Gear-o-rama

By Chris Kalous

The New York Times recently noted the “old-school environmentalism” attitude of self-abnegation never was, and most likely, never will be fashionable (nor is it a viable business model for vendors). So, instead, we have the new green companies rolling out campaigns and making changes to convince us that their products, at the very least, are not as bad as the other guy’s when it comes to the environment. Still, I am skeptical that things like organic ink are going to save the world. Yet, baby-steps are better than no steps. So from now on, I will spend a little time scrutinizing the lofty green claims of the products I review and encourage you also to investigate before you buy. After all, driving market change can only be done by we, the people.

 

Marmot Midweight Crew LS ($45)

Marmot Midweight Bottom ($45)

Both utilize Polartec PowerDry fabric with Cocona

Here’s the buzz on Cocona fabric: warm, light, dries quickly, stops UV and maybe most importantly, doesn’t hold stink like normal polypro — all because it is made with coconut husks. Now before you envision sad monkeys staring at the dead hulks of palms on the beach, know that according to TrapTek, the originator of Cocona fabrics, they use recycled coconut husks from the food industry. And while the coconut is the key ingredient, the fabrics with Cocona technology are still primarily made out of other fibers like cotton or polypro. This, of course, raises the next green question, “Well, where do those materials come from?” The ground, baby, the ground.

Anyway, seeing as how it is in the 90s right now in Colorado, and MG is not sending me to ski in South America any time soon, I had to devise a method to test the claims of Marmot’s “baselayer” while maintaining my current day-job (notice that companies no longer refer to this stuff as underwear, because apparently, we are all four years old and can’t handle it without giggling). I decided to paint houses in the heat while wearing my Marmot top underneath a long-sleeved cotton shirt for 10 days without washing either garment. I also made my attention-starved roommate sniff the shirt so as to have an independent opinion because, according to me, I never stink. The results of the doubly-brutal experiment? Well, the shirt kept me really, really warm. Despite me sweating profusely, the fabric definitely wicked with the best. The UV protection was too little too late as I was already raisonized by the sun back in June. And the stink? The shirt was understandably malodorous by week’s end, not only with sweat, but paint fumes, too. However, after a washing it with unscented biodegradable detergent, the fabric truly smelled like nothing but air. I was a little bummed it didn’t smell like coconuts, actually.

Really, warm undies like these from Marmot are something I want to put on and forget about. Without the old smells to remind me of where I have been, I can focus on where I am going, instead. I can already hear myself chanting “put the lime in the coconut … ” as I hike up Highlands Bowl this November. www.marmot.com (Check out the Planet link for environmental policy.)

 

Sole Ed Viesturs Signature Edition
Footbeds $49.95

I can almost guarantee that Ed Viesturs’ feet are not as screwed-up as mine, even with all those 8,000-meter peaks under his harness. In addition to being flatter than Madonna’s abs, my lower paws have been tortured in climbing shoes for 18 years, broken in several places, and one piggy, which an ex gleefully referred to as the “icky-toe”, is missing a tendon altogether. Gross, huh? The point is that I take footbeds seriously, very seriously.

Sole footbeds have the distinction of being moldable at home to customize their fit to your foot. The molding process is super-easy, like making a hot-pocket then stepping on it. Simply heat the footbed, insert it in your shoe, and walk around. Footbeds from Sole have served me well in the past and the Ed’s personal touch seems to be working this time, too. This model has more cushion than their standard model and a top sheet that helps reduce odor. The footbed is thick and cushiony and fits perfectly. What’s not to love? My only beef with my older Sole models is that they seem to break down and flatten a little more quickly than some non-moldable inserts I have tried. So far the Viesturs footbeds are holding up well after two months at work and play, however. And sure enough, they don’t stink. (They go perfectly with my non-stink Marmot midweights!)

Sole offers a 90-day money-back guarantee. Also, they spend two pages of their smart little recycled product guide explaining how they are reducing impact on packaging with renewable materials. www.yoursole.com

Brunton SolarRoll 9 Flexible Solar Panel ($349)

Brunton Solaris 12 Foldable Solar Panel ($299)

Despite the arguments of the more ludditious among us, electronic gadgets from iPods to laptops are following us deeper into the wilds. There are compelling reasons for this, like the very real value of cell phones in many emergency situations. Also, researchers and adventurers based in remote areas often have need of laptops and satellite phones. And after a few days out, some tunes sure do help drown out the increasingly shrill voice of your partner.

Brunton has replaced the Professor’s coconut bicycle with several light and durable solar arrays to provide watts in the wilds for our gadgets. Last spring, my team used the SolarRoll 9 during a climbing expedition to Jordan primarily to charge video and still-camera batteries. Also, I have been recently experimenting with the Solaris 12 foldable panel. Both panels perform exactly as promised, providing charging power to small-to-medium-sized appliances. All of Brunton’s solar rigs can be enchained to give more and more juice for various applications. The trick, in many cases, is getting the power to the devices. Of the five things I might want charged on an expedition, the multi-plug that came with the Solaris 12 fit only my laptop (which it ran easily). An iPod accessory is sold separately, but that still left my speakers, camera battery and phone incompatible. In Jordan, most of our chargers were AC powered, which forced us to run a rig that included a car battery and inverter to juice the chargers. But adding another panel would have probably run the inverter just fine without the car battery as a reservoir. The moral is to do some research on your power needs and what combo will do the trick. Still, if electricity is necessary, even three or more SolarRolls and a battery/inverter setup beats a gas generator when you combine price and convenience. (FYI: This is Brunton’s one green assertion I found after a glance at their website: “environmentally friendly power.”)

Car-camping may be the place these panels would shine for the average user. With the Solaris 12, I charged a completely dead battery enough to start my truck in about six hours with direct sun. Using Brunton’s portable power in conjunction with a car or RV’s power system certainly could sustain the beach party in Baja — complete with booze in the blender.
www.brunton.com