Found this podcast 4 yrs ago, hello pandemic, and have loved listening to the banter between Chaunce & Zach, honest gear discussions regardless of sponsorship and quality (read experienced & knowledgeable) guest interviews. They entertain, inform and keep you engaged.

Y’all too good to be true. Many years of loving every single bit of information and hilarious banter you share. Thank gawd for this wonderful resource and funny content.

Hello from sunny Florida!! I have wanted to write a review for quite some time now, and finally have decided to do it. My son got me turned onto backpacker radio as he was preparing to hike the AT. His excitement and preparation, in turn sparked excitement for me! So much so that he asked I accompany him for his first week. I had so much fun reconnecting with my young adult son and finding this new hobby has been so instrumental in helping me become more physically fit. Backpacker Radio has been an instrumental part of this journey, especially all the guests and stories of different trails, I find I keep adding potential trails to my bucket list!! One of my most favorite episodes (so far) is Girls 3.0! so much fun to listen to these young women after spending the past 30 years raising four sons as a single mom. Despite the fact that I am 57 years old, I can still relate to many of the things these women were talking about when I was in my 20s and 30s. Thank you so much for these quality podcasts that keep me company and laughing while walking my dog, Oakley in the wee early morning hours before work. You both are an amazing way to start my day!!! Happy trail!!!! Tricia Grand

Love it for all the things including trail beta, gear talk, and, of course, poop stories! Keep up the good work! 😄

My favorite podcast! This crew does a spectacular job along with their guests taking you into the backcountry. Sometimes raw but always a lot of humor, if you love just the thought of wilderness and long trails this podcast is for you.

Love listening to the trail tales and appreciate the backpacking experience that the guests have had.

Love, love, love the podcast. I just got back from hiking the Lone Star Trail, I know the show gets pooh-poohed on and I get why, but it was my first thru hike and backpacking trip. It is also the longest trail in my home state, so the whole trip was very exciting for me. Thank you for all the great content on your show. I feel like I learned so much by listening. Thanks for doing what you do and I will be listening. Mike A.

Loved the Foothills Trail episode! Brought back some great memories! I’ve learned about a ton of trails that I didn’t know about from you two. and always a good laugh

On the recent q&a episode, someone asked which brand of coffee is best for freeing up some space in the colon if constipated. My experience: did a multi day trip through the Rangeley/Richardson Lakes in Maine, on the last day we made cowboy coffee and then ate the grounds… never had a reaction so speedy in my life. I’m guessing regardless of brand, if you eat some of your grounds, you’re gonna get where you wanna be.

I love listening to BPR while at work… dreaming of being on the trail. It helps me get through the day! My favorite guest so far is definitely Pony! Thanks for entertaining me at work, in the car, and on the trail! 😉

I absolutely love this podcast, I’ve been a listener since 2021. I love hearing about the guest’s experiences as well as Zack and Chaunce. It inspires me to go on my own long distance backpacking trip when I can take a sabbatical! Each episode is entertaining and informative, rock on.

I’ve been listening since the beginning and it’s been an awesome adventure watching it evolve and get more interesting over the years.

Chauncey and Zack share their own experiences and interview exceptional athletes, week after week. I look forward to each new episode. ❤️☮️

The hosts support dogs off leash on trails where it’s not allowed. I’ve been attacked by a dog on trail so this is very concerning to hear from people with such a large platform. Other than people being affected; LNT, wildlife, and the dogs themselves can be negatively impacted by off leash dogs.

I found this podcast almost a year ago and it’s my favorite thing. I love listening to everyone’s stories!

The podcast is amazing. Keep it up! I’m newer to the hiking world and love hearing all the stories from y’all and the guests to the show.

Enjoy listening and learning new things about trails, gear and life! Love how the hosts keep it real:) A must listen on my hour drive in or back from work!

Looks forward to every new episode. The best backpacking podcast out there. Always such entertaining guests and informative stuff about tons of trails!!!

Just playin, I love y’all! But seriously, I always drop the ball with the sticker codes so I figured the “leave 5 stars in February, get a sticker” mention from the Schmutz episode was finally my chance. I’m gonna put it on my car. Also, more Girl Talk, Drunk Q & A, and Couples episodes please. I love love too, Chaunce! PS/ My husband Guy just finished a thru-hike of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) in North Carolina so it’d be cool to hear an interview with a completer. Maybe Sammertime who holds the FKT? He’s a fun guy. Ok, byyyeeee.

