We all know that “green gear” is a huge trend, but consumer demand can lead to “greenwashing,” where companies slap a tree on their packaging, mention something “eco,” and call it good. However at Outdoor Retailer earlier this month, I was pleased to find a number of gear companies that are sincerely working toward making their products “less bad.”

Recycled sleeping bags were a big thing:

Big Agnes Skinny Fish 20°

Big Agnes’s Skinny Fish 20° and Ripple Creek 35° rectangular sleeping bags topped the recycled content bags at 99 percent (the zippers aren't recycled). They're made with Climashield HL Green 100% recycled content insulation, 100% recycled rip-stop nylon shell and liner fabric, and drawstring cords and stuff sacks derived from recycled content. (Skinny Fish: 4 lbs, $179.95; Ripple Creek: 3 lbs 8 oz, $159.95).

Also as part of its Re-Routt Collection, Big Agnes’s new Diversion Air Core pads will feature 100 percent recycled shell fabric, Climashield HL Green insulation, and a recycled aluminum valve (20" x 72" x 2.5", 27 oz, $89.95). And Big Agnes is changing its Crystal 30°, Nugget 45°, and Lost Dog 50° bags and its Air Core sleeping pads over to PrimaLoft Eco synthetic insulation, a 50/50 blend of traditional PrimaLoft fibers and recycled fibers.

Marmot EcoPro 15°

Marmot is introducing a line of EcoPro sleeping bags that use EcoPro UpCycled insulation: 80% recycled insulation and 100% UpCycle PET Polyester shell fabric (both made from recycled soda bottles). The EcoPro sleeping bags are available in men’s 15- and 40-degree models, and men’s and women’s 30-degree models (EcoPro 15°: 3 lbs / 1360 grams, $165).

And as we mentioned earlier in our OR coverage, Sierra Designs' men’s Verde 20 (3 lbs 2 oz, $179) and women’s Déjà Vu 20 (2 lbs 13 oz, $179) are SD's greenest bags (“90 percent sustainable,” says Sierra Designs). The bags feature EcoSensor shells (from recycled polyester textiles and PET bottles), Climashield Green insulation (100% recycled), and Cocona linings (a mix of recycled polyester and Cocona yarn).

Sierra Designs Deja Vu 20°

Also part of Sierra Designs' Green Effect Program the men’s Nahche 0 (4 lbs 1 oz, $269) and women’s Winema 0 (3 lbs 12 oz, $269), have Cocona linings, EcoSensor shells, and PrimaLoft Eco recycled fill. The men’s Lazer 30 (2 lbs 2 oz, $199) and women’s Flare 30 (1 lbs 15 oz, $199) also use PrimaLoft Eco fill.