever because it's Marino.
But it's also you know, when they these, they wear out pretty quickly. So smart, we'll get your act together.
Shawnté Salabert
00:07:15.510 - 00:07:18.950
What are you doing in your underwear? No, you know what? I retract that question.
Colin True
00:07:19.510 - 00:07:21.190
I have very abrasive balls.
Shawnté Salabert
00:07:23.030 - 00:07:35.290
You're short. Nope, I'm just going to leave that actually. We're going to move right along.
But you know what, Colin, I know exactly how to change the subject here since since you are but one call.
Colin True
00:07:35.290 - 00:07:36.370
That in the biz a pivot.
Shawnté Salabert
00:07:36.450 - 00:08:20.290
You're going to pivot real hard to someone else's balls. So I actually decided to call upon a certified underwear expert. That is Sam Shield.
He is a writer, a gear reviewer, backpacker, bike packer, runner through hiker. He's covered more than 50,000 miles on two wheels alone. So that's just his bike riding guys.
He's, he's done a lot and he wrote a few fantastic mega review of men's underwear very specifically for Treeline review earlier this year. So back in the spring. So I decided let's pull him in and give him a call to grill him on all things undies.
So hey Sam, where exactly are you calling in from right now and why are you there?
Sam Schild
00:08:21.090 - 00:08:41.090
What's up, Shantae? I am in Bellingham, Washington because I am through hiking the Pacific Northwest trail right now. I've hiked about 950 miles in the past month.
So I've got like 250, 300 more to go. And yeah, I'm here to talk about some undies, man.
Shawnté Salabert
00:08:41.090 - 00:08:46.650
Yes, I like the enthusiasm in your voice. Are you wearing merino underwear right now? Be honest.
Sam Schild
00:08:46.650 - 00:09:14.920
To be perfectly honest, I'm not wearing merino underwear because I found that wearing merino underwear it doesn't dry as fast. So in like in wet climates I tend to wear synthetic Underwear.
And then also when I'm through hiking with, like, sometimes I just wash my clothes in a sink or something and then just continue on my way. Like, I could just put the synthetic mesh underwear back on when it's still wet and it dries much faster than merino.
Shawnté Salabert
00:09:15.800 - 00:09:18.840
Wow, your credibility score just went down exponentially.
Sam Schild
00:09:19.640 - 00:10:22.590
But. But I do. I really do love merino underwear.
Also, depending on the situation, I kind of just grab whatever underwear I have, and I've worn all of them from that review you were talking about.
And mostly how I was testing them was just literally wearing them every day for everything from running to backpacking, biking, traveling, just living my daily life. And the wool underwear, I found that I think it's more helpful for people that have chafing issues. And I just really don't have chafing issues.
I guess my thighs are the magical kind that don't chafe as much, so I could kind of wear whatever, and I end up wearing, honestly, pretty cheap, thin, just, like, polyester mesh underwear a lot. But when I do wear the merino ones, it is super. It's like, it's more cozy, and they're a little warmer, which is nice when it's cold. And they are.
They're as breathable as synthetic, and they don't stink as much. So there's a lot of benefits to.
Shawnté Salabert
00:10:22.590 - 00:10:30.950
Merino that's very crucial that don't stink as much. I do feel like merino is. It's like wearing a. It's like a butt hug, you know, it is.
Sam Schild
00:10:30.950 - 00:10:38.470
It's like. It's like a butt hug. It's. It's like the closest thing you could get to a cotton T shirt when you're going. When you're going after it outside.
Shawnté Salabert
00:10:39.600 - 00:11:14.390
I like that. Like, a cotton T shirt for your junk. That is a beautiful sentiment, just putting those words right in your mouth.
Better than putting a pair of merino underwear in your mouth. I mean, we don't. We don't kink. Shame on this podcast, by the way. So you do you. But what.
So I know you tested something, like, I don't know, around 20 different. I know you had a huge list that you were calling from. You tested around 20 different pairs of undies for the tree line piece. What? I mean, maybe.
I'm afraid to ask, but what was your criteria for what made just, like, an outstanding pair of men's underwear to start?
Sam Schild
00:11:14.390 - 00:11:53.000
I just wore them all, like, for days at a time without changing my underwear. And I would just, like, take notes, take, you know, like, take Note of which ones were the most comfortable and which ones I wanted to wear.
And then, you know, I'd wash them as normal. And then I'd like to start the whole thing again. And I'd wear every pair for a few days.
Switch to another pair, wear those for a few days, switch to another pair, wear those for a few days. And I washed them all by hand too. And I like let them out to dry to see which ones dried the fastest.
And after I wore them, I would like smell them to see if any of them stunk, which was.
Shawnté Salabert
00:11:53.240 - 00:11:54.520
I mean, you had to, didn't you?
Sam Schild
00:11:54.760 - 00:11:57.880
Yeah, I had to. It's for science, it's for journalism.
Shawnté Salabert
00:11:59.400 - 00:12:34.500
Hardcore hard hitting journalism over here. That's right. Well, I saw a couple different Marino undies did make the cut. So we had arms of Andy's boxer briefs were best for backpacking.
Ridge Marino, which we were just talking about. Performance Fit briefs Best Marino Ibex Natural boxer brief best upgrade Marino. And it looks like I was looking through your story.
The only reason the Ibex draws didn't make it as your top overall pick is that they're spendy. But if money is no object for Fritz or anybody else who's listening, their thighs, like why. Why is the Ibex the premium pick here?
Sam Schild
00:12:35.300 - 00:13:54.490
The Ibex were just the most comfortable overall. They just felt really good when you put them on. And even after you're wearing them for a few days.
A lot of another thing about wool, about Marino underwear that is kind of not as great is that they get stretched out. Like they don't have as much elastic as a synthetic. But the Ibex didn't seem to get stretched out as much.
They're like 88% merino and 12% nylon with like 1% spandex. I know that equals 101. So those numbers aren't exactly accurate or close.
But the Ibex ones, they just kind of felt the most supportive and they didn't ride up on your thighs. And they were just kind of the most comfortable for the longest. For the longest time. But the Ridge Merino ones are also super, super comfortable.
They're almost like a lot of Ridge Merino stuff. They're a little softer feeling somehow. And I don't exactly know what it is about their Merino that is softer, but it feels a little softer.
They got stretched out a little quicker, but they are a lot cheaper than the Ibex. So that was. Yeah, so that was kind of the reason why we went with Ridge Merino as the best merino.
But then the Arms of Andes and the ibex are also great.
Shawnté Salabert
00:13:55.370 - 00:14:03.050
I love it. I like the arms of Andes I saw were like 100% alpaca. And I just love the thought of cozy alpaca up on my buns. I think that sounds.
Sam Schild
00:14:04.090 - 00:14:17.800
Yeah, those ones are so cozy.
They since they're 100% alpaca, they do get stretched out a little faster and they don't really keep give you the same support after a few days of wearing them, but they're super cozy.
Shawnté Salabert
00:14:18.520 - 00:14:35.800
All right, well, I know you've obviously worked your ass off to test these undies.
What is your advice for what people can do to help their merino like in particular merino undies last longer because that is of course Fritz is asking about durability and staying power. Like how should people be taking care of these things?
Sam Schild
00:14:36.840 - 00:15:07.950
So never put them in the dryer. That's the number one thing. You could wash them in the washing machine as normal, but then hang dry them. Do not ever, not even on like low heat.
Just hang dry them. Other than that, if you, if you ride a bike in them a lot, they're going to abrade so that's going to wear them out faster.
But for just general like hiking, running, climbing, anything else just they they'll last a long time as long as you don't shrink them by putting them in the dryer.
Shawnté Salabert
00:15:08.270 - 00:15:48.470
Wow. Sam Shield Captain Underpants.
Well, I really appreciate you taking the time to help out Fritz and hop on the and we'll link to your Treeline story and your website in the show notes.
But anyone who's listening, if you want to see pictures of Sam in the underwear, which you all do, just head over to Treeline Google or Google Best men's hiking underwear. It should be one of the first things I did it the other day. It popped right up. Or head over to Champ Bam. Sam Shield.
And that's actually spelled as Sam's child for more of his non undergarment writing which may not be as exciting for some of you who are really into smells. So thanks Sam. I really appreciate it your time.
Sam Schild
00:15:49.270 - 00:15:50.870
Absolutely. Thanks for having me.
Shawnté Salabert
00:15:52.870 - 00:15:59.590
All right, what do you say we rescue our listeners from the thought of sniffing 20 pair of underwear and tackle another topic.
Colin True
00:16:00.230 - 00:16:06.390
We did avoid poop in this episode, yet we've already on question one. We're talking about sniffing.
Shawnté Salabert
00:16:06.390 - 00:16:26.690
About sniffing. That's what we do here on gear Abby. Nothing. There is no kink that we will shame. There is no topic too gross. We will talk about it all.
And you know what? Underwear, balls, butts whatever it exists, bring it on. All right, Colin, let's get back on track here. Another question, please.
Colin True
00:16:27.330 - 00:16:46.690
Okay, here we go. Dear Gear Abby, My partner and I recently got engaged and neither of us want a big wedding.
We're both climbers and love the idea of maybe getting married in Yosemite, which is where we met. Can you even get married in a national park? And if so, what do we need to do to make it legal? Signed. He put a ring on it.
Shawnté Salabert
00:16:47.090 - 00:17:02.400
All right, Beyonce, first of all. Yes, Beyonce.
Not Beyonce, you, person who wrote in, congratulations both on becoming engaged to your beloved and for finding love while enjoying the great outdoors, which is basically something I fantasized about at least 900 times, give or take.
Colin True
00:17:03.040 - 00:17:05.400
Every corner, you're like, you're gonna walk up there.
Shawnté Salabert
00:17:05.400 - 00:17:06.040
Is it here?
Colin True
00:17:06.040 - 00:17:08.480
They're gonna be there. They're gonna be there. There they are.
Shawnté Salabert
00:17:09.200 - 00:17:11.120
No, just. Just marmots. See?
Colin True
00:17:11.120 - 00:17:12.160
Just another marmot.
Shawnté Salabert
00:17:12.160 - 00:17:25.300
Just another beloved marmot. Well, all right.
But second, I can't remember if I've mentioned this on the podcast yet, but I am ordained minister of the Church of the Latter Day dude, so in case you're looking for an efficient.
Sam Schild
00:17:25.300 - 00:17:25.700
That's a thing.
Shawnté Salabert
00:17:25.700 - 00:17:36.540
Yeah, it's a thing. The last and only couple that I married actually asked me to write the ceremony myself. They're like, you go for it.
So it involved a ton of Nicholas Cage quotes, if that's your sort of thing. So call me.
Colin True
00:17:36.620 - 00:17:37.980
You married Justin Houseman?
Shawnté Salabert
00:17:39.180 - 00:17:40.380
Is he a Nicholas Cage?
Colin True
00:17:41.420 - 00:17:43.860
I'm looking at this degree to show.
Shawnté Salabert
00:17:43.860 - 00:19:29.340
You the things that I have displayed in my house that my friend and my. My friend Alexis and my sister bought me various Nicholas Cage ephemera in this. So I also stand hard.
If you haven't seen Kiss of the Vampire and the Old School Kids, oh, my gosh, when he's in the office and he's just reading off the letters of the Alphabet that you can Google that clip on the Internet and it will satisfy you in a deep way, especially if you have, like, a small bit of rage inside you. Let. Let Nicolas Cage in that movie work that out for you. But, yes, you can get married in a national park, and it's.
It's honestly, probably not as complicated as you might imagine. So please allow me your duddest to explain. So, all right, first of all, starting. You can.
You can start no more than a year out and at least 21 days out, although it's a good idea to do it earlier, especially in a park like Yosemite. It's very popular. They've got a lot of administrative things to do, but you want to apply for what's called a special use permit.
So this is the same thing that guides use, concessionaires, commercial photographers, stuff like that. It just basically says you have permission to do this random thing in the park.
And so it's the same thing in Yosemite that you'd have to do in any park. And it looks like right now it costs about 150 in Yosemite to get that permit.
And it just says you have permission to conduct your wedding in the park. So you can find the permit application on the park's website. Just look under the permits reservation section. And that's for any national park.
So we're going to use Yosemite as the example today. But you're going to fill that sucker out and mail it. Yes, we are getting analog here. You're gonna mail it with a check or money order. Deeply analog.
Here are money orders still. I didn't know they were. But it says it on the Yosemite website, so.
Colin True
00:19:29.340 - 00:19:36.380
God, that's like a throwback to my childhood, you know, like the 888. All things you order for online. Like get the new CD instead of check your money order or whatever.
Shawnté Salabert
00:19:36.540 - 00:19:42.140
Well, yeah, the. The over the cd, the something house. Not Random House, Columbia, Columbia House. Oh my gosh.
Sam Schild
00:19:42.140 - 00:19:42.460
Yeah.
Colin True
00:19:42.460 - 00:19:43.700
20 CDs for a penny.
Shawnté Salabert
00:19:43.700 - 00:20:40.270
Yeah, that's just a penny, guys. They definitely aren't gonna sit, get you caught in some sort of CD Ponzi scheme after that. But yeah, you're gonna mail that off and then wait.
Or you can bother the person in charge. Special permits.
Until they tell you that yes, you may indeed marry your beloved while standing beneath El Capitan while Alex Honnold, you know, claps for you. You're also. He will. He will. With his big ass hands. Just. It's gonna be nice.
You're also gonna need to get a marriage license just like you would anywhere else. But they're just. There's two things you want to keep in mind is that first you need to get the license not where you want to get married.
So for Yosemite, California, but often from the county in which you're going to get married in. So in Yosemite, that's Mariposa County. And then you want to pay attention on the license to the expiration date.
So Mariposa county license is valid for 90 days. So you want to time it out so you can get married and have that sucker signed and filed within that window.
Colin True
00:20:40.430 - 00:20:44.630
Is that the same Everywhere. So if you want to do like, Acadia, it's whatever county in Maine, generally.
Shawnté Salabert
00:20:44.630 - 00:21:12.900
Yeah. I don't know if it's. It's the same exact thing state by state, but in the wedding I performed was in Oregon, and we had to do that. It was.
It had to be through the county itself. Yeah. So, okay, the more you know, this is gear. Abby doing her deep dive research. Very important things for you.
So that is not where things stop, though there's a few more additional logistics you kind of need to sort out for national park weddings. This is going to be different. You know, first you have to decide where in the park are you going to do the deed. Not that deed.
Colin True
00:21:12.900 - 00:21:22.820
Wait, you. You have to get married first. You get married, go to that checklist. Some like Creville, Nice, you got your license.
You're like, just start doing it right now.
Shawnté Salabert
00:21:22.820 - 00:21:23.380
Just like.
Colin True
00:21:23.380 - 00:21:25.660
That's part on the list. Do you want to get married or not?
Shawnté Salabert
00:21:25.660 - 00:22:55.960
Listen, if the horny salmon can do it in the national park, so can you after you get married? No, but you do need to figure out where in the park you want to have the ceremony.
And so most parks will have restrictions on where that can be, as especially depending on the size of the crowd you're going to draw. So if it's just gonna be the three of you, that's a lot different than if you are bringing, you know, 40 other people with you.
And so, you know, in Yosemite, if It's just the two of you and an officiant, you can really. 10 people or less is their limit.
I think you can get married anywhere as long as you're not standing like in the middle of a meadow or something like that. Probably in. Probably you want to avoid somebody's private housing or just rolling up into somebody's campsite. But.
But once you start getting close to like a dozen people or more, the options do become more restricted. So anything over 50 people is totally off limits. This is not what they're here for. They're here for nature people. So that.
That little number, though, between 30 and 50, if you decide to have a sizable group show up, you do need to pay for somebody from the park to basically watch over you and make sure you're not screwing up. And that's $50 an hour right now.
So honestly, even with the special use fee, that is probably still cheaper than any venue that is not your aunt's backyard. So probably absolutely worthy contender. And with Yosemite, if they're still doing those time permits, you got to Keep that in mind.
And you know that, of course, is going to get exponentially harder as you get up to the day. And you got to find parking, which is an impossibility in the Valley, especially in the summer.
Colin True
00:22:55.960 - 00:22:56.800
I'm getting anxiety.
Shawnté Salabert
00:22:56.880 - 00:22:57.200
Right?
Colin True
00:22:57.200 - 00:22:59.040
Call it. This is like I'm.
Shawnté Salabert
00:22:59.040 - 00:23:00.320
I'm rubbing his forehead.
Colin True
00:23:00.720 - 00:23:01.640
I just can't.
Shawnté Salabert
00:23:01.640 - 00:23:05.450
I'm so upset. Is this why you're not wearing your ring, Colin?
Colin True
00:23:05.850 - 00:23:09.450
Yeah. The clouds come along and I start shaking my fist at it. Pretty soon, just wait.
Shawnté Salabert
00:23:10.170 - 00:23:14.170
Colin, have you even thought about, like, where all those people are going to park? Where are they going to stay for the night?
Colin True
00:23:14.730 - 00:23:19.090
If you want to hear about my wedding after this, I'll tell you. It's not. It was not this complicated, I can tell you that.
Shawnté Salabert
00:23:19.090 - 00:23:35.310
Well, all right. I mean, you. Did you get married in Yosemite? No. Because you've never been there, you weirdo. Who lives in California. Whatever. Fair. Anyway. Anyway. So.
Yeah, listen. People book campsites in this park, especially when they open up a year in advance. They are booking them that morning at 7:00am Totally.
Colin True
00:23:35.310 - 00:23:35.990
No, absolutely.
Shawnté Salabert
00:23:36.630 - 00:24:06.650
So.
So if you want to cozy up with your sweetie in the Hantavirus honeymoon Suite in the Curry Village Tent Cabins, you gotta try for that reservation 365 days before you want to do that. So keep that in mind. And for the day of.
So even when you get a permit and you're allowed to host the Yosemite climber dirtbag wedding of your dreams, the park doesn't stop parking. So people are going to be milling about from all corners of the world. Do not expect privacy. This is not your own private Idaho.
This is everybody's public California. So.
Sam Schild
00:24:07.050 - 00:24:07.730
I love that.
Colin True
00:24:07.730 - 00:24:08.490
Can I rent the park?
Shawnté Salabert
00:24:08.490 - 00:24:11.890
Can I just have the whole thing? It's only 150 bucks. That's great.
Colin True
00:24:11.890 - 00:24:13.690
You understand how important this day, this is to me.
Shawnté Salabert
00:24:13.690 - 00:25:11.600
It's my biggest day.
No, I mean, the park actually does recommend, though, that people do very early morning ceremonies to kind of minimize the number of wedding crashers just in the background of all your photos.
So if you want to limit it to you and the bears, they suggest something like, you know, 8am I personally would do sunrise because I think that's lovely. But, you know, just something early. Yeah.
And you do have to keep in mind, Colin, and in case you're gonna get married again and you and your wife want to renew your vows in Yosemite, you got to keep in mind, this is not a VFW hall. You're not going to be able to hang up decorations you're not gonna be able to use a microphone and set up a DJ booth, anything like that. Okay.
The park even recommends that you be thoughtful about the flowers you use in your bouquet so you're not just spreading invasive seeds around the meadows and stuff the mead you're not supposed to be walking in. But really, do you need all the trappings of the wedding industrial complex?
If you have towering granite and washing, like, rushing waterfalls and adorable bears as your scenery, I don't think so. I think you're fine.
Colin True
00:25:11.600 - 00:25:12.320
Will they rent you?
Sam Schild
00:25:12.320 - 00:25:12.720
The bears?
Shawnté Salabert
00:25:13.520 - 00:25:27.260
Yeah. Can I just confirm that there will be at least three bears, like, putzing around in the meadow?
I would take some nice mule deer as a backup if they're not available, because there could be multiple weddings going on in the same day. Apparently it gets very busy there in the summer.
Colin True
00:25:27.970 - 00:25:31.970
It'd be epic if the bear started eating the mule deer during their wedding. That would be the best thing of all time.
Shawnté Salabert
00:25:32.130 - 00:25:35.010
I don't think they eat mule deer, Colin. That would be really extraordinary.
Colin True
00:25:35.650 - 00:25:37.170
Just going predator prey, that's all.
Shawnté Salabert
00:25:37.170 - 00:25:42.210
I was thinking if I could see a little bit of the park's life cycle in action, I'd be so grateful.
Colin True
00:25:42.290 - 00:25:43.250
Yeah. Can we do that?
Shawnté Salabert
00:25:45.250 - 00:25:53.900
Aw, that's really. That's really lovely. I liked that last question. That was a good one. See, here's a good.
That's a good example of, like, a nice question to ask, but really, you can ask anything and I'll answer it.
Colin True
00:25:54.930 - 00:26:04.930
I'm gonna take a little umbrage with you, Gear Abby. Why you're so anti speakers in the backcountry. How do you know that those people just aren't DJs being part of a wedding when you come across them.
Shawnté Salabert
00:26:05.570 - 00:26:06.130
Okay.
Sam Schild
00:26:06.770 - 00:26:07.130
Right.
Shawnté Salabert
00:26:07.130 - 00:26:08.810
Cause I know portable DJs. Cause I know.
Colin True
00:26:08.810 - 00:26:12.490
Okay, Just off to the side of the trail. Was that wedding party. You never saw them.
Shawnté Salabert
00:26:12.490 - 00:26:19.570
I want my DJ to just be, like, birds screaming at me from the sky. You hear that? Birds?
Colin True
00:26:19.570 - 00:26:22.210
The screams of the mule deer being destroyed by the bears.
Shawnté Salabert
00:26:22.690 - 00:26:28.770
Wow. Wow. All right, with that. What is our next question with that beautiful image?
Colin True
00:26:29.490 - 00:26:38.090
Dear Gear Abby, how do you feel about people who bring inflatable tubes or rafts to backcountry lakes? Is it obnoxious? Signed lake enthusiast.
Shawnté Salabert
00:26:38.090 - 00:26:42.610
Oh, you know what I like is that we don't know where this person falls on the spectrum of obnoxious.
Colin True
00:26:43.970 - 00:26:46.690
Are they, like, should I be embarrassed about the way I feel about this?
Shawnté Salabert
00:26:46.770 - 00:27:18.860
Or should I be embarrassed because I'm out there floating and like a duck? Oh, this is Exciting. All right.
Well, first of all, I am pretty sure that I have a picture of me somewhere, just floating on my sleeping pad in some lake that was deep in Sequoia national park, wishing I had a proper inflatable.
There was a small consolation on that trip, though, because my friend, we all brought cans because we were just doing a casual weekend, you know, a little small backpacking trip. We all had cans of our favorite beverages, and my friend brought us all inflatable drink koozies that were small.
Colin True
00:27:19.020 - 00:27:19.660
Amazing.
Shawnté Salabert
00:27:19.980 - 00:27:22.060
It was. I was delighted.
Colin True
00:27:22.860 - 00:27:23.380
Absolutely.
Shawnté Salabert
00:27:23.380 - 00:27:24.020
I know, right?
Colin True
00:27:24.020 - 00:27:27.660
See, who's the fun police out here, not letting you float around on lake.
Shawnté Salabert
00:27:27.660 - 00:28:08.150
Well, you know what? We're gonna get to that. The fun police. So this is. This actually leads me to the question.
I'm gonna flip back to Lakey again, whose perspective I do not know. Let me ask you a question. Really, this is a question for everybody to consider is what are we supposed to do in a backcountry lake?
Are there rules of engagement published somewhere? Is there a manual for how to lake? Is there only one true way to visit a backcountry lake?
So I'm just going to go ahead and answer my own question here. No, there is no one way to backcountry lake.
And I think there are some general responsibilities we have to the places we visit and the people we share them with, however, so we'll. We'll get into that, but let's dive in here.
Colin True
00:28:08.470 - 00:28:18.940
So is that. Let's define it, though, real quick.
So as a backcountry, like, are we talking, like, ones you can only get to via trail and by your feet, is what we're saying, right? If there's a boat ramp or something.
Shawnté Salabert
00:28:18.940 - 00:29:29.850
Like that, that does not qualify structure other than a trail. And so this could be on trail, it could be off trail, but it's basically like, away from a trail head. You've got to move a distance to get to it.
So it could be on a bike, you could be on a hand cycle, you could be walking, whatever. Okay? So it's. It's deep out there. It's not accessible by car. So that's. That's when I think of a backcountry lake.
Backcountry in general, I think, is just, you know, a lot of people use the term wilderness, but not all backcountry is wilderness. So let's just say backcountry is like the great beyond. So. So, all right, here's the thing.
People visit backcountry lakes for relaxation, for restoration, to immerse themselves in nature, let off some steam, pray, feel joy, challenge themselves. Fish, paint, paddle, meditate, like whatever.
There's so many reasons we go to these places and the, the motivations and activities are all over the place. But some people do have, I think, a very rigid definition of how we're supposed to spend our time outside and especially in the back country. Right.
Like the rules of engagement to these people are very different out there. And it can be really distressing when somebody's activities just don't match up with that vision of how, how to be in this place.
Colin True
00:29:30.660 - 00:29:38.260
Like, Shantae likes to take speakers out on trail. That's how she enjoys the trail, you know, and that's her prerogative. Everybody.
Shawnté Salabert
00:29:38.420 - 00:29:43.460
I didn't bring you on today to lie, Colin, okay? I let you tell your beautiful wedding story earlier.
Colin True
00:29:44.180 - 00:29:45.260
I'm gonna cut that out.
Shawnté Salabert
00:29:45.260 - 00:29:48.780
Okay? Nobody heard the wedding story, so just take that out. Take everything out.
Colin True
00:29:48.780 - 00:29:52.260
Actually, I might cut it out now too, just so people hear this part and they're like, wait, what?
Shawnté Salabert
00:29:52.580 - 00:29:56.900
There's a lot that happens behind the scenes. It depends on if Colin and I are fighting on any given day.
Sam Schild
00:29:56.980 - 00:29:57.460
Yeah.
Shawnté Salabert
00:29:58.020 - 00:30:25.870
Oh my God. But yeah.
I mean, listen, would some people be deeply annoyed, Colin or Lakey, if you rolled up to Lake Silent Isolation paradise and busted out a human sized inflatable flamingo? Yes, of course some people would be annoyed.
These people also probably exist in the middle of a Venn diagram that has people who believe that only humans, that the only humans that should exist in the wilderness are me on one side and people who wouldn't know the definition of the joy if it slapped them on their uptight ass on the other side.
Colin True
00:30:26.750 - 00:30:34.430
I would be so pumped if I saw somebody who took the time and, and the, and the, and carried the weight of an inflatable flamingo.
Shawnté Salabert
00:30:34.430 - 00:30:35.030
Let me ride.
Colin True
00:30:35.030 - 00:30:44.350
As long as they weren't breaking some sort of weird rule about like, you can't go in this body of water or whatever. Then, dude, float away. Good. God damn it. Why didn't I think to bring a flamingo? Like, that is hilarious.
Shawnté Salabert
00:30:44.510 - 00:30:58.810
Lighten up. Do you know I want to go on a ride? Somebody did that once with a pack raft. They rolled up to a lake.
Somebody I knew, they knew my group was going to be there, rolled up with their pack raft. We all got to take turns paddling around. It was lovely.
Yeah, I mean, obviously you don't want to drag things into bodies not supposed to have things in.
Colin True
00:30:58.810 - 00:31:08.250
But I mean, think about the comedy of like taking. Especially if you have mountains around and you have a great photo. And then there's this one little flamingo. Do it all for the L. It's hilarious.
Shawnté Salabert
00:31:08.250 - 00:32:25.810
Yeah.
I mean, listen, I. I feel like it's absolutely okay to mix in a little bit of childlike wonder in the genuine awe that we feel in these places, you know, And I do. I do understand why some people might bristle. A lot of us get deep out there to get away from it all. And I get it.
Like, a lot of us want to be away from people and really marinate in all that that the natural world gives us.
And rolling up to a remote lake, expecting solitude, and then you encounter all these people with a, you know, flotilla of flamingos and inflatable alligators.
I get that it could be a bit jarring, especially if you were considering just a serene alpine experience that you thought you were going out there for. But the reality is something to keep in mind. We kind of talked about it a little earlier with the wedding question.
Human beings have been in what we now think of as the wilderness and the backcountry since the beginning of time. And scoring a permit to this beautiful, idyllic alpine lake doesn't come with a people free guarantee. It's not your personal paradise. It just isn't.
