Cool Friends: The Dirt Bag
In the outdoor world, we meet all kinds of characters. There are the weekend warriors who rally hard before heading back to the office on Monday, the gear junkies who outfit every trip like an Everest expedition, and then—there are the dirtbags.
The dirtbag doesn't just love the outdoors—they live for it. Their life is a never-ending weekend. They chase rivers, rocks, and powder instead of paychecks. It's a lifestyle many dream of, but few truly commit to.
Rafting on the Rogue River
What Is a Dirtbag, Really?
Urban Dictionary defines a dirtbag as:
“A person who is committed to a given (usually extreme) lifestyle to the point of abandoning employment and other societal norms in order to pursue said lifestyle.”
That might sound like a warning label, but if you’ve spent a season living out of your truck, skipping showers for summits, or stringing together guide gigs just to stay outside—then you know the truth. There’s a strange kind of wisdom (and joy) in a life that prioritizes experience over accumulation.
But that leads to the bigger question: Is the dirtbag life sustainable? Or is it just a phase—a sunburned rite of passage before settling down?
Dirtbag Rich
A few months ago, I stumbled across Blake Boles. An adventurer, writer, educator, and lifelong dirt bag. He’s writing a book called Dirtbag Rich—a title that immediately grabbed me. Blake was looking to interview people who have built lives around joy, freedom, and play—folks who’ve carved out a meaningful existence outside of traditional 9-to-5 norms.
Nothing beats a rafting trip
While I do have a full-time job as a river manager—which keeps me living outside most of the summer—I still manage to guide a few trips each season (okay, sometimes five). For me, outdoor work isn’t a stepping stone—it’s a cornerstone. So I reached out to Blake. I figured I might have something to offer: a perspective from someone with one foot in the dirtbag world and the other planted firmly in a year-round job… complete with health insurance. Check out my conversation with Blake on his podcast linked below:
Dirtbag Rich
Finding the Dirtbag Inside
Not all of us took the road less paved. Some of us opted for steady income, mortgages, and office chairs. But the dirtbag doesn’t die—it's still in there, buried beneath the emails and meal prepping.
You don’t have to give it all up to tap into that feeling. Weekend hikes, early morning ski tours, or a few rogue seasons spent guiding—they all count. Living a dirtbag life doesn’t have to mean abandoning everything. It can mean remembering what you love and making space for it, fiercely and unapologetically.