I found this podcast after stumbling upon Juliana Chauncey’s Instagram and thinking we had the same name (my name is Julianna Carney). I had dreams of hiking the AT since meeting Jennifer Pharr Davis in high school, and this podcast was the educational background I needed to put my plans into action. I hiked the LT in 2021 and just completed the AT in September. The episode topics helped me feel safe and prepared heading into the backcountry, and the Girl Stuff episodes hyped me up as a female backpacker. I love this pod!

I’ve been listening for a long time now and this is my go to pod for my hikes. Keep up the good work.

Lots of terrific backpacking advice and interesting guests. One of my favorites!

I am not new to hiking, but I’m going to be new to through hiking and section hiking. This podcast is my favorite thing to listen to on my way to work, and it’s such a good variety of information, including for novice through hikers, as well as advanced through hikers. It’s real, it’s Ron spots,and it’s super easy to listen to. I look forward to my drives every morning just so I can get a chance to listen to an episode or two! My new favorite episode is Weezer, her stories is so inspiring, and so gut wrenching, I cried along with her during the episode. Keep up all the good work y’all and I can’t wait to potentially meet you in the future.

We need a follow up episode with Elise to hear about her CDT hike! I’m emotionally invested! I’ve been aiming to hike the PCT in 2025 for a couple years now. Since starting to really plan is less than a year away I’ve been obsessively listening to and watching everything PCT. Thanks for the great podcast, I’m glad I found you all!

I stumbled upon this podcast when I came across the recent Matt Lyons episode. I almost immediately hit the follow button. As someone who recently got into backpacking, this podcast is very informative and they have great guests. This will definitely be a regular listen for me. I’m glad I found it.

I’ve been a listener from the very beginning and look forward to every Monday for a new episode. Each show provides good knowledge and most importantly great entertainment. Thanks for all you do!

Long time listener, first time 5-star reviewer. I was informed this was the best way to make show requests, so while emotionally I’ve been giving 5 stars every episode, I figured it’s time to give an official 5-star review to make my selfish request for a topic on a future episode. I know y’all have had folks on to discuss hiking with dogs before, but it would be awesome to either have someone on who has ample experience backpacking with their dog to talk about the most dog-friendly, medium and long trails in terms of maybe town access (in case of emergencies), trail vibes, etc. I would LOVE to start exploring more with my pup, but California is not very dog-friendly. I’m itching for a road trip and some adventure with my pup!! Any recommendations to look into? 🤓 Thank you in advance and keep being your nonsensical, hilarious selves! BEST PODCAST EVER! Katy August

Tired dad currently pooping while being forced to play Barbies with my 5 year old. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to poop in the woods instead. Is it weird that I thought of you two in this moment? Anyway keep it up chaunce! You’ll eventually get Zack to fire you.

Informational, inspirational, and full of intestinal incantations! Zach and Chaunce pair extremely well, bringing all things trail to your ear holes. The ginger connections and their guests have me chuckling through each episode and add to my now bottomless bucket list of future adventures. Badger and Chaunce grow as co-hosts each year as their interviews dig deeper into peoples strengths and motivations. The Anderson Cooper and Oprah Winfrey of Hiker Trash and poop. Thanks for the magic you’ve created!

Hey guys! Greetings from the Dominican Republic. I recently completed a 5-day hike up Pico Duarte (Duarte Peak), which happens to be the highest mountain in the Caribbean. I binged dozens of past episodes I’ve never heard before on that trip. (I actually summited with you guys and Kevin Nealon!!). Thanks for “accompanying” me on that truly amazing hike. Five stars is just not enough. I WISH I COULD GIVE YOU SIX! ****** 🥾🤗🤛🏻 Train Name- Chic

