AMA February '26

The gear I trust for big miles, the truth about kettlebells, and how to stay strong as you get older.

It’s the last Friday of the month, so it’s time for our Q&A.

In November, I polled you on format—video, audio, or text. Text won. So here we are.

Audio’s at the bottom if you prefer to listen while you ruck, lift, or pretend to work.

I’ll answer the following¹:

• If you had to choose one set of gear for long-distance hiking, what would it be? I’m training to walk 100 miles in 50 hours.

• What are your two favorite books?

• What’s the two percent everyday carry, and what do people get wrong about what they carry every day?

• Can you remind us of your thoughts on kettlebells? If you like them, what weights should beginners and advanced lifters use?

• You lost a lot of weight and strength hiking the Hayduke Trail. What did you do to rebuild?

• Have you ever come across a study or any solid information on longevity and overall health for manual laborers?

• Is there an appropriate balance between hard physical labor and pushing my limits outside of work?

• We can’t all be about the gear. What’s your favorite piece of stuff?

• I have relatively low cardio fitness and would really like to improve it. How can I improve without boring cardio protocols?

Shoutout to our partners:

• Get outside with Janji, an independent running brand making gear built for ultra-distance pursuits. They’re the only brand making gear specifically for 200-plus-mile adventures—my favorite kind. Check out the Circa Daily Long Sleeve, great alone or as a layering piece. Find Janji at Janji.com and at REI stores nationwide.

• Function Health, which offers 5x deeper insights into your health than typical bloodwork. You’ll learn critical information that can guide you into feeling better every day. It helped me identify a mineral insufficiency. Go to my page here to sign up, receive a discount, and pay just $340.

Let’s roll …