Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In this episode of Gear Abby , host Shawnté Salabert and producer Colin True kick off the year by easing back into listener questions with a mix of thoughtful ethics, practical physiology, and a healthy dose of bureaucratic reality. What starts with reflections on winter safety and outdoor education quickly turns into a wide-ranging conversation about fires, fluids, permits, and the fine line between optimism and logistical hell.

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In this special end-of-year episode of Gear Abby , host Shawnté Salabert and producer Colin True ditch listener mail in favor of interrogating each other. The result is a wide-ranging, deeply nerdy, and occasionally unhinged conversation that blends wildlife biology, outdoor industry reflection, and a full-blown gear-of-the-year showdown. Equal parts reflective and ridiculous, the episode feels like a campfire conversation where t

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In the latest episode of Gear Abby , host Shawnté Salabert and producer Colin True tackle some of the most quietly judgmental corners of outdoor culture—those moments where people wonder if they’re doing the outdoors “right,” hoarding too much gear, or willingly subjecting themselves to freezing misery for a good cause. The result is an episode that dismantles outdoor status games, celebrates thoughtful decluttering, and offers a

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In the latest episode of Gear Abby, host Shawnté Salabert and producer Colin True take on some of the most gloriously niche problems an outdoor brain can produce: climbing chalk ethics, poncho pride, and the logistics of dropping a deuce when everything is frozen solid. “The Great Chalk Debate, Poncho Town & The Snow Poop Protocol” leans hard into the mix of humor, gear-nerdery, and real talk that’s become the show’s trademark. Qu

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In this episode, Colin, Shawnté, Eoin, and Producer Dave deliver their on-the-ground, end-of-show  breakdown of The Running Event  and Switchback 2025  — recorded moments after the TRE Retailer Awards wrapped in San Antonio. The crew dig into what worked, what surprised them, and what the outdoor industry should take away from a trade show that knows exactly what it is . On The Docket! The TRE Retailer Awards: Emotion, community &

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In the latest episode of Gear Abby, host Shawnté Salabert wades into the big emotional, existential, and extremely practical questions of outdoor life. From what happens to our ashes in national parks to whether love really blooms on long trails, how not to die (or freeze) while ice fishing, and what rain shells are actually worth obsessing over. Spreading Ashes, Ice Holes & On Trail Meet-Cutes! is equal parts tender, nerdy, and d

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In the latest episode of Gear Abby, host Shawnté Salabert wanders from bookshelves to snowfields to elk harems to satellite signals. “Sexy Elk, Big Decks & Women Adventure Writers!” serves up exactly what it promises: big feelings about representation in outdoor literature, practical beta for winter curious folks, real-talk wildlife etiquette, and a surprisingly heartfelt ode to non-phone electronics in the backcountry. Question 1

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! Today on The Rock Fight, Colin, Eoin, and Producer Dave sit down with Tony Post, founder and CEO of Topo Athletic, live from GOA Connect in Kansas City, to talk about the booming trail running market and Topo’s big year. Topo has quietly become one of the most talked-about brands in trail running. Growing 70% last year and expanding into 25 countries all while staying true to its specialty roots and never running a sale on its web

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In this episode, Gear Abby comes in hot with two spicy debates (permits and tent footprints), cool everyone down with plein-air watercolor wisdom from guest artist Latasha Greene (Jitterbug Art) , then map out U.S. options for European-style hut hiking. As always: humor + hard facts + actually useful takeaways. Question 1: “Permits are stupid.” (…and how to talk your brother off that ledge) A listener asks for ammo to convince her

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s possible to enjoy nature and  your creature comforts at the same time, this week’s episode of Gear Abby  is for you. Shawnté tackles some of the most delightfully disgusting, oddly profound, and completely necessary outdoor questions yet! From redefining what it means to be “outdoorsy” to dealing with backcountry water hazards and an untimely trail shart. Question 1: Can I be outdoorsy if I’m b

Click to listen on your favorite podast app! Today on The Rock Fight, Colin, Eoin Comerford, and Producer Dave hit the show floor at GOA Connect and explore their favorite brands and products from the Discovery Marketplace. From coolers to chef-designed backpacking meals (and at least one trail running brand) these are the most exciting things they saw at the outdoor industry's most consequential event. Rugged Road:   A foam-first, ultra-light cooler that floats upright . VSS

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In the latest episode of Gear Abby, host Shawnté Salabert and producer Colin True celebrate double digits (episode 10) with a mix of trademark chaos, honesty, and hard-earned outdoor wisdom. From spooky trail stories to frisky trailhead advice, this installment swings (sometimes literally) between fear, therapy, and freedom. Question 1: The Scariest Outdoor Moment Listener Jess  asks about Shawnté’s scariest outdoor experience. Th

Click here to listen on your favorite podcast app! Today on The Rock Fight , Colin, Eoin Comerford, and Producer Dave put three buzzworthy trail running brands to the test in the first-ever America’s Next Top Trail Running Brand  showdown. Focusing on Brand Position, Retail Appeal, and wear test performance, the trio have a look at Speedland , Norda , and Mount to Coast  to crown one who will move on to the next round (provided there will be a next round). But before the big

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! The Brief is back! Today on The Rock Fight Colin and Producer Dave break down Mammut’s Mountain Wear Rescue   campaign. They’re joined by Mammut’s Chief Marketing Officer Nic Brandenberger , who shares the inside story of how the campaign came together, from the insight that “8 out of 10 jackets never see a mountain”  to the decision to embrace humor. Episode Topics: How Mammut’s team turned an internal truth into creative gold Th

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In the latest episode of Gear Abby , host Shawnté Salabert and producer Colin True explore everything from elite mountain running to backcountry bidets and dog-friendly tick prevention then wrap with a deep gear dive into a very fuzzy fabric. Pre-Question: Mindfulness, Meditation & Messy Feeling The show opens with Shawnté confessing that she’s back in therapy and newly into meditation... sort of. Colin teases her about doing it o

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! Today on The Rock Fight, Colin is joined by Shawnté Salabert to break down her trip to Title Nine’s Pitchfest 2025, where women founders are reshaping the outdoor industry from the ground up. Since 1989, Title Nine and its founder Missy Park have been putting money behind women-led brands; more than $1.7 million in Pitchfest investments and $72 million in total purchasing power. Shawnté attended this year's edition and shares what

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app!  Introducing The Rock Fight Deep Dive! A new series where we team up with a partner for a deeper look at an outdoor industry topic. Today Colin takes an unfiltered look at the state of fabric innovation in the outdoor industry by heading to the Functional Fabric Fair in Portland, Oregon. Prompted by a listener letter asking whether the industry’s obsession with lifestyle over performance has killed innovation, Colin hits the trad

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! On this episode of Gear Abby , Shawnté Salabert juggles listener backlash, bear safety,...

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! On Episode 6 of Gear Abby , Shawnté Salabert and producer Colin True dive into another set...

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! Today on The Rock Fight , Colin and Producer Dave break down the latest headlines in the...