From Guest Blogger Matt J: Green Traveling and Portable Shelters
Getting involved in survival portends a significant amount of research and learning. It is an entirely new world that includes tools, equipment, and skills that up to that point you would never think about. Survival in nature often requires alienation from our lifestyle habits and stepping out of our comfort zone. However, if you are an environment enthusiast and practice the sustainable way of living, you can continue your practices while surviving in nature too.
Development of the green technology brought notable changes and advancement in the camping and survival industry as well. Tools, shelters, and equipment are reinforced with green properties without compromisation of their quality and practicality. Minor transformations when it comes to materials, design, and ingredients can cause a tremendous change in our footprint.
Getting there
If you have a particular destination away from home, you want to explore then choose your mean of transport wisely if legs are not an option. Greenest type of transportation depends on a wide variety of factors from the number of travelers to the kind of fuel. The crucial factor, in your case, may be the distance from your destination. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists report, in general, the least environmental damage is done by traveling by motor coaches. This goes for all scenarios; solo traveling, couple traveling or family tours. Their carbon footprint of half a pound per mile classifies them as the greenest mode of transportation. They are followed by trains and hybrid cars while SUVs and first class flights are rated as the complete opposite- most polluting options.
Green camping gear
Once you arrive at your destination, you inevitably begin leaving an environmental footprint. Influence of your existence in the middle of nature will depend on the equipment you use. Conventional survival gear can take a significant toll on the environment; insects repellents directly poison the Earth, protective clothes and sleeping bags use synthetic fabrics and food containers are made of BPA (bisphenol A) plastic. Luckily, an increasing number of companies are using toxin-free, natural materials and ingredients to provide nature enthusiasts with high-quality green solutions.
Storing equipment
Surviving in nature is impossible without the right tools which are numerous. Therefore, you must have appropriate storing equipment. Eco-friendly storage doesn’t lack solidity nor is it impractical, on the contrary, many design improvements allow smart space division and storing various tools.
Backpacks are a holy grail products for all survivors since they keep all necessities in one place. There are countless backpacks that combine comfort, functionality and green factor by using non-toxic materials.
For example, The Mountainsmith Maverick is made of recycled plastic bottles and fabric which makes it completely sustainable. At the same time, it provides survivors with 100 percent functionality with a hydration system, waterproof map area and internal frame and ice axe loop.
Similar to Maverick is EcoGear’s Waterdog Hydration pack that is made from an rPET material (recycled plastic content) with 2-liter water compartments. From a pragmatical perspective, these backpacks provide the same or higher functionality in comparison to conventional backpacks. But from the environmental view, there is an enormous difference.
Water storing is one of the most important aspects of surviving in the wilderness. Most of water storing bottles contain toxic BPA that, in significant amounts, has a negative impact both on our health and the environment.
There are alternative solutions for storing water, which eliminate a toxic component, such as the Sip ‘N Go water bottles. Although they are of smaller capacity, these bottles are BPA-free, fit into your pockets and are foldable. The market is also filled with collapsible water bags with the capacity of up to 5 liters that guarantee you won’t be thirsty nor will pollute the nature.
For storing dry snacks use paper food containers that are extremely lightweight and easily fit into a more robust container. You can choose from a wide range of sustainable food zipper and gallon bags or other compostable wraps that are firm but biodegradable.
Clothes
Wilderness brings many conditions that we are otherwise protected from in the comfort of our homes. However, out in nature we only have our thick skin and wisely chosen clothes. Clothing industry, in general, is highly intertwined with the environment. Disastrous impact of pesticides used for fabrics, artificial toxic materials and fuel used in transportation is often neglected.
Eco-friendly survival clothing choice is much more narrow than, for example, sustainable storing options. Companies such as Paramo and VauDe offer outdoor protective clothing made from recycled polyester or other materials.
Paramo, for example, has a broad range of climbing, walking, hiking or expedition clothes with appropriate properties for each activity. Therefore, you are able to pick what you need; choose insulating jackets for cold areas or windproof trousers for high-speed wind destinations.
Although the choice is narrow, there are still valuable alternatives to expensive products that come from unethical corporations.
Body care products
Permanent resident of uninhabited areas, insects, can cause serious injuries. Spending time in nature requires proper skin protection in the form of repellents. However, most of the traditional repellents contain DEET (diethyltoluamide) – an active ingredient that is related to several seizures among humans and toxication of fish in water.
DEET shouldn’t be used for many days in a row, so it is better to avoid it all together especially considering there are countless eco-friendly and toxin-free options. For instance, lemon eucalyptus oil is an efficient and, most importantly, entirely natural insects repellent that comes in a variety of other forms. Druide, a green company, has a full eco-friendly body products line that comes in recycled and reusable packaging.
Environmentally acceptable lotions, hand sanitizers, and tissues are more accessible than ever. They also come in packaging convenient and practical for people spending time in the wilderness. Following the green movement, many brands completely converted to sustainable way of production or at least came up with a green, eco line of their products.
Portable green tools
Sometimes your survival will depend on your luck, but other times it will purely be determined by your preparation. The industry developed innovative solutions that allow people to spend time in nature in a comfortable manner. These tools have to be lightweight, simple to use and efficient while various companies are manufacturing them in an environmentally responsible way.
Sleeping bags
Quality rest is highly related to quality sleeping bag that will provide support and comfort. Majority of sleeping bags, unfortunately, are made of synthetic fabrics that often lack convenience and don’t work well with body temperature.
Sierra Designs offers a Nanche sