John Z on Making Gear, Not Filtering Water, and 50-Mile Days

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by thru-hiker, gear maker, YouTuber, musician, and dare I say philosopher, John Z. John Z has hiked it all, including the triple crown trails, the Arizona Trail, Colorado Trail- in 10 days, setting the unsupported FKT on the way, which was a side trip during his PCT thru-hike- the Great Divide Trail, Pacific Northwest Trail, the Death Valley Loop, amongst others. He gives us an overview of these trips, the inspiration behind starting Pa'Lante Packs and now Meadow Physics Gear, why he doesn't hike with a water filter or satellite communicator, his tendency toward being a "water princess," the time he barked at a cow and the cow fought back, his run-ins with an angry black bear and a mountain lion, and much more. We wrap the show by unveiling our adult film star names, the triple crown of campaign promises 2.0, and Chuance leaves us a mailbag. Gossamer Gear: Use code "SNUGGLEBUG" for 20% off shelters at gossamergear.com.  PATH Projects: Use code "THETREK10"  for 10% off at pathprojects.com/thetrek. Katabatic Gear: Use code "BPR15" for 15% off at katabaticgear.com. [divider] Interview with John Z Meadow Physics John's Youtube John's Instagram Time stamps & Questions 00:02:40 - Reminders: Join us for a live show in Denver on December 7! Support us on Patreon for exclusive bonus content! 00:05:18 - Introducing John Z 00:06:22 - What's your background in the outdoors? 00:08:15 - If you had to pick only bikepacking or backpacking forever, which would it be? 00:09:50 - What led you to long distance backpacking? 00:11:29 - Did you start off ultralight? 00:14:15 - How did you transition from bikepacking? 00:16:04 - What was your biggest gear mistake early on? 00:18:20 - Tell us about making gear 00:21:54 - What were the vibes like in the desert on the PCT? 00:23:35 - How do you get trail beta? 00:25:07 - In what area do you think there's the most room for improvement in gear? 00:27:03 - Tell us about the shelter you designed 00:30:00 - Tell us about your recent engagement 00:34:45 - How do you juggle a relationship with hiking? 00:36:35 - What's the longest food carry you've done? 00:38:40 - Aside from light gear, what goes into long mileage days? 00:40:20 - What kind of food do you pack? 00:44:15 - Discussion about the Colorado Trail FKT 00:47:10 - What other FKTs have you attempted? 00:49:48 - Tell us the cow story 00:52:55 - Tell us the bear story 00:54:00 - Tell us the mountain lion story 00:56:40 - Tell us about your Alaska trip 00:58:50 - Why don't you like to use a water filter? 01:00:30 - Discussion about tea 01:02:10 - What's something you've gone on a deep dive on recently? 01:04:20 - What podcasts do you listen to while hiking? 01:06:04 - What don't you like about the AT? 01:08:20 - What's in your pack for a thru-hike? 01:11:35 - What do you do for bug protection? 01:14:00 - How do you pack your pack? 01:17:09 - Do you ever use a pack with a frame system? 01:17:55 - Tell us about the Death Valley Loop 01:20:20 - Are you more drawn to trails or routes? 01:21:20 - Do you think about your legacy? 01:22:17 - Is there any competition in route making? 01:23:00 - Tell us about the Great Divide Trail 01:25:00 - What trails do you keep repeating? 01:27:00 - Are you still making Youtube videos? 01:30:24 - What prompted you to take your channel down? 01:31:36 - What fabrics are you excited about right now? 01:33:55 - What's next for you? Segments Trek Propaganda 2024 Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers: Submit Your Completion Photos 272 Miles in Less Than 4 Days: William Peterson Sets New Long Trail FKT by Kimberly Fetherston QOTD:  If you were an adult film star, what would your stage name be? Triple Crown of campaign promises 2.0 Mail Bag 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy @my_boy_pauly/. Leave us a voicemail! Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow Backpacker Radio, The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok.  Our theme song is Walking Slow by Animal Years. A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Alex and Misty with NavigatorsCrafting, Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Ben Love, Brad & Blair Thirteen Adventures, Brent Stenberg, Bryan Alsop, Christopher Marshburn, Coach from Marion Outdoors, Dayne, Derek Koch, Eric Casper, Erik Hofmann, Gillian Daniels, Greg Knight, Greg McDaniel may he bring honor to his name, Griffin Haywood, Hailey Buckingham, Liz Seger, Patrick Cianciolo, Rebecca Brave, Sawyer Products, SPAM, Timothy Hahn, Tracy 'Trigger' Fawns A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Bonnie Ackerman, David, Dcnerdlet, Emily Galusha, Jeanie, Jeanne Latshaw, Joann Menzer, Katharine Rudzitis, Lauren Cain, Luke Netjes, Merle Watkins, Peter, and Ruth S.