Your Host
Phillip Barker is the creator and host of the "Bonding Through Backpacking Summit for Dads." He is also the founder of DeliciOats overnight oats backpacking breakfasts, the primary sponsor of the summit. A passionate advocate for outdoor family adventures, Phillip combines his love for nature with his commitment to fostering strong parent-child relationships. As a backpacker and devoted father, he has firsthand experience of the profound connections built on the trails.
However, he would by no means consider himself an expert backpacker or father. This summit is meant to help fill the gap he found as he searched for more resources on backpacking as a father with his kids. There just wasn’t enough out there for him. So, Phillip considers himself just as much a learner in this summit as the host.
His mission for this summit is to help dads create the bonding experiences they and their kids need, through backpacking, by equipping them with the skills and confidence to prepare for, plan, and lead their families on the unforgettable adventures they all crave.
Your Summit and Backpacking Experts
Patrick Ma
The Wilderness is the Best Classroom
"We have one life in this world, so do good, have the strength to fight for what is right, live and laugh with those who you love and cherish, follow your heart and intuition, and have the courage to blaze the new trails that you are proud to call your own."
Get Greg's FREE mini-course on how to do avdenturing with your kids well, and how to make it memorable!
Greg created this course specially for you as an attendee of this summit.
Click the link under his bio to get free access.
Greg Denning
Creating Lasting Bonds Through Preparation and Adventure
Out on his own by the age of 16, Greg experienced years of hardship, loneliness, hunger, homelessness, and discouragement. He struggled desperately to find the answers that would bring him a life of real fulfillment.
Through the power of life-changing books he was able to catch a vision and then take action to transform his mindset, heartset, and skillset in order to design and create the extraordinary life he dreamed of living!
Today he is married to the woman of his dreams and they have seven wonderful children. Greg is a speaker, trainer, and high-performance executive life/business coach to ambitious parents.
He is passionate about peak human performance, health and fitness, education, adventure, travel, and inspiring everyone he meets to Reach Upward for their full potential and create the EXTRAORDINARY Family Life they dream about.
Greg is the host of the Extraordinary Family Life podcast, and he and Rachel are the co-creators of The Extraordinary Family Life Formula.
Jason Kolaczkowski
Risk Assessment, Fear Assessment, and Guiding Our Kids
Jason is a former mountaineering instructor who has turned his attention to sharing with his twin sons the joys, risk assessment skills, and responsibilities that come with adventures on the trails, rock walls, and snowy peaks. At his boys' urging he posts educational material online through his YouTube channel, Short Guys Beta Works, documenting the lessons and skills he is sharing with his kids in order to help other families get outside.
Adam Nichols
There's Never Been a Better Time to Take Kids Backpacking!
Adam has over 30+ years of camping & backpacking experience. He's passionate about sharing his knowledge gained and passing that on for our kids and the next generation to enjoy! He is the creator of the Dad Camps YouTube Channel where he hopes to inform and inspire Dads to get out on adventures either on their own or (even better) with their kids!
Iron Tazz
How Old is Old Enough to Take My Kids Backpacking?
I live in the Pacific Northwest and love connecting people with the outdoors. I am the author of "Hike It" and have built up a following of over 3.5 million followers on social media from sharing my adventures outdoors. I am a Leave No Trace Ambassador who thru-hiked all 2,650 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail.
Special message and free offer from Josh
Stories are what YOU make them.
I would love to help you evaluate where you are currently and develop an action plan to free your time, monetary restraints and other excuses to live extraordinary stories for yourself.
Sign up for a FREE consultation call by clicking here
This offer is on a first come, first served basis for the first 30 people to claim the offer.
Josh Sutton
What are Our Kids Capable of, and Making Ourselves More Capable as Fathers
Josh Sutton is best known for being featured in the documentary “Beyond The Tree Line,” where he hikes the entire 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail (AT) with his wife and their 4-year-old son, Harvey. His adventurous spirit and passion for the outdoors have defined much of his life.
After high school, Josh spent four years in South Africa working on a game lodge. He now serves as a sales manager for a home improvement company and owns a portfolio of 28 rental units. Early in their marriage, Josh and his wife fostered two boys, providing them with a loving home and a sense of adventure.