I still remember finding the pod while hiking in the Black Forest in Germany in June of 2018. I would hike about 20km every Saturday from Freiburg to the small town of Sankt Peter to get a lunch consisting of a fried pork chop covered in gravy over spatzle and a cold German beer. (This is not really relevant but brings back great memories and I’m pretty hungry sitting in bed at 11pm as I write this). I wanted a hiking podcast to accompany my walks and I quickly caught up on the around 10 episodes that had been released at that point. I was very excited to hear Zach’s trail name when I first listened as I was a Wisconsin student at the time! I now live in Tel Aviv and have a bicycle rental and tours business called Yalla Bikes - @yallabikes on Instagram. Israel is only about a 14 hour flight from Denver! You all should come instead of taking a USA road trip next time and I’d be happy to show you some of the best sections of the Israel National Trail and take you on a bike tour of Tel Aviv and Jaffa! Israel is an amazing country for hiking and generally being outdoors and I know y’all would love the diverse geography, interesting history, and of course the delicious Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food! Thank you to the whole backpacker radio team for putting out amazing content and keep the podcasts and YouTube videos coming! Love from Tel Aviv -Jake

Love listening to this show. I’m retired Chief Engineer with yen for backcountry hiking. I’ve traveled all the seas but I’m in awe of you guys and your guests.

Adequate.

Outstanding backpacking pod! Countless enthralling wilderness stories packed with sage advice from seasoned hikers with wonderful and eclectic personalities. The hosts Chaunce and Zach do a tremendous job of steering conversations in the right direction, and they’re so good at honing in on questions that the listeners want to hear. Every time I hear Chaunce say, ‘ok let’s say you’re a first time thru hiker thinking of hiking the AT next year. what would you do if…’, I always smile and turn the pod to full volume. Shoutout to Weezer, Fireball, Dirty A, Professor, and the rest of the wonderful guests that make this podcast so fun to listen to. AND thanks for all the fomo to convince me to hike the PCT next year - I would not have even considered it without y'all. - Donks

I've listened to a lot of your podcasts, but particuarily enjoyed your interview with Kevin and his take on bicycle touring. His comment that touring "will steal your soul" is so true. I've thru hiked the PCT, AT, CT, and TRT but in 2022 decided to try touring. I rode 3,965 miles from Yorktown to Astoria. It was an incredible journey. That being said, the AZT will be my next endeavor, but I can't wait to do another tour.

It occurred to me that I owed you guys a five star review for possibly saving my life this past summer. I live in Northern Kentucky, near Cincinnati, Ohio, but had been up in Maine for vacation. I came back from Maine and started to feel what I thought was COVID-19 but oddly nothing respiratory and negative rapid tests. I went to urgent care and they were stumped too. When I got back from urgent care, it occurred to me that they had asked if I had been around anyone infectious but didn’t ask me if I had been anywhere. That is when podcast episode 200, about Lyme, came back to me. I had been regularly checking myself for ticks but must have missed one. I found that bullseye rash and made an appointment to see the Doc the next morning. When I told her I thought I had Lyme and I was suspicious based upon a backpacking podcast and their two guests, one an expert on ticks and the other a doctor specializing and infectious disease. I then showed her the bullseye rash. She was so excited she took pictures because they never see Lyme in this area. Chaunce and Badger, keep up the good work and maybe I’ll next tell you my best “pooping in the woods” story. Kevin “Bruno” Burns

The year is 2019 it’s December and I just finished listening to episode 55 of backpacker radio. I discovered this podcast recently and have been binge listening ever since. Problem is I have to listen to it in order so I’m stuck in 2019. I have no idea what the future holds for our crimson duo. They just finished hiking the trans-Catalina trail and interviewing Kevin Nealon. What will their next adventure be, who will be their next incredible guest? There’s no way to know! Well here are my predictions. Slowly, through a carefully laid out plan, Jabba inserts himself into the podcast. Making guest appearances and getting interviewed for his KA FKT attempts. Fans enjoy his devil-may-care enthusiasm and backpacking pedigree. One day Zach is ill (probably poo related and more possibly Jabba’s doing). Jabba is invited to guest host where the response is overwhelmingly positive with the fans crying out for more of the real hiking Viking. This puts Zach into a deep depression. In comes JULIANNA “CHAUNCE” CHAUNCEY, mega influencer. Her rocket rise to fame and power corrupts her ginger sensibilities and in Zach’s moment of weakness she tricks him into selling her The Trek in exchange for a few million of her followers. She immediately replaces Zach on the pod with Jabba, which is the podcast you all listen to in my future (your present). I assume it’s pretty good, I’ll find out soon enough. As for where Zach is now? He can be seen at the trail head of the AT, living in “baby diarrhea” the van not the substance (haha poo). He spends his days scribbling in a spiral notebook titled “in 2011 I hiked the AT”but when you open the notebook it’s just one word over and over……drink. Welp those are my predictions….don't even get me started on gear. For the love of god what number lone peak are they on? Decent podcast - 5 stars. -Brett

