A podcast for the retail store. We aim to answer the questions that come up on the sales floor and take a closer look at what’s happening inside Patagonia.
Episodes
July 11, 2022
The Story of Patagonia Mountain Bike
On today’s episode we’re joined by mountain biking product line manager, Eric Wallis. During our conversation we’ll dive into Patagonia’s history with mountain biking, chat about some key styles for the S22 season and we’ll get peak into the future when we chat about what’s coming down the pike for mountain biking product in F22.
Be sure to keep sending your brand or product questions to mailbag@backstocksessions.com and we’ll hope to get them answered on future episodes.
May 13, 2022
Enviro Grants at Work
Carrying momentum from our update on Patagonia’s environmental grant program, we are incredibly excited to bring you a conversation with a Patagonia dealer and a local grassroots environmental organization who have collaborated on multiple grants through the grant program. Today we’re joined by Charlie Wise of The Mountaineer and Kelley Tucker of the Ausable River Association.
Over the years the Ausable River Association and The Mountaineer have worked together to tackle environmental issues in the Keene Valley area. One link of their partnership has been Patagonia’s wholesale environmental grants program. On today’s episode we’ll learn more about their grassroots collaboration, where the grant program fits into their partnership and how they have connected with the Keene Valley community together to inspire action.
Authorized dealers can learn more about Wholesale Activism on our Dealer Portal.
April 26, 2022
Wholesale Activism 2023
On today’s episode we are going to get a bit of a refresher about Patagonia’s environmental grants program and how you as a Patagonia dealer can take action locally in 2023. Funny enough, we are coming up on the one year anniversary since we launched The Backstock Sessions and our first ever episode centered on this very topic.
We are excited to welcome back our first ever guest, Morgan Greenwood, who coordinates our wholesale enviro grants program, along with Rebecca Goodstein, who works on enviro activism and community engagement efforts with our retail and wholesale partners.
Authorized dealers can learn more about Wholesale Activism on our Dealer Portal.
April 15, 2022
The Folds – Black Hole
On today’s episode of our new series, The Folds, we’re going deep into the universe of luggage to talk about our top selling collection – the Black Hole series. If you have discussed any extended travel with a customer, you’ve likely thought about the top selling Black Hole Duffel. Originally released in the winter of 1991, it’s had many iterations over the years, but has always proved to be one the most useful pieces of your travel quiver. Today the collection spans backpacks, rolling luggage, waist packs, totes and of course, duffels.
Scott Goodin joins us today, an expert Patagonia Customer Experience Rep, to guide us through how he likes to talk about the Black Hole series with customers looking for some luggage advice.
March 23, 2022
The Folds – Torrentshell 3L Jacket
On today’s episode of our new series, The Folds, we are getting into the weeds with the Torrentshell 3L, Patagonia’s tried and true go-to rain shell. Introduced in the Fall 2000 season, the Torrentshell Jacket was brought into the fold as a lightweight shell to be used in a variety of conditions. After being in the product line for over 20 years, we listened to feedback from our customer’s and ambassadors, followed inspiration from our product designers and continued to make revisions to improve the overall performance and lessen the footprint of this style.
Josh Gauthier from Patagonia Burlington joins us today to lend some insight into how he likes to talk to customers about the Torrentshell 3L and why this is our top selling hard shell.
March 18, 2022
Patagonia Provisions – Why Food?
Some of you may have heard about or even enjoyed some of the Patagonia Provisions menu over the years, but for those who haven’t, Patagonia Provisions was founded in 2012, kicking things off with a line of smoked salmon harvested from responsibly managed fisheries in the north Pacific. In 2022 Patagonia Provisions now offers over 40 individual products, with the most recent release of a Pilsner Beer in collaboration with Dogfish Head Brewery made with Kernza, a perennial grain.
What’s most inspiring about Patagonia Provisions is not necessarily the end product, but the style of the supply chain, where regenerative organic agriculture, and responsible fishing and meat harvesting are some of the guiding principals in using business to solve the environmental crisis.
On today’s episode we are joined by Graeme Pike from Patagonia Provisions. Graeme has been working for Patagonia for almost 6 years, the majority of that time spent with Patagonia Provisions where he manages sales channels for both wholesale dealers and Patagonia retail stores. Graeme also works on the Patagonia Provisions carbon impact strategy where they work to measure and neutralize their footprint. For the full lineup of delicious and sustainable eats visit Patagonia Provisions.
March 10, 2022
The Folds – Nano Puff
Welcome to our new series, “The Folds”, where we breakdown our year-round, top selling styles, one by one, so you can be the expert in less than five minutes. In each episode we’ll give a little history on the product, breakdown the feature set, and lastly, we’ll hear from an expert shop employee on how they like to talk with the customers about that style.
On this episode, we are checking out the Nano Puff. An iconic style since 2008, it changed the game in the world of synthetic insulation. We are stoked to be joined by Amber Herman, an expert sales associate from the Patagonia Bend partner store, to help us break this style down for the customer.
February 24, 2022
Clean Climbing – Part II
Part II of our celebration of Clean Climbing, it has been 50 years since the release of the 1972 Chouinard Equipment Catalog and here at Patagonia it is an opportunity to look back at our history, reinvigorate our sense of purpose and to forge our way forward for the next 50 years.
We are excited to have Senior Graphic Designer, Neil Hubert, with us to discuss the inspiration, process, and artwork that’s part of the Clean Climbing Logo collection coming out this March. The graphics are a nod to our history but also represent the ethics that fuel the business today.
February 24, 2022
Clean Climbing – Part I
1972 was a year of cultural transformation for the sport of rock climbing. As a company, we stopped making rock-damaging pitons and replaced them with hardware that left little evidence of ascension, a shift that brought with it a greater awareness for human impact on recreational environments and kindling of stewardship.
On today’s episode we want to transport ourselves back to this revolutionary time to understand what led to this rapid cultural shift in climbing ethics. We’ll hear excerpts from the ground breaking 1972 Chouinard Equipment catalog along with a bit of a history lesson from Vincent Stanley, Yvon’s nephew and lifetime Patagoniac.
February 10, 2022
Spring ’22 Preview
We are getting super pumped for the upcoming spring season at Patagonia and are also really excited about what’s to come on the Backstock Sessions over the next few months. We have a full lineup of interviews and stories that speak to all of the important work going on behind the scenes at Patagonia. Here’s a preview of what’s to come!
December 10, 2021
Mind Over Mountain
On today’s episode, we are super excited to be joined by Patagonia Snow ambassadors Leah Evans and Marie France-Roy. Our conversation centers around their latest film, Mind Over Mountains, where Leah, Marie, and Madeleine Martin-Preney attempt the burly 85 mile, 30,000 ft traverse from the Bugaboos to Rogers Pass in British Columbia. Sure, the film is beautifully shot by Sweetgrass productions and they got some great powder, but this film is more about the suffering that takes place and the bonds that are formed amongst the group during an epic trip like this one.
In this chat, we want to hone in on the suffering part of the journey and what gear they chose to make it a little more comfortable….and in many ways, survivable. After 10 days touring and snow camping, there’s bound to be some tales of wet baselayers and soggy boot liners and we want to know their strategies. Mind Over Mountain had it’s online premiere on December 8, 2021.
You can watch the full film HERE
October 28, 2021
Layering – What You Didn’t Know You Needed to Know
On today’s episode, we are going to have a discussion about Layering – why we use a system of different tees, fleece, insulation, and shells to keep us comfortable and most importantly, safe, in the mountains. For some of you gear nerds out there, you may have come across an article on Patagonia’s Cleanest Line blog called “Colin Haley’s Clothing System for Alpine Climbing in the Chalten Massif”, 6,000 words about dressing for alpine climbing you didn’t know you needed to know”. Colin Haley is a Seattle-based Alpine climber that is best known for his rugged first ascents and most notably, solo ascents of high hazard routes in Alaska, Canada, and Patagonia. In this essay, Colin breaks down the layers and systems he uses for when he’s climbing mountains anywhere in the world. This is where our journey begins as we dissect the fundamentals of layering in the mountains.
We are joined by fellow Backstock Sessions contributors, Nick March and Felice Artuso. Both have been long time tech reps and gear users, and have sat through years of product trainings. But the core of what we want to discuss today lies in the fundamentals described by Colin’s experience as a professional climber and how we can apply his techniques as everyday product users and customers.
Read Colin Haley’s article HERE for a deep dive into his ultimate layering kit for climbing in mountains all over the world.
October 7, 2021
Snow Product Design & Philosophy
Winter is right around the corner and to get you and your team ready for the season ahead, we thought we’d bring you an episode full of snow stoke. Think of this episode as the audio equivalent of watching your favorite early season edit. To help welcome in winter, we are joined by a couple members of Patagonia’s snow design team, Product Line Manager, Eric Wallis and Product Designer, Tasha Woodworth.
On today’s episode Eric and Tasha give us some background on Patagonia’s snow design philosophy, they chat about recent industry trends in the world of skiing and snowboarding, and most importantly, they walk through a full overview of Patagonia’s snow collection.
September 21, 2021
The New Alpine Downlab
On this episode we will be chatting with Patagonia’s Alpine Product Line Manager, Linden Mallory about a brand new collection, the Alpine Downlab, where we explore the possibilities of nature’s lightest insulation. Throughout the conversation Linden takes us through the process of developing the products within the Downlab collection, what the differences are between down and synthetic insulation, and the types of use cases where this new collection shines. The Alpine Downlab collection is set to be released in October, 2021 and we excited to share this conversation with you.
September 8, 2021
What is PFC-Free?
We’ve been talking a lot about “PFC-Free” lately when it comes to Durable Water Repellant (DWR). But what does it really mean? On today’s episode we are going to dive into PFCs, what they are, why they are a problem, and what we are doing to get them out of our supply chain. We are psyched to be joined by Laura Hoch, Patagonia’s lead Chemical Engineer on the Materials Innovation team, she’ll break down the ABCs on PFCs so we can all understand this problem a little better. For further reading, check out this season’s Blueprints and watch our PFC-Free x Alpine clinic video to check out the F21 Dual Aspect kit that features this new technology.
August 27, 2021
Answer With Action – Patagonia Action Works
For almost 40 years, Patagonia has supported grassroots activists working to find solutions to the environmental crisis. That’s why we’re connecting individuals with our grantees, to take action on the most pressing issues facing the world today. On today’s episode we are joined by Patagonia Action Works Program Manager, Sam Murch. During our conversation we discuss Patagonia’s history of giving, the creation of Patagonia Action Works, and how you can take action in your community. Check out www.patagonia.com/actionworks to learn how you can make a difference in your community.
August 11, 2021
NetPlus – Turning Fishing Nets Into Clothing
Cody dives deep with the co-founders of Bureo, Kevin Ahearn and David Stover, about NetPlus, a fabric technology that takes discarded fishing nets and turns them into durable material that is used in Patagonia’s hat brims and garments. Bureo started in 2012 by using those fishing nets to make sunglasses and skateboard decks with key partners, but they’ve turned that process into making nylon material that can now be used in the clothing industry as a sustainable alternative to virgin nylon. Learn more at https://bureo.co/
July 28, 2021
Tech Talk – Down Insulation
On this week’s Tech Talk, the crew takes a deep dive into down insulation. Nick and Cody talk differences between Traceable Down vs Recycled Down. Felice and Josh get into warmth to weight ratios to describe what the difference is between 600 vs 800 fill power and how they are used in different applications.
July 15, 2021
Packaging and Sustainability
Patagonia uses polybags to ship product to customers and retailers around the world and we are often asked, why? Elissa Foster and Jennifer Patrick head our packaging sustainability efforts and discuss what we are doing to solve the plastic problem in our packaging and the issues we face in the process. To eliminate excess waste, we’ve reduced the size of the polybags we use and are sourcing ones made with 100% recycled content that are Global Recycle Standard certified, which means the recycled inputs are determined to be true waste diversion. All of our polybags are recyclable through our Reno Distribution center and are made into material for decks and houses. Customers can recycle locally at any participating grocery store or by finding a nearby recycling center by visiting https://earth911.com and searching #4 Plastic Bags in their local zip code.
July 1, 2021
Tech Talk – Shell and Garment Care
Felice and Nick have a quick chat about how to care for your waterproof shells and down insulation jackets so you can get the most performance day after day out of your gear.
June 17, 2021
H2No and Waterproof Breathable Technology
Cody talks with Senior Materials Developer, Pasha Whitmire, about what goes into our lineup of waterproof breathable materials, our H2No Performance Standard, and what the difference is between H2No and GoreTex fabrics.
June 8, 2021
Tech Talk – Durable Odor Control
Felice and Josh discuss Patagonia’s Odor Control Technology – HeiQ. They chat about what HeiQ is, how it works, and why it’s a sustainable solution for those smelly next-to-skin layers.
June 2, 2021
Kate Rutherford – Climbing Ambassador and Alpine Product Manager
Patagonia Rep, Josh Livasy, chats with long-time climbing athlete and Patagonia Ambassador, Kate Rutherford. Recently, Kate has merged her passion for climbing and product by becoming the Associate Product Line Manager for the Alpine category here at Patagonia. We are excited to share our conversation with Kate about what she’s been up to and her transition from climbing ambassador to product manager.
Check out https://www.farmtocrag.org to find local food on the way to your next climbing destination!
May 30, 2021
Tech Talk – SPF vs UPF
Nick and Cody discuss the difference between SPF and UPF in sun protective garments and where Patagonia chooses to rate it’s products.
May 27, 2021
30×30 – A Resolution to Protect Nature
On today’s episode we are joined by Whitney Clapper, Patagonia’s Global Environmental Marketing Manager to discuss the 30 by 30 Resolution to Protect Nature, a journey to safeguard 30% of the world’s lands and waters by 2030.
Learn more at https://www.patagonia.com/actionworks/campaigns/30-by-30-resolution-to-protect-nature/
May 20, 2021
Tech Talk – Ironclad Guarantee
Josh and Cody talk shop about Patagonia’s Ironclad Guarantee, what it is and how you as the Dealer can utilize it as a selling point and an opportunity to help service your customer.
May 13, 2021
Wholesale Environmental Grants – Take Action Locally
On this episode, we are joined by Morgan Greenwood, who heads up our Wholesale Grants program. She dives into how our wholesale partners can bring this program to their local communities. Since 2001, Patagonia has pledged 1% of annual sales to Environmental non-profits across the globe in an effort to save our home planet. As part of that process, the Wholesale Channel has been responsible for donating up to $800k a year to non-profits in partnership with our Dealers across the U.S. The Wholesale Grants program has been at the cornerstone of that work by providing a process in grant funding.
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