Posts Tagged ecogear
An Alternative to Travel Silverware: Chopsticks!
I like the idea of portable silverware and sporks for long-term travel. You are helping the environment when throw-away utensils are the alternative. You know who washed what you’re eating with. You can avoid eating with your hands in places where washing up afterwards isn’t easy: like on an Indian train.
If you’re traveling through Asia though, carrying these might make the most sense: portable chopsticks from Grand Trunk Goods. Besides instantly making you look like a seasoned traveler, these utensils hardly take up any room.
These chopstick are in two pieces so they can pack up tighter and won’t get broken. The top part is stainless steel and the bottom is a durable hardwood with a screw mechanism at the top. (Grand Trunk’s description says Ebony, Amazon’s says Rosewood, but whatever…) You screw the parts together and have some very fancy-looking chopsticks at hand for your noodles or rice and veggies. These chopsticks feel as strong as Dumbledore’s wand, but only weigh an ounce.
Put together, each chopstick is 8.5 inches, but packed up is only about a finger and a half length. The pieces pack into a handy little nylon pouch with a Velcro closure. There’s a caribiner clasp too for hooking it onto the outside of your bag or the clip inside your bag so they’ll be easy to find.
There’s nothing complicated about these, which is the whole appeal of chopsticks themselves: simple items that help you eat like a civilized person. They can also help you avoid getting sick—or polluting the place where you traveled to in order to appreciate its beauty.
See more and buy them at the Grand Trunk Goods site, check your local retailer, or order your travel chopsticks from Amazon for about 15 bucks—a deal!
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Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on September 7th, 2011
No trees were harmed in the making of this toilet tissue
It’s camping season and if you’re a backcountry camper, that means at some point you’re going to do your business in the woods. You can do it without requiring the chopping down of any of those forests you’re escaping to with this Zero Trees tissue from EarthSmart.
Usually we try things out a lot before writing about them on this travel gear blog, but I must confess I haven’t needed to go #2 in the woods anytime yet this year. I saw this company’s products on display at the Outdoor Retailer show this past January though and was intrigued by the idea. I felt the tissue and rubbed it against my face, so that will have to do in terms of a test. It feels as soft as any decent non-treated tissue you would buy for your house.
This tissue is made from plant fibers, specifically a byproduct from sugar cane production, fibers that are normally considered useless for anything besides compost. Sugar cane is a fast-growing, renewable plant, so nothing that took 20 years to grow is going into this paper. It also dissolves and biodegrades faster than wood-based paper, so you can bury it in the ground or flush it with no worries in places with a septic tank.
This handy travel packet pictured at the top is a great product for travel and it retails for $1.99. (If you’ve traveled much in developing countries, you know that there have been times you would have gladly paid twice this when you’ve found yourself in a bathroom with no toilet paper!) It has the equivalent of 250 sheets, but can easily fit into a purse, day pack, or a pocket of convertible cargo pants.
If you’re heading out with a tent for a long trip though, or are just the green living type, ZeroTrees toilet paper comes in regular rolls and 4-packs as well. This 2-ply TP is fragrance-free and dye-free, so besides the environmental attributes it’s also good for those with sensitive skin or allergies.
This eco-friendly travel product is just getting out into the marketplace at retail, but it should be easier to find as time goes on. Right now you can get it at Sports Chalet, where they have the travel pack and the regular roll (for $1.99 also). See more about Zero Trees paper and other products at EarthSmartllc.com.
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Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear on June 29th, 2011
Eco-friendly Chicobag Duffel Bag That Stuffs into a Pouch
Chicobags are great for their compacting ability, strength, and eco-friendly cred, but now you can use one to haul your souvenirs home as well.
You know how I keep harping on everyone to stop drinking bottled water and use a SteriPen where you can’t trust the water or a Camelbak Groove bottle when you can? If you buy a Chicobag made from rePETe material, you’re really getting a Mother Earth karma recharge on top: the whole bag in total is made from 86% recycled materials—mostly recycled PET plastic. (That’s the stuff that’s jamming our landfills and creating floating garbage heaps the size of Texas in our oceans.) The buckles are even made of recycled nylon.
Even if you are the type that drives a Hummer and keeps your McMansion at 65 degrees in the summer though, these bags are just cool. The picture at the top is a Chicobag Duffel when it’s in use, functioning like a normal bag with a shoulder strap and a zipper. When you’re not using it though, it folds into its own cute little pouch, like the one here at the right.
The ripstop fabric is durable and light, but the full size duffel stuffs down to a 6.7″ x 7.5″ pouch weighing less than 10 ounces. Inside there are three internal mesh compartments for holding smaller items. If you don’t want to use the shoulder strap, there are handles as well.
