#251 Joe Gauvain - United States Coast Guard / Drifter Hydration
Watch the episode here
Listen to the podcast here
Joe Gauvain - is an active-duty Chief in the United States Coast Guard and the co-founder of Drifter Hydration, an innovative hydration system built for the toughest environments on earth. Throughout his Coast Guard career, Joe has been stationed in multiple locations around the globe, spending much of his service in the rugged, unforgiving terrain & seas of the northwest and Alaska, where resilience, preparedness, and durability are not optional—they’re survival. An avid outdoorsman and dedicated backcountry hunter, Joe has spent years pushing deep into remote wilderness, often hunting animals at high altitude in some of the harshest conditions imaginable. Through those experiences, he repeatedly encountered the limitations and failures of traditional hydration systems used by hunters, mountaineers, and expedition travelers. Drawing from his operational experience in the Coast Guard and countless days in the backcountry, Joe helped develop what would become the Drifter Hydration System—a rugged, durable alternative to the traditional water bladder. Built to withstand extreme environments, the system has quickly become a trusted tool for serious backcountry hunters, mountaineers, and outdoor athletes who demand reliability when they’re far from civilization. Joe Gauvain joins Bobby Marshall in studio on The Mountain Side Podcast to talk about life in the Coast Guard & what led him to join the US Coast Guard, operating in Alaska, backcountry hunting, innovation in the outdoor industry, and how hard-earned lessons in the wild helped shape a product that’s redefining hydration for those who truly like to get after it.
