Backpacking Light's TRIPS with Ryan Jordan

After the first 8 minutes, Ryan Jordan dives into the TRIPS demo, so you’ll want to see the video version of this podcast. Timeline 00:00 Intro 01:00 Three compliments 07:40 TRIPS Basic 18:00 TRIPS Pro 33:55 Price Background I’m a lifetime member of Backpacking Light (BPL), and I’m excited to use TRIPS. In the show, I mention Ryan’s epic Arctic 1000 trek. His PDF summary of the journey is still a fantastic read decades later. Podcast summary We primarily discuss TRIPS, a new backcountry-planning application that converts a GPX route into a detailed estimate of how difficult a backpacking trip will be. The tool incorporates factors such as route geometry, elevation, campsites, pack weight, and the hiker’s physiology. Before discussing the app in depth, I congratulate Jordan on two achievements: * BackpackingLight’s paid membership model: I admit I once doubted that backpackers would pay for online information, but Jordan proved me wrong by building a successful subscription-based website. Jordan explains that the key is offering enough value for people to invest in their passions. * The Arctic 1000 expedition: I recall Jordan’s earlier ultralight expedition in Alaska, involving three men attempting to travel approximately 1,000 kilometers—about 622 miles—without resupply. They used Alaska’s continuous summer daylight strategically, hiking during the “night” and sleeping during the day to reduce the amount of cold-weather gear they needed to carry. The episode’s central theme is the movement from relying on intuition and experience in trip planning toward using data, physiology, route analysis, and equipment weight to model the actual demands of a wilderness journey. What do you think? Put your thoughts in the comments. Connect Send me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTapon You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter. If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on: * YouTube * Facebook * Instagram * X * TikTok * LinkedIn Sponsors 1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon 2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles! 3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! 4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker. 5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in. 6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free! 7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken. 8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees! 9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear 10. Get nomadic travel insurance from SafetyWing! Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe