Trailspace Blog February 2007
Backpacker Magazine Seeks Trail-Worthy, Green Packs
Just the other day I said I was excited by the concept of Osprey’s ReSource Series recycled packs and eager to see that type of environmental technology work its way into technical backcountry backpacks. Well, the folks at Backpacker are thinking along the same green lines. Last week the magazine announced a contest for pack designers to create a mid-size (3,500 cubic inches or larger) backpack whose materials and manufacturing process have minimal environmental impact and that makes no performance compromises.
Backpacker will tell readers more about its Zero Impact Challenge in their September issue. After field-testing the pack prototypes, Backpacker will announce the contest winners next year.
Recycled Packs: First for Work, Next for Play
As a backcountry site we’re focused on getting you geared up for your outdoor adventures, not your daily commute. So we don’t cover the multitude of lifestyle “gear” put out by outdoor companies. But, there’s always an exception, and this time it’s Osprey’s ReSource Series, four daypacks and two courier bags made almost entirely from recycled materials (70 percent by content, 80 percent by weight).
The ReSource Series, available for fall, is exciting in its own right. But it’s even more significant for its implications to technical backpack design. Sure, you can already find a non-technical tote or book bag made with recycled fabric. But having Osprey, a leading backpack manufacturer, design functional, good-looking, quality, recycled daypacks (without a price premium) is a giant step toward more environmental pack offerings all around.
I’m eager to see how Osprey and other pack manufacturers work recycled components into their more technical backpacks (Mountainsmith now makes Day (Recycled) and Tour (Recycled) lumbar bags). And they will.
Gareth Martins, Osprey’s PR manager, told me, “ultimately we want to evolve the concept into our entire line.” Based on the positive energy around the ReSource Series’ debut at last month’s Outdoor Retailer trade show, I expect that’ll start happening soon. I'm now eagerly awaiting the first recycled internal frame pack.
Trailspace’s First 1% For The Planet
Last August when we joined 1% For The Planet, an alliance of companies that each donate at least one percent of their annual sales to environmental organizations, we promised to update you on what organizations Trailspace supported.
Well, we just finished our 2006 1% FTP donations and I’m excited to report where our first year’s contributions went. We selected a range of international, national, regional, and local organizations working toward protecting and enhancing the wild lands and natural world we all enjoy.
In 2006, Trailspace supported:
Leave No Trace, an international nonprofit dedicated to promoting and inspiring responsible outdoor recreation through education, research, and partnerships
Clean Air-Cool Planet, the Northeast region’s leading organization dedicated to finding and promoting solutions to global warming
The Mountain Institute, an international nonprofit dedicated to conservation, community development, and cultural preservation in the Andes, Appalachian, Himalayan, and other mountain ranges of the world
The National Parks Conservation Alliance, which aims to protect and enhance America’s National Park System for present and future generations
The Maine Appalachian Trail Club, a volunteer nonprofit that manages 267 miles of the Appalachian Trail in Maine, and its facilities and corridor
Our local land trust, the Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance, dedicated to conserving the lands, water quality, and natural heritage of the Belgrade Lakes region in Maine
The Watertown (Conn.) Land Trust (located in my childhood hometown), working to save 41 acres of working farmland and a half mile of river frontage from development
We want to support causes important to the Trailspace backcountry community. Do you have a favorite environmental organization? Please tell us about it and we'll consider it for our 2007 1% For The Planet contributions.
A Lesson on Wicking
I know the importance of wearing clothes that wick when exercising outside, especially on cold, windy, winter days. Or at least I thought I did.
Yesterday I went outside for my run. The temperature here in Maine was in the single digits and winds averaged 6 mph, but reached into the 20-mph range. It was brisk, but I was covered head to toe in synthetic clothes (from my hat, gloves, baselayer top, wind shirt, and tights, down to my underwear). Once I warmed up and my route took me out of the wind I had no worries about the cold. After all, I thought, I was dressed for the weather, in full wicking mode. There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing, right?
Yes, I was dressed properly, but I forgot about that heart rate monitor strap I wore. Baselayers can’t wick sweat from skin they can’t touch, and the front of the strap trapped my sweat against my skin for five cold miles. Since that spot of skin isn’t overly sensitive to begin with, I didn’t notice the numbness as I ran. I did notice the pain when I stepped into a hot shower later though.
I now have a small, red, blistered patch of skin on the middle of my torso—mild frostbite. Next time it’s so cold I’ll leave the heart rate monitor at home.
The one positive is that I can literally see how well wicking layers do work, when worn properly.
Change Your Mind, Recycle Your Underwear...
Need a good laugh? Check out the "Mission Recycle" video on Patagonia’s web site, which follows Agent Timmy (aka Patagonia climbing ambassador Timmy O'Neill) as he tries to solve the Global Underwear Crisis from the streets of Tokyo. Patagonia debuted "Mission Recycle" (with Timmy in full costume) on Sunday at a press conference announcing the expansion of their Common Threads Garment Recycling Program.
Yes, "Mission Recycle" is a publicity video, but it's a really funny publicity video about a worthwhile effort. The video is a riot. Thanks to Patagonia you may find yourself singing “change your mind, recycle your underwear, changing times, underwear is everywhere...” Just like Agent Timmy.
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