And it turns out these places are here for all of us. And if you so choose, your floaties, and I think in the scheme of things, Come on. Inflatables are a fairly low impact vehicle for fun.
You are not spilling motor oil all over the place, and the only noise they make is just the sound of you sort of like gently asphyxiating while you're blowing it up 11,000ft or they're.
Colin True
00:32:25.810 - 00:32:29.110
Blowing up a thing. It's going to be worth it.
Shawnté Salabert
00:32:29.740 - 00:32:58.870
But, yeah, I mean, Lakey, listen, with anything, the right to be in an outdoor space also does come with the responsibility to be thoughtful about your impact on that place and on the people in it, like I said earlier. So in this case, it wouldn't be cool to turn a backpacking trip to Lake Serenity into a spring break outing on Lake Havasu.
So just be aware of your noise levels and your use of the space.
And as a bonus kind of kindness, you could give a wide berth to anyone who's, like, fishing, reading, meditating, like your deeply Zen friend gear Abby, here.
Colin True
00:33:00.460 - 00:33:57.810
This is just. This is, I think, a larger problem of, like, outdoor stuff.
And I think you and I probably talked about this before in some capacity because it's like, you can't. You have to like adjust your expectations, especially according to where you're going.
Now if you're going to some super secret spot that nobody knows, whatever it is, then and there's somebody there, that could be disappointing. But I run into this especially with, you know, like etiquette with mountain bikers and whatnot.
And a lot of times I run into those people who have bad etiquette when they're on a trail that is highly multi use and highly used. And it's like, unlike. Right.
Like, oh, it's the first spring day when it hasn't rained for six weeks and we're all out on this trail and people are like freaking out on each other. It's like, why are you on this trail if that's what you are gonna pick a fight about?
Go to a place that's either where it's cycling only or fewer people go. And then.
So the people who didn't then just like get to a place and then complain about what they encounter when it's like, well, if you know what this place is all about, what are you doing? Why are you complaining about this? It's just, it's. Well, and it's an outdoor problem.
Shawnté Salabert
00:33:57.810 - 00:34:10.010
It's. Yeah, there's.
I think, and especially people sometimes who've been going to a place for a long time have this sense of ownership and they feel like it's their place. And this is where I go. And why are you here doing your thing.
Colin True
00:34:10.090 - 00:34:12.490
Yeah. And I'm here to up your good time.
Shawnté Salabert
00:34:12.810 - 00:34:13.290
Yeah.
Colin True
00:34:13.290 - 00:34:14.090
That's why I.
Shawnté Salabert
00:34:14.090 - 00:34:42.130
Shut up. Absolutely right. Me and my flamingo are just gonna f your up. But yeah. Listen, Lakey, I hope you're on the. I hope you're on the pro flamingo side.
And if you are, and if you have a flamingo inflatable, I've honestly been dying to just get out on a lake and sit in one of those for I. I will take five minutes. That's all I need. And now I just. Now I'm feeling, I'm almost feeling more relaxed just thinking about zoning out on a lake on an inflatable.
Like, actually, maybe an alligator would be better so I can lay down.
Colin True
00:34:42.370 - 00:34:44.770
It's a warm summer day, me and.
Shawnté Salabert
00:34:44.770 - 00:34:51.690
My gator just floating. Maybe I should. Maybe I should go to a pool. A little easier than going to an alpine lake.
Colin True
00:34:51.690 - 00:34:55.030
Probably. It be easy. You do, you do live in southern. You could go to the beach.
Shawnté Salabert
00:34:55.030 - 00:34:58.110
That's true. We have a whole big giant thing of water just to the west.
Colin True
00:34:58.110 - 00:34:59.550
It's called the Pacific Ocean.
Shawnté Salabert
00:34:59.630 - 00:35:09.470
Have you Heard of it? I heard of it. I've heard of it. I think I touched it one or two times. Oh, man. All right, well, we have time for one more question. What do you get?
Colin True
00:35:10.190 - 00:35:33.510
All right, here we go. Last question of the day. Dear gear Abby, what would you recommend I carry for field repair for one day on trail?
As in me trail running requiring 5 to 7 hours for a 30K. 3000 meters, approximately 10,000 vertical feet climb. Just some tape around the hiking pole or some real stuff. Signed Marcus in the Alps.
Shawnté Salabert
00:35:33.510 - 00:35:37.230
Oh, International listener mail. I think we've made it, Colin.
Colin True
00:35:37.470 - 00:35:42.806
We have. Yeah. We are now international. And I should have known when I was reading about a 30K.
Shawnté Salabert
00:35:42.960 - 00:35:46.040
30K. 3,000ft. Yeah.
Colin True
00:35:46.040 - 00:35:47.400
Dumb American don't understand.
Sam Schild
00:35:47.880 - 00:35:48.200
Also.
Shawnté Salabert
00:35:48.200 - 00:35:53.600
Wait, is 3,000 meters. Is that. That really is. Who's climbing that much in a day? Marcus, Are you?
Colin True
00:35:53.600 - 00:35:54.440
It's a lot of climbing.
Shawnté Salabert
00:35:54.440 - 00:35:58.680
Like what are you actually Killian journey riding in?
Colin True
00:35:59.960 - 00:36:03.240
Well, he is in at the time of this recording. Anyway, he's in the United States, so.
Shawnté Salabert
00:36:03.240 - 00:36:11.240
He could have just dashed off a quick one. I don't know if he's still in Colorado or if he's moved over to the Sierra yet, but. Killian, thanks for writing in.
Colin True
00:36:11.880 - 00:36:12.240
Thanks.
Shawnté Salabert
00:36:12.240 - 00:36:13.640
Killian Footgated.
Colin True
00:36:13.880 - 00:36:21.700
Did you guys all hear that Killianae endorses gear Abby? Oh my God. Allegedly. Allegedly. That maybe not really.