I’ve listened to a lot of different hiking, backpacking, and outdoors podcasts. This one is hands down the best. Love the commentating partnership, love the guests, and I love the recurring segments – everything about Backpacker Radio strikes the chord I would like it to. The most confusing thing about this show, however, is that they have never had Trauma or Pepper on! Consider this a guest request as we approach the winter season: Justin Lichter and Shawn Forry did the first winter thru-hike of the PCT, a few years back, and they’ve also pioneered long-distance hikes through New Zealand, the Himalayas, the Sierra, and more. They would make the perfect guests. I’m sure Trauma would have plenty to share about that time he ran into a sleeping lion in Zimbabwe while running away from a family of elephants! I would love to have Backpacker Radio get either of them on the show to talk about the winter PCT thru especially. There’s so few people who are truly experts in long-distance winter backpacking, but Trauma and Pepper literally wrote the book on it. You could make it a winter-focused show for one episode. Anyhow, I strongly recommend Backpacker Radio to anyone who hikes, or aspires to hike, or even just enjoys listening to weirdos who like to hike. Happy trails.

My favorite podcast by far. I've listened to every minute of every episode since the beginning (including all of the bonus Patreon episodes). When I'm on the trail, I'm usually listening to this podcast. When I'm not on the trail, I'm listening to this podcast and getting inspired to get back on the trail. Keep up the great work!

I wanted to enjoy this podcast, I really did. I saw the most recent episode with Brady discussing through-hiking as a deaf person and was so excited to listen. However, the actual episode felt disorganized, shallow, and rude to their guest. Instead of asking questions that allowed Brady to tell stories and explore his experience hiking, most of the time was spent gawking over his cochlear implants. It seemed like the hosts weren’t interested in anything other than his deafness. It’s a real shame, because the main redeeming quality of the interview was that Brady was a gracious guest and compelling speaker even with what little he was given to work with. I hope he gets another interview on a better podcast. Then, cherry on top, in the second segment, they flub a friend’s pronouns several times. Mistakes happen with pronouns, of course; the issue is that this was maybe two minutes that they could have easily re-recorded and fixed. Out of respect to your own friend, don’t have every reference to them be a “she……..they”. I wanted to like the hosts at the beginning; they seem like fun people and I’m sure they’re lovely to hike with. I don’t think they have any ill-intent. However, their podcasting lacks effort and thought.

I listen to every episode and enjoy "backpacking" in my mind with the people.

I discovered this podcast a few years back and absolutely love it. I love to listen while I hike or when I go for long runs. As an aspiring thru hiker I love listening to all the detailed information about the various trails, different gear, and funny mishaps along the way. The guests are always interesting and the hosts banter is hilarious. I often find myself commenting out loud to no one as I listen to these conversations. Plus, poop stories! As both a hiker and a person who has worked in childcare for almost 20 years, I can truly appreciate a good poop story. I’m looking forward to hearing more about Zack’s adventures in potty training with his littles. Keep up the great ‘cast. Happy hiking!

Y’all look. Paul here from Bass and Brews Podcast. I’m somewhat out of shape and a little fat, I have no reason to be listening to a hiking podcast. But, here I am living my skinny mountain goat life through this podcast. I do love camping and have gathered a ton of useful info. It’s the entertainment that y’all so gloriously provide that makes me so happy to have found y’all. I probably speak for all the other listeners who vicariously live their hiking lives through your show in saying, good job doing what you do and talking a lot about the poopoo. Keep crushing it. I love White Claw Surge!

