# Wildfires, Hitchhiking & The Future of Outdoor Gear Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/free-outside-6909507/wildfires-hitchhiking-the-future-of-outdoor-gear Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/free-outside-6909507/wildfires-hitchhiking-the-future-of-outdoor-gear.md Podcast: [Free Outside](https://stenobird.com/podcast/free-outside-6909507) Published: 2026-07-17T10:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/freeoutside/episodes/Wildfires--Hitchhiking--The-Future-of-Outdoor-Gear-e3m6fqd Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/eaf7016c/podcast/play/122944781/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-6-17%2F428109031-44100-2-be61b4f36fe89.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/free-outside-6909507/episodes/wildfires-hitchhiking-the-future-of-outdoor-gear Duration seconds: 3175 ## Resource After wrapping up my month in Europe, I thought the adventure was over. Instead, it ended with a wildfire blocking my route through the Pyrenees, hitchhiking across Spain, a Tour de France road closure, and enough ticks to send me to the doctor with a Lyme disease scare. I start this episode by sharing how the final days of the trip unfolded and what I've been dealing with since getting home. Then I sit down with Hunter Macy, the founder of Rendezvu, to talk about one of the biggest problems in trail running and outdoor sports: figuring out what gear actually works. We discuss authentic gear recommendations, athlete-brand relationships, AI, entrepreneurship, and why the future of outdoor gear may look very different than today's sponsored posts and scattered gear lists. Topics include: My final days hiking in the Pyrenees Wildfires, hitchhiking, and travel chaos The Lyme disease scare after Europe Why gear reviews are so difficult to trust How Rendezvu is connecting athletes, brands, and real gear recommendations Building a startup in the outdoor industry Where trail running gear is headed next Support our Sponsors: Sawyer: https://sawyerdirect.net/ Janji (code: Freeoutside): https://snp.link/a0bfb726 CS Coffee: CSinstant.coffee Garage Grown Gear: https://snp.link/db1ba8ab Subscribe to Substack: http://freeoutside.substack.com Support this content on patreon: HTTP://patreon.com/freeoutside Buy my book "Free Outside" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/39LpoSF Email me to buy a signed copy of my book, "Free Outside" at jeff@freeoutside.com Watch the movie about setting the record on the Colorado Trail: https://tubitv.com/movies/100019916/free-outside Website: www.Freeoutside.com Instagram: thefreeoutside facebook: www.facebook.com/freeoutside #Trailrunning #R… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/free-outside-6909507/episodes/wildfires-hitchhiking-the-future-of-outdoor-gear/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/free-outside-6909507/wildfires-hitchhiking-the-future-of-outdoor-gear.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.