So, perhaps the problem is that proper retirement planning requires you to "know the rules and limits around IRAs, 401(k)s, capital gains taxes, backdoor and me

So, perhaps the problem is that proper retirement planning requires you to "know the rules and limits around IRAs, 401(k)s, capital gains taxes, backdoor and mega-backdoor Roth, Roth 401(k)s, and so on", which is beyond most folks ability - or available time. It also requires a non-trivial amount of slack between your income and expenses, especially if you want to invest enough to beat inflation for your savings period and up to 35 years after. The value of $1 in 1985 (~35 years ago) is equivalent to $2.78 now. With as many folks as are living paycheck to paycheck (and usually they aren't backpacking), not having that slack - or time to manage that slack "properly - is not really all that surprising. I also feel it's worth calling out that the fact that your target cohort is 20-something backpackers shows a cognitive bias on who is actually having issues with their retirement funds. The reality is that most folks who are having issues right now are older Gen X, not young Gen Z.