Hey Chaunce & Badger!! Five star rating all the way :) I’m very excited to hear you are taking a trip to Iceland. I was just there this summer and had an absolute amazing time hiking and trying to pronounce any Icelandic words I came across. Two friends and I completed the Laugavegur Trail and did the extension of Fimmvorduhals, making it a total of just over 54 miles over 4 nights/5 days. It was amazingly beautiful and I hope you do it and will enjoy it as much as we did. And a note on Icelandic food - most of it is very tasty and definitely different from anything you’ll get at home (fermented shark is best with lots of alcohol and don’t pass up the plokkfiskur :-) have a great trip! P. S. You mentioned recently that you pack most efficiently when you have to use a bear canister. For shorter trips I’ve been known to use a canister for the packing part, then ditch the canister if it’s not required to and put everything in the ursack instead:) Many hugs from Washington state! “Horton”

I began listening to Backpacker Radio earlier this year and have not stopped. I love the quality of guests on the show and how Badger and Chaunce make the interviews so fun and interesting. I enjoy the trek propaganda, the discount codes, and the triple crowns. You guys are in my ears every week. PS Zach is right about the alien fight. Really good point about if aliens have evolved in the direction of extreme intelligence than they have probably moved in the opposite direction with strength. Sorry Chaunce. Cheers! From Jordan in Utah.

I have been waiting for you guys to interview Gillian and I’m so glad you did. I’m an aspiring long rider but am not at the right place in life (career, house, blaa blaa) but listening to Gillian was awesome and inspiring! Keep up the great work, love all the interviews you do especially panel episodes like girl stuff. 5 stars!

After a couple multi day backpacking trips with my son in the Cascades and Olympic Peninsula this summer, I stumbled upon this podcast looking for thoughts on paring down the weight I was pack muling (my son is 5 and killing it on trail, but that means I was overpacking for two using a kid carrier backpack just in case). What a joy to listen to, it’s given voice to a yearning within to get extended periods on trail, as a previous guest opined “I never wake up sad on trail”. So my boy and I are section hiking the AZT, when he found out the youngest finisher was 13 he said “I can beat that!” The hiking families featured are an inspiration, and when we can’t be out there (life) this podcast keeps reminding me to make it happen :)

Where do I start?! I first heard of BPR almost 2 years ago when the Ice Age Trail said they were coming to Wisconsin in 2021! I was deep in morning sickness (my first trimester) so I did not do the Mammoth Hike challenge much less leave my bed, but listening to the banter of Chaunce and Zach brought up my mood…plus listening to Zach talk about dadhood as I entered motherhood helped me relate as a parent of a young one. With a now almost 15 month old, the hikes are short but I hope to finish section hiking the Ice Age Trail someday and live vicariously through this show. My favorite guest by far is Weezer!! Her emotional first interview to the AZT hike with the most romantic trail story!! It was better than reading a romance novel, please keep her coming back!! I had to follow her on Insta immediately to see if the romance continued as not much romance for me as my husband and I are exhausted chasing our wild little girl! I’m starting from the beginning and I’m still a year behind on episodes because my days are filled with diaper changes and watching my baby explore. But my commute flies by with BPR! P.S. my husband, brother-in-law and I have several poop stories (embarrassingly, on day hikes) so I love that there is a podcast where that topic is frequently brought up, keeps me laughing!

I love the show! It’s actually the only podcast I can listen to. I’m not a thru hiker; more of a weekend warrior. But, I find a lot of the information valuable. And, of course, the show is very entertaining. I mostly hike in the Adirondacks, NY. I’m hoping maybe someday I’ll have time to hike the Northville Placid trail. Until then, I get to live vicariously through everyone on Backpacker Radio 🤙 ~thediabetichiker46

Hey Chance and Zak, Love the show and your interactions. I grew up across the river from where Chaunce did (practically lived in Bear Mt) and my best friend went to Oswego (so have done the bridge st run). Zak said he needed someone to explain not having an inner monologue. The easiest way I can explain it is we are not psychopaths. You know who had inner monologues; David Berkowitz and Mark David Chapman! You said I can’t imagine not having this inner monologue (and that it was counter productive), well we can’t imagine having someone constantly over our shoulder. Sure we all ask ourselves questions at times but it sound like you are a half click from a bell tower. But really these are two of the most entertaining people. They get amazing guests, so if you are into backpacking, thru-hiking, ultra sports or just need a good laugh then make sure you subscribe. Greg (St. Gregory)