HikeStrong Podcast
The HikeStrong Podcast is where I share practical guidance on hiking, backpacking, and trekking preparation. Each episode blends fitness insight with real-world training strategies to help you build strength, endurance, and confidence for any trail.
I sit down with guests to break down how to train for demanding hiking, backpacking, and trekking goals using smart strength training, endurance training, and conditioning approaches. You’ll hear clear advice on altitude training, uphill training, and injury prevention, all woven into training conversations that support preparation for major destinations such as Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp, Rim to Rim, Tour du Mont Blanc, the Camino de Santiago, Patagonia, Machu Picchu, the Alps, and the Dolomites.
Because training is never one‑size‑fits‑all, I also bring listeners inside real programs. In select episodes, I interview clients in a deep‑dive format that reveals week‑by‑week training details — real data, real challenges, and real solutions — offering a clearer picture of how people actually prepare for hiking, backpacking, and trekking goals.
A cornerstone of my approach is elevation‑gain training. I believe that consistently building weekly elevation gain is one of the strongest predictors of success on any major adventure. In each episode, I share clear, actionable ways to develop that strength — even if you don’t have access to hiking terrain — so you can stay on track whether you train on hills, treadmills, stair machines, or step‑ups.
If you're preparing for a major trip, gearing up for a multi-day backpacking route, or building a long-term plan for tougher hiking or trekking challenges, you’ll find episodes that support every step of your training.
Beyond training, some episodes feature voices from across the hiking, backpacking, and trekking worlds — guides, operators, storytellers, and industry experts whose insights can shape how you think about adventure. These conversations broaden your perspective and influence your outdoor experiences, even when the focus isn’t directly on training.
Listen, train with purpose, share with your adventure partners — then take on at least one unforgettable hiking, backpacking, or trekking experience each year. Train | Hike | Repeat
I’m Marcus Shapiro, a hiking strength and conditioning coach and an early pioneer in online training for hiking, backpacking, and trekking, helping adventurers get physically ready for everything from local elevation goals to high-altitude expeditions.
HikeStrong Podcast
Ultralight Backpacking Ideas for Beginners, Tips to Lighten Your Backpack, How to Transition to Lighter Backpacking | Hike Strong Podcast | Ep. 09
My loyal audience is accustomed to tuning in to my interviews with hiking and backpacking guides. But today, I'm taking a detour to speak with an interesting guy named Nathan (Nate) Pipenberg. I was reading an article titled "The Best Backpacking Packs for Any Adventure" on the Outside app. At the bottom of the article, it reads, "Meet our testers." Nate Pipenberg was listed as a tester, so I decided to approach meeting him literally and interview him for you today.
Nate writes a biweekly column for Backpacker Magazine and is the category manager for sleeping bags, sleeping pads, and trekking poles at Outside Magazine. Below is a sampling of some discussion topics:
- What’s the day in the life of a gear tester?
- Make your pitch about why new backpackers should go ultralight.
- Nate discusses an anecdote about Glen Van Peski, a pioneer in ultralight backpacking and founder of Gossamer Gear, a functional ultralight backpacking and hiking gear company.
- What inspired you to embrace ultralight backpacking?
- Define what base weight means.
- Comment on an anecdote from John Mackey, co-founder of Whole Foods, in the foreword to Glen's book "take less. do more.".
- What is the price someone would need to spend to achieve an ultralight base weight compared to a conventional backpack packing approach?
- What are some beginning steps someone can take to lighten their load?
- What are the most essential pieces of gear for someone transitioning to ultralight backpacking?
- Explain the Big 4 in the realm of backpacking: 1 - Backpack, 2 - Tent (or shelter), 3 - Sleeping Bag or Quilt, 4 - Sleeping Pad
- What are the initial ultralight gear items to invest in?
- What are some ultralight gear company brand names you recommend?
- What does ‘packing your fears’ mean?
- What common gear mistakes do beginners make when trying to go ultralight?
- In general, what are some unnecessary items people bring backpacking?
- Is there one item you always bring that you’d coach someone not to carry but you do anyway despite the extra weight?
- Discuss getting in shape for backpacking, especially ascending and elevation gain.
- Glen Van Peski mentioned that according to John Mackey, the third day of a backpacking trip is the most challenging, but it gets easier after that. How long does it take to get in shape just by hiking on the Appalachian Trail, for example?
- Hikers rarely have a point of reference to appreciate what goes into building hiking trails. Explain more so they can understand the process.
- What is the difference between East Coast trails and West Coast trails?
- What is your Musical Trekking recommendation?
Nathan Pipenberg
https://pipenberg.com/
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