To avoid the uncertainty of a traditional retirement, they take mini retirements, embarking on numerous family adventures. These include hiking the AT, the John Muir Trail, trekking to Everest Base Camp, and most recently conquering the 100-Mile Wilderness with his son.
Josh lives by the motto, "To live a life filled with extraordinary stories".
Michael Lanza
Planning a Backpacking Trip with Your Kids (and Getting Them Pumped Up for It)
Writer and photographer Michael Lanza is the creator of The Big Outside, where he shares stories and photography about backpacking, hiking, and other outdoor adventures, including many with his wife and children. Through his custom trip planning services, he has helped hundreds of readers of his blog plan their own backpacking trips, including people ranging from complete beginners to very experienced backpackers and parents with children from very young to teens. His blog has landed on many best blog lists. His book Before They're Gone—A Family's Year-Long Quest to Explore America's Most Endangered National Parks, winner of a National Outdoor Book Award honorable mention, chronicles his wilderness adventures with his wife and their young son and daughter in national parks threatened by climate change. He was previously the Northwest Editor of Backpacker magazine for 11 years and a contributor to other outdoors magazines and websites.
To claim Michael's free checklist visit his website (linked above) and sign up for his newletter. If you don't get the checklist email him and he'll send it to you.
Doug Beaumont
Hiking with Kids: Keeping Them Engaged on the Trail
Doug lives in California with his wife and four kids ages 17, 13, 10, and 8. He has loved the mountains and hiked his whole life but got more serious about it in 2019 when he started gearing up to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Covid ruined those plans, but some good came out of his preparations: the startup of his YouTube channel focused on hiking, camping, and backpacking. Backcountry Pilgrim now has over 13,000 subscribers and just celebrated its 5th year "channelversary" this June.
Devin isn't kidding about loving to help you have quality outdoor experiences, and he would love to hear from you! If you have questions about backpacking that are specific to you or your family, please send Devin an email to backcountryexposure@gmail.com
Devin Ashby
How to Choose the Right Backpacking Gear for You and Your Kids
With over 30 years of outdoor experience and a dad to three amazing kids, I've made my passion for the outdoors my career. I simply love being outside, and spending time with my kids outside hiking, camping, fishing and backpacking.
I graduated with a degree in Outdoor Recreation Management from Utah Valley University in 2017, and have worked professionally in the outdoor industry for 20+ years. Previous work has included managing an indoor climbing gym in Salt Lake City, and most recently as the General Manager for Waymark Gear Co. I also am fortunate to teach Intro To backpacking classes at Utah Valley University where I am able to introduce quality outdoor experiences to students who may not have had the opportunity otherwise.
I love helping others have quality outdoor experiences.
Aaron Owens Mayhew
Nutrition, Meal Planning, and Hydration for the Trail
Aaron is a registered dietitian and backpacker with over twenty years of experience in the field of nutrition and in the backcountry. In 2017, she left her clinical dietitian career with dreams of thru-hiking the PCT and starting a business focused on backpacking nutrition. Seven years later, Backcountry Foodie is a thriving business serving thousands of hikers worldwide.
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Get Aaron's FREE Backpacking Food Starter Kit, with nutrition strategies, tip sheets, kid-friendly backcountry recipes, food diary, hiking food journal, and more! To claim it, click here and enter your email address and you will receive it via email.
Tayson Whittaker
Budget Friendly Gear: How To Keep Your Pack Light, Simple and Safe
Tayson is the founder/CEO of Outdoor Vitals, a direct to consumer ultralight gear company and a single dad to two young kids. Through building a multimillion-dollar gear company, designing and testing gear for 10 years, and being a father for 7 of those years, Tayson has a lot of experience to share on how simple and lightweight the gear can be and still give you complete confidence to take your kids into the backcountry!
Tayson believes that by eliminating fears or unknowns around getting outside, it empowers people to actually disconnect from this tech filled world and get outside. He has made it his life's work to empower people to get outside through education and confidence in gear. That confidence is what empowers Tayson to take his two young kids backpacking often!