A bag like this is ideal for traveling to a place where you know you’re going to bring back more than you left with, either from souvenir shopping or from attending a trade show where you’ll get loaded down with schwag and samples. Or when grandma decides to load up your kid with new presents. It can stuff into a small corner or pocket of your bag on the way, but can hold 26 liters of goods on the way back. It’s under the limit as a carry-on for pretty much any airline.
Although it stuffs down small, this feels like a well-made bag. The bottom is made of a heavier material than the sides, it’s got two good zippers that are not grabby, and the shoulder strap has well-designed swiveling buckles at the ends.
The Chicobag Duffel comes in five colors and has a list price of 40 bucks. You can buy it direct from Chicobag.com or at Amazon, where you can find other smaller bags they make as well.
Related review: Stuff Sack Items from Chicobag
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Kids and Family on April 20th, 2011
Ecogear’s Black Tiger II Laptop Bag
We all want to do our part for the environment…don’t we? So we recycle, conserve energy, maybe even walk rather than drive to work. But, did you realize that your travel gear could do its own part? Enter Ecogear.
This company has done a tremendous job of introducing its own line of eco-friendly gear made with sustainable, toxic-free dyes that have a harm-free coating.
I tested the Tiger II laptop carrying bag and have taken it on more than two dozen trips in the past year. That’s just how versatile, light weight, and convenient it is.
My absolute favorite feature is the large pocket on the front flap, greatt for storing keys, a passport, pen, boarding pass, and loose change. Inside is a padded section for a laptop with a front compartment for cords and chargers. Two other large file, zip-top pockets are perfect for magazines, toiletries, and other items. The thick coating of the fabric keeps moisture out (ideal for when I am traipsing the city streets in the rain).
It’s a cinch to strap to the top of a rollaboard bag by tying the strap around the handle. Security is a breeze since I can whip out my laptop and toiletries from the same place while securing other things like my iPhone in the front pocket. On the other side of the nude-o-scope, I am on my way without wondering what I may have left behind if I am in a hurry.
Back to the environmental part. This durable bag is created from organic cotton, recycled bottles and nontoxic materials. It is PVC-free; polyvinyl chloride releases toxins when disposed. Ecogear was founded by entrepreneur Jimmy Chen who got his inspiration after spending a beach vacation with his kids and realized the importance of preserving our planet for future generations.
His company soon took flight and now sells its products online at Ecogear-Products.com. A variety of eye-catching colors and textures makes these items perfect for both the design-conscious and eco-conscious.
The black Tiger II bag sells for $69 on the Ecogear’s site and Amazon.com. It is more affordable than similar bags. During my travels, I often amass more than I realize, but this bag doesn’t fight back. It stretches to take my travel accessories thanks to an expandable strap in the front that keeps everything secured.
The company’s motto, “saving the world one bag at a time,” is catchy enough to make me buy these bags for all of my friends. And the affordable price helps too. Recycling has never looked so good!
Check Ecogear Tiger prices at eBags and Amazon.
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Posted by Ramsey in Business Gear, Travel Light on March 7th, 2011
Stanley Eco-friendly eCycle Mugs
I mentioned that there was a sea of water bottles when I attended the Outdoor Retailers show earlier this year and more than a few coffee mugs in the mix as well. One brand really got my attention though—Stanley—because they were trading attendees a new bottle or mug if they brought in an old one to be recycled.
So I turned in my battered and bruised Sigg water bottle and got this cool Nineteen13 Stanley Mug, which has since hosted many pots of coffee. I feel good about using this because it’s made from the company’s eCycle plastic, which is composed of 25% post-consumer plastic (and 100% recycled plastic overall). And, should it ever wear out on you, it’s a simple #5 plastic that can go back into the recycling bin in many cities—including in my last home state of Tennessee, which is not exactly known as the most progressive place on Earth. If you’re not sure where you can recycle plastic in your own town, follow this eCycle link at the Stanley site.
This hits all the right marks on the performance checklist too though. It’s got double-walled insulation, a leak-proof drink-through lid, and it’s BPA-free. There’s no metallic taste though and it doesn’t stain. Perhaps the best part is the price: it retails for 12 bucks.
The Nineteen13 name, applied to a line that includes some stainless steel water bottles and mugs, comes from the year when William Stanley invented the all-steel vacuum bottle. Since we’re close to the 100 year mark, you can assume the Stanley company knows what it’s doing and you’ve probably used one of their vacuum mugs or Alladin thermos products before. I’ve had a few, dating back to when I was a kid, and one or two are still in a cabinet at my mom’s house somewhere, still in use. Their slogan is “Built for Life” after all.
This 16-ounce mug comes in three colors. It fits in most cup holders in cars and even in a bike water bottle holder if you’re the type that packs a cup of Joe for a morning bicycle commute.
Get the Stanley Nineteen13 Recycled and Recyclable Mug at REI
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear on October 28th, 2010
