Losing 150 Lbs, An All-Time Poop Story, and Theater Hacks for Content Creators with Andrew Livingston aka Coach from Marion Outdoors (BPR #366)

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are joined by Andrew Livingston, aka Coach from Marion Outdoors and host of the Chafed Outdoors podcast.

In this one, Coach tells the story of losing 150 pounds his sophomore year of college largely thanks to hiking, details his background in theater, ballet, and tap dancing- and how that's helped him grow a massive following on Instagram and TikTok, the biggest challenges of running an outfitter, he gives us an all-timer poop story that ended with him naked in the woods covered in shit and hanging onto a tree branch, and details the rules for banning problem hikers from his hostel.

We wrap the show with Trek Propaganda on gear people love 500 miles into the AT, a Triple Crown of sounds that trigger happiness, how a tornado woke Katie and I from a dead sleep in New Orleans, my Jolly Gear sun hoodie review, and a listener further breaks down the difference between a Sawyer and Brita filter.

Topo Athletic: Use code "TREK15TOPO" at topoathletic.com.

Gossamer Gear: Use code "BACKPACKERRADIO" for $20 off LT5 Trekking Poles at gossamergear.com.

Hyperlite Mountain Gear: Use code "BPRADIO15" for 15% of hyperlitemountaingear.com

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Interview with Coach from Marion Outdoors

• Coach's Instagram
• Coach's Youtube Channel
• Marion Outdoors Website

Time stamps & Questions

00:05:00 - Reminders: Join us for a hiker meetup in Seattle, subscribe to The Trek's Youtube and listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon, and!

00:07:05 - Introducing Andrew Livingston

00:10:00 - How did you get started in the outdoors?

00:15:10 - Tell us your hiking resume

00:18:20 - Tell us about your theater background

00:21:30 - Do you have any advice for someone starting to make content?

00:25:00 - Do people come visit your store because of your videos?

00:28:00 - Did something ever flop that you thought would sell great?

00:34:10 - What gear has stood out most to you from the show?

00:37:10 - Is there any tech apparel you're excited about?

00:41:00 - Tell us your poop story

00:50:38 - How have you tried to maintain your weight?

00:56:25 - Do you get a SOBO bubble through the shop?

00:59:15 - Discussion about hikers coming through the hostel and shop

01:06:34 - What gets someone's name on the list?

01:10:20 - How have AT towns recovered from Hurricane Helene?

01:12:00 - What do you see for the future of Marion Outdoors?

01:14:30 - Tell us about your podcast

01:15:45 - Peak Performance Question: What is your top performance enhancing hack?

Segments

Trek Propaganda: 2026 AT Thru-Hikers Share Their Favorite Gear So Far by Katie Jackson

QOTD: When was the last time you were in a tornado warning?

Switchback Recap

Triple Crown of sounds that trigger happiness

Mail Bag

5 Star Review

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Check out our sound guy @my_boy_pauly/ and his coffee.

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A super big thank you to our Bob Peoples Award winner(s) from Patreon: Alex and Misty with NavigatorsCrafting, Alex Kindle, Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Bill Jensen, Brad & Blair Thirteen Adventures, Bret Mullins aka Cruizy, Bryan Alsop, Carl Lobstah Houde, Christopher Marshburn, Clint Sitler, Coach from Marion Outdoors, Eric Casper, Erik Hofmann, Ethan Harwell, Gillian Daniels, Greg Knight, Greg Martin, Griffin Haywood, Hailey Buckingham, Jackson Storm, JaredNotFromSubway, Jason Kiser, Jason "The Snail" Snailer, Luke Netjes, Matty in AZ, Patrick Cianciolo, Randy Sutherland, Rebecca Brave, Rural Juror, Sawyer Products, The Saint Louis Shaman, Timothy Hahn, Tracy 'Trigger' Fawns

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