Shawnté Salabert
00:36:21.780 - 00:36:23.860
Marcus in the Alps. Wink, wink.
Colin True
00:36:24.980 - 00:36:27.340
Normal marketers reach out to us for sponsorships.
Shawnté Salabert
00:36:27.340 - 00:37:22.910
Okay, no. Well, whoever. Whoever you are, Marcus from the Alps, this is a great question. I actually get asked variations of this all the time.
Especially from those friends that'll show up to your, you know, 12 mile day hike with just a tiny bottle of plastic bottle of water they picked up at the gas station last minute. And then they see me with my actual day pack filled with real life things. They' like what's in there? Like the things that will keep us alive.
But yeah, no, I mean, I'm not sure if it has made it over the across the Atlantic, Marcus, but we've got this thing here we call the 10 essentials. And before I get to your specific question about what I would carry for a repair kit, let me just explain what the 10 essentials concept is.
So the phrase comes from the classic backcountry skills book Mountaineering Freedom of the Hills. I do not know what they're on. Like at mountain. Like I was gonna say episode 10. They're in like iteration 10. Like they just keep building.
Colin True
00:37:23.150 - 00:37:25.150
That's not Colin Fletcher. Fletcher is the backpack.
Shawnté Salabert
00:37:25.150 - 00:37:30.710
No, Colin Fletcher isn't That's the guy that just walked in the grand and wrote the book about walking the length of the Grand Canyon. I think.
Colin True
00:37:30.710 - 00:37:32.430
Oh, never mind. Sorry. I knew it was one of those.
Shawnté Salabert
00:37:32.430 - 00:39:01.960
I have it, I have it, I think behind me on my bookshelf. I just haven't read it. The, the whole. This mountaineering freedom in the hills. It's a classic tome, it's very thick.
And the idea of the 10 essentials just refers to this concept of caring. These 10 categories of things in your pack anytime you go into the back country. So we just talked about what is the backcountry.
So if we think about it here as those places where you're starting to get in far away from roads and trailheads and you know, you might do a day hike out there, which. Or a run, a 10,000 foot climb run apparently, which Marcus Killian is doing. Or you're just out there having a nice time.
But listen, here's the 10 things. So they say navigation, which they, you know, in the 70s they were like, that's map and compass, but some people use their phones.
Lighting, that would be probably a headlamp. Sun protection, you could guess sunblock, you know, hat, sunglasses, first aid, fire starting tools, some sort of shelter.
This is a thing most people would not bring, but you can consider a space blanket to be that. Maybe a bivvy if it's snowing. I actually always bring a bivvy with me. Extra food, extra water, extra layers.
And then a repair kit, which, you know, the idea is if you carry these 10 things, you'll be able to handle kind of a lot of what gets thrown at you out there when you're far away from your car. So we're gonna laser in on the repair kit for Marcus Killian, which is actually just listed as knife in the original 10 essentials.
Colin True
00:39:01.960 - 00:39:04.840
Like bring your knife. I love that. I love that.
Shawnté Salabert
00:39:04.840 - 00:39:05.600
Don't bring it. Repair.
Colin True
00:39:05.600 - 00:39:06.760
John Rambo was on it.
Sam Schild
00:39:07.160 - 00:39:09.230
Yeah, yeah, that's right.
Shawnté Salabert
00:39:09.230 - 00:39:10.470
What'd you say about Rambo?
Colin True
00:39:10.870 - 00:39:15.710
Said John Rambo was on it. That's all he needed. He's like a little sewing kit. And the hilt, he's ready to go.
Shawnté Salabert
00:39:15.710 - 00:39:30.390
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I guess if you were just like whittling an alpenhorn, that would be all you need.
I don't know why they do it in the Alps, but if that alpen horn cracked while you were out on your day of adventure with all of the beautiful sheep, bighorn sheep, I don't know what lives out there. I believe it's Beautiful sheep.
Colin True
00:39:30.790 - 00:39:31.790
It's mostly cows.
Shawnté Salabert
00:39:31.790 - 00:40:39.740
Cows. Your shaggy, gorgeous cows that make chocolate milk. Your knife is not going to do much besides maybe whittle another elorn. Sorry.
So you want to consider a repair kit. And this is how I think about it, is you want to think what is most likely to break. And this is not yourself. This is a whole different topic.
First aid kit is a different topic of what is most likely to break on yourself. We're thinking about your gear here and your clothing, the things you've got with you and whether your.
It's your safety or your comfort that depends on it being repaired. So this is a distinction to make. And this can help you build out your repair kit.
Is like, all right, am I just shoving everything in here because I want to be as comfortable as possible out there if, like, I rip something? Like, for example, I spent an entire day hiking around the Sierra with a giant rip across the left butt cheek of my pants.
Once after ripping them on a rock, could I have stopped to sew or patch them up? Yes, I had the stuff with me, but it was a comfort issue more than a safety one.
And I'm just like, I was less interested in wasting daylight considering I had a perfectly good pair of non merino underwear providing a little bit of modesty underneath. So for me, I was like, but I could repair these, but it's just a day hike. I don't need to let the buns be free.
Colin True
00:40:40.930 - 00:40:43.970
You're just walking by other hikers going, don't act like you're not impressed.
Shawnté Salabert
00:40:43.970 - 00:40:50.850
Oh, shazam. This is part of my 900 times of wishing that I could find love in the outdoors.
Colin True
00:40:51.730 - 00:40:53.410
Have you noticed my butt cheeks?
Shawnté Salabert
00:40:53.410 - 00:40:56.770
Are you into cheeks? Are you into flesh colored?
Colin True
00:40:56.930 - 00:40:59.170
You know, I could tear the merino underwear too.
Shawnté Salabert
00:41:03.010 - 00:41:05.410
Maybe Smartwolt will wanna sponsor us now.
Colin True
00:41:06.530 - 00:41:10.170
The extra rippy merino it's made for you.
Shawnté Salabert
00:41:10.170 - 00:41:17.710
It's. Once you get marri, we're going to just tie it all together here. Once you get married in Yosemite and you're in the hantavirus suite while you're.
Colin True
00:41:17.710 - 00:41:22.750
Out getting married, before you get on your pink flamingo flotation device, rip out that merino underwear, you're ready to go.
Shawnté Salabert
00:41:23.070 - 00:42:19.530
Oh, this is such a beautiful, vivid picture. I actually wish someone would paint it on velvet. Oh, my God. So that's one example.
But I did have a time my sunglasses broke once during a long hike in the desert. And that was worth me stopping for a few minutes to just try super glue them back together.
I think I Used super glue and some sort of, I think KT tape or something was like, whatever I had with me because the risk to my eyeballs was. Was worth spending a little bit of time trying to fix it. So basically, I'm carrying things on day hikes and trail runs.
That'll allow me to kind of temporarily, at least temporarily fix tears, breaks that would kind of ruin my outing or make it a safety issue. So apparently for me, having a bun hanging out is not ruining the outing, but going blind in the sun would be. So here's. Here's what I am carrying.
Marcus slash Killian. But if you're Killian, you're running fast enough, you really do need to carry anything you could get.
You could probably run to the next town in, like, two minutes.
Colin True
00:42:19.530 - 00:42:24.810
So I bet Killian's listening right now because he needs this advice. That's what I think. He's like, I don't know what to do.
Shawnté Salabert
00:42:24.810 - 00:42:28.690
He's like, I don't even know how I got through all those mountains in Colorado without my repair.
Colin True
00:42:28.850 - 00:42:30.090
Thank God for gear. Abby.
Shawnté Salabert
00:42:30.090 - 00:43:33.900
So glad she exists. All right, well, Killian, if you're listening, you may want to consider this incredible material called duct tape. Tape.
So roll it around your pole, which Marcus, you mentioned in your email, or a water bottle, or just kind of fold it in on itself, which is what I do. It's just a wad of duct tape in my pack. And that's obviously just great for patching things. You could.
I toss a few safety pins onto the outside of my backpack, which I also consider part of my first aid kit. So if you're going to make a sling or something, you would have the. You'd have that to kind of sling your arm if you needed to.
So it also works for first aid. But, yeah, there's a lot that those could do. I do two small ones and two big ones. I do a tiny container of super glue.
I get those from the dollar store. They sell them in, like, eight packs. It's real thrilling to pop one open and just, like, repair something on the spot. Tiny sewing kit, you can.
I've gotten mine at, like, a hotel. It's just those little shitty ones.
And I actually had to use that to sew up the front of my pack once after it completely split open when I got caught on a branch and all of my shirts flew out the front of my pack.
Sam Schild
00:43:33.900 - 00:43:34.500
Oh, geez.
Shawnté Salabert
00:43:34.500 - 00:43:41.300
Yeah. And I was pretty deep in, so it was like, I don't know, 12, 13 miles in. And I'm like, yeah, we're gonna need to fix this before I can keep hiking.
Sam Schild
00:43:41.300 - 00:43:41.660
Yeah.
Shawnté Salabert
00:43:42.540 - 00:44:22.070
But, yeah, I carry. Carry a little bit of cord that I could also use. It's like, thin enough. You could use it as a shoelace.
A little strip of some sort of patching material. I usually carry something called tenacious tape, and sometimes I'll also take one of those no sew patches. It's N O S O.
And they, you know, they've got, like, cute little shapes. I've got all sorts of cats and hearts and sons on my gear at this point.
Really, there's not a ton of difference between what I'd carry on a day hike or a trail run versus what I would take overnight. I do add in a spare belt buckle because you would be absolutely screwed.
At least I would trying to carry a heavy pack without the weight being on my hips. Oh, a pack buckle.
Colin True
00:44:22.070 - 00:44:22.710
That makes sense.
Shawnté Salabert
00:44:22.710 - 00:44:33.160
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So like a waist. Waist buck. A waist buckle. That sounds Victorian. Oh, I've got to get my waist buckle. Pardon me. I've got the vapors.
Colin True
00:44:33.800 - 00:44:36.120
Little known fact, Gear Rabi does hike in a corset.
Shawnté Salabert
00:44:36.360 - 00:46:26.880
That's why I'm always fainting. Oh, man. But yeah, and I also do bring patches for my sleeping pad and my tent. I've got a dyneema tent. I've got a Durston XMed1 Pro, which I love.
Best tent I've ever owned. And you can actually buy from Durston, the little. A little dyneema patch repair kit.
And I had to use it the very first night I used the tent because I managed to poke three holes and it.
Buddy, when you're out there, if you're not Killian Jornet, if you are, in fact just Marcus from the Alps, not just if you're Marcus from the Alps, you know, bring. Bring whatever you think will address the possible things that could happen to ruin your day.
That's really all you need to carry is stuff that will avoid having your day ruined. So make sure you have that knife in there that Rambo put in the very first 10 essentials.
Mine has honestly seen more action on various blocks of cheese than anything else. But I feel like tracks for the Alps. So get out there, man, and eat some delicious dairy while you're at it. Unless you're lactose intolerant.
And then forget I said it. That's it for this episode of Gear Abby. You're going to send us your burning questions about your relationships with outdoor products.
People, places, pastimes, no matter how clean or dirty they are. Send them to us at dear gear abby gmail.com. i'm gonna do my best to answer them or find someone else who can.
And of course, head over to your podcast listening service of choice and subscribe, rate and review to support the pod and personally make my day. We're also on Instagram now, and that is Gear Abby pod. And in the meantime, today's episode was produced by David Karstad and Colin True.
Follow the crowd. Cheers. Art direction provided by Sarah Gensert. I'm Shantae Salaba Bear, and remember, there are no dumb questions, just smart advice.