Gear Abby: An Outdoor Advice Column For Your Ears

Who investigates a murder in a national park? How do you separate legitimate trail warnings from good old fashioned fear mongering? And for a month on the Appalachian Trail, should you carry a power bank or go solar? This week on Gear Abby , Shawnté investigates the National Park Service's unfortunately acronymed IBS (listen to find out what that means - it's not what you think), including the rea...

Who empties a toilet in the middle of the wilderness ? Is there actually a benefit to hiking commando ? And what finally turned technophobe Shawnté into an adventure-watch convert? This week on Gear Abby , Shawnté digs into the surprisingly fascinating history of toilets on Mount Whitney, from summit outhouses and solar composters to helicopters hauling away “honey buckets”, before tackling the pr...

Where can you go to find real silence in the outdoors? Which lodge kicked off the grand tradition of national park lodging? And is buying an ultralight backpack actually worth the money? This week on Gear Abby , Shawnté searches for the quietest places in America including the famous “One Square Inch of Silence” in Olympic National Park, dives into the history of Yellowstone's Old Faithful Inn, an...

How exactly do tarantulas mate ? Is Walmart’s Ozark Trail camping gear actually good enough for beginners? And has Shawnté found a water filter she likes even more than the Platypus QuickDraw? This week on Gear Abby , Shawnté celebrates the show’s first anniversary by diving way too deep into tarantula mating season, explaining why inexpensive camping gear can be perfectly fine for casual car camp...

This week on Gear Abby , Shawnté tackles three very different outdoor dilemmas: What should you actually do if a wildfire breaks out while you’re deep in the backcountry ? Should you worry if your spouse takes off their wedding ring whenever they hike, climb or backpack ? And which women-owned outdoor brands are doing great work around sustainability, accessibility and giving back? Plus: marmot sl...

This week on Gear Abby , Shawnté digs into what happens when airplanes crash in national parks, including the absolutely wild story of Yosemite’s infamous Dope Lake, before settling an important outdoor relationship dispute: are fanny packs dorky overkill or ridiculously useful? Then Shawnté and Colin face a truly devious question: if you could only eat one protein bar for the rest of your life, w...

What should you do if a ghost steals your Garmin on trail ? Which of your favorite movies were actually filmed inside national parks? And just how desperate do you have to be before stale tortillas, canned chicken and sun-melted Kraft Singles qualify as a gourmet meal? This week on Gear Abby , Shawnté shares some haunted Sierra lore and offers up her best ghost etiquette, then takes a trip through...

Why does Leave No Trace tell backpackers to pee away from water but rafters to pee directly into the river? And why do so many hiking memoirs seem to require their authors to endure a dark night of the soul? This week on Gear Abby , Shawnté explains the surprisingly logical bathroom rules of river trips (and the origin of the wonderfully named groover ), then digs into why trauma, suffering and mi...

What do you drink after a night of passionate mountain romance? Is there actually reason to be hopeful about Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante? And are Crocs secretly the ultimate outdoor shoe? This week, Shawnté tackles one of the most unforgettable hydration questions we've ever received, breaks down what's really happening with America's national monuments and welcomes thru-hiker, ultrar...

This week on Gear Abby: Should backpacking be about slowing down or moving as fast as possible? Shawnté and Colin debate FKTs, explain the difference between trail angels and trail service providers, and welcome Lloyd Vogel of Garage Grown Gear to talk about ultralight backpacking, base weight, and the gear that's actually worth carrying. Plus: bison, British accents, and frozen Snickers. Got&nbsp...

Gear Abby is back! This week, Shawnté and Colin dive into the unwritten rules of the outdoors. First up: what's the proper etiquette for skinny dipping at alpine lakes and hot springs and how do you avoid becoming that naked person? Then they explore whether Indigenous peoples climbed North America's highest peaks, how to respectfully visit culturally significant places, and why some sacred landsc...

Come back next week on July 17 for all new episodes of Gear Abby! Until then enjoy this flashback Friday episode and leave us a written review on Apple Podcasts! Do thru-hikers lose their trail cred if they car camp? What's the most responsible way to offload extra outdoor gear without sending it straight to a landfill? And how do you train for a spring trail race without freezing your ass off all...

Shawnté is on the trail and Colin is traveling for work. So it's time for another Flashback Friday! Mark your calendar for Gear Abby's return on July 17th and make Shawnté's birthday wishes come true by leaving a written review on Apple Podcasts. This week on Gear Abby Shawnté and Colin tackle outdoor ethics, bear safety, true confessions, and real-food fueling you’ll actually eat. Here's the rund...

Shawnté is on the trail and Colin is traveling for work. So it's time for another Flashback Friday! After a Gear Abby show update from Shawnté we revisit episode 12: Bougie Hikers, Dysentery Demons, and Busted Gut Feelings. As always, there are no dumb questions—just smart advice. Email your buring outdoor questions to Gear Abby! deargearabby@gmail.com Gear Abby is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

What is the purpose of an outdoor trade show beyond sales? Live from the floor of Switchback in New Orleans, Eoin Comerford sits down with thru-hiking expert Shawnté Salabert (Gear Abby) to break down the hits, the misses, and the future of the outdoor tradeshow. In this episode of Outdoor Unfiltered, Eoin and Shawnté dive deep into reactions of the exhibit hall. From the highly anticipated US Par...

New to Gear Abby? Then enjoy this trip back in time to our third episode! Shawnté Salabert and producer Colin “P.I.G.” True are back with another round of Gear Abby, where the gear questions get real... and sometimes a little gross. This week’s adventures include: • The Triple Crown of Hiking – Do you really need to hike the AT, PCT, and CDT to earn your stripes, or is the whole “Triple Crowner” t...

This week on Gear Abby, Shawnté tackles one of the most persistent debates in backpacking: did Cheryl Strayed's Wild ruin thru-hiking? Then it's time for a surprisingly deep dive into backpacking water filters, freezing temperatures, storage tips, and how to avoid turning your water treatment system into an expensive paperweight. Finally, Colin asks the all-important question: "What's In Your Pack...

This week on Gear Abby, Shawnté and Colin tackle some truly important outdoor questions: Why does the PCT seem to have a norovirus outbreak every year? Should beginner climbers always wear helmets outside? And if you were abducted by the Ice Planet Barbarians and taken to their frozen world, what three pieces of gear would you bring? Along the way, they discuss AI-generated Ansel Adams prints, shi...

Big Titty Mountain. Mushroom poop tabs. No-drop bike rides that definitely drop people. This week, Gear Abby explores weird outdoor place names, the science behind mycelium-powered bathroom kits, and how to handle a cycling group that isn't living up to its promises. Plus: thru-hiker drama, Poo Poo Point, mastodon boners, and a (not-so) shocking amount of poop-related expertise. Send your question...

This week on Gear Abby, we tackle one of the toughest trail dilemmas yet: what should you do when you come across a hiker who clearly looks in distress but refuses help? Then it’s time for an extremely important backpacking discussion: how many pairs of underwear should you bring on a trip, really? Gear Abby dives into trail hygiene, dirty chonies, wet liners, and why changing underwear at the tra...

Are those random stairs in the forest actually haunted or just leftovers from long-forgotten buildings? This week on Gear Abby, we dig into the eerie legend of “stairs in the woods,” exploring where the spooky stories came from and why your brain reacts so strongly when you see them on trail. Next, one ski-trip debate gets settled once and for all: does alcohol really hit harder at altitude? Shawn...

What’s the deadliest national park in the United States? This week on Gear Abby, we kick things off with a dark-but-fascinating question about where people are most at risk in our national parks and why the answer might surprise you. Next, a listener needs help convincing her stubborn boyfriend to use trekking poles on a Grand Canyon hike even though his knees suggest he absolutely should. Finally...

What do you do when your favorite adventure buddy suddenly turns every outing into a full-on GoPro production? This week, Gear Abby helps a listener figure out how to set boundaries when social media starts getting in the way of real-life fun. Next, we tackle a question many people are too embarrassed to ask: how do you handle your period on a backpacking trip? Shawnté breaks down practical tips,...

Ever wondered where those summit trail registers actually come from and where they go when they disappear? This week, Gear Abby digs into the surprising history behind those iconic peak notebooks. Next, a listener questions whether spouses should be allowed to assign trail names and whether there’s an official appeal process when you get stuck with a mediocre nickname. Finally, things get serious...

Is flying across the country for adventure worth the climate impact—or should you stay closer to home? This week, Gear Abby tackles a big question about balancing outdoor travel dreams with environmental responsibility. Then things get spicy: what outdoor gear or trends instantly give you the ick on a hiking date? Shawnté and Colin weigh in with their personal red flags and invite listeners to sen...