Kevin Tran
Adventuring with Dad: Tips, Insights, and Inspiration for Family Outdoor Adventures
I’m Kevin Tran, a dedicated father and passionate outdoor enthusiast who loves sharing my family’s adventures on Instagram. With a focus on hiking, camping, and backpacking with my wife and two young children, I provide valuable tips, hacks, and insights to make outdoor activities accessible and enjoyable for families. When I first explored this space, I noticed that much of the content was mom-focused, so I aimed to create dad-focused content to empower fathers to take the lead in creating memorable outdoor experiences with their kids. Through my engaging content and practical advice, I’ve built a supportive community of adventurous families who motivate and learn from each other. My unique perspective and dedication to fostering a love for nature and adventure in my children drive me to inspire other dads. Join me as I share our journey and encourage you to embark on your own family adventures.
John Kelley
How to Pack a Backpack to Maximize Comfort and Accessibility
John has been hiking and backpacking since 2015 when he started training for his hike of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Since that time, JK has created hundreds of hiking videos and podcasts that inform, entertain, and highlight the outdoors. JK is the proud dad of Jack and Ellie, his favorite hiking partners.
John created a special video on his YouTube channel just for this summit's attendees. It's "unlisted" so the only way to find it is by clicking the link above. Enjoy!
Braden Burrup
Fitness, Footwear/Foot Care & Clothes - Don't Wait, Just Get Out There!
I am just a Dad that loves the outdoors and have loved the journey that I am on so I am hoping to inspire other Dads to get outdoors, make memories with their kids and their families and live a life with zero regrets. I love to share insights, tips, tricks, gear, etc. that I have learned about and love from all the years I have spent in the outdoors.
Gordon Crum
Starter Knives and Fire Starting
Gordon is a camping and wilderness survival enthusiast. Creator of the YouTube channel Grim Granite, with nearly 200 thousand subscribers and 100 million views, he creates outdoor content that helps those that are new to the hobby take their next steps in nature with confidence and skill. Gordon's goal in making this content is that it will be useful, or at least entertaining.
Luke Dill
Knot Tying: Practical Wilderness Knots and How to Set Up a Knot Tying Station
Luke Dill is a distinguished veteran who dedicated 21 years to the US Army, serving the first half of his career in the infantry and the latter half in Special Forces. As a Green Beret assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group, he gained extensive operational experience through multiple deployments. His service includes two combat infantry deployments to Iraq and, within Special Forces, deployments to Jordan, numerous Joint Inter-Agency missions across the Middle East, and multiple combat rotations to Iraq and Syria.
Now residing in Clarksville, TN, Luke has transitioned his extensive military expertise into a new venture. He is the founder and operator of Sojourner Fieldcraft in Tennessee Ridge, a bushcraft and survival school dedicated to imparting essential wilderness skills. Married to an amazing wife and father to two sons with a third baby on the way, Luke is passionate about training others and empowering them to realize their full potential.
To claim Luke's free knot tying guide PDF visit his website (linked above) and scroll down to the "Connect" form; fill it out and submit it with "BTBSUMMIT" as the subject.
Brent Fuchs
Hypothermia in the Backcountry: Understanding Risks, Prevention, and Treatment
Brent Fuchs is a husband and father to two boys; he is still serving as a US Army Special Forces Medical Sergeant with over a decade of service, specializing in mountaineering and desert warfare. He also served as an explosives expert for six years, adding another layer of expertise to his impressive skill set.
Prior to his military career, Brent was a survival guide, snowmobile guide, river guide, and ski patroller for several years, building a robust foundation in outdoor navigation and survival.
An avid outdoor enthusiast, Brent’s diverse experiences and passion for adventure make him an inspiring event speaker, where he shares his knowledge and love for the great outdoors, resilience, security, strategy, and positive mindset. Brent also teaches courses on austere medicine, wilderness survival, navigation, and more. Visit his website for details.
Will Wickert
Backcountry Basics: Leave No Trace, Backcountry Etiquette & Safety, and Water Filtration
Will is a father of 6 children and an avid backpacker with several hundred miles of experience on the trails and in the backcountry. A good handful of those miles consist of trips that have included his wife and/or kids. He enjoys sharing these outdoor adventures on his Youtube channel, blog and Instagram account, all under the moniker: "Wasatch Will".
When he's not roaming around the wilderness or engaging in other activities with his family, he can often be found working in his veggie garden, cooking up a meal, or out on a run. He also works full-time in the television industry as a network operator for BYU-TV. He's a man of many interests with a zeal for life and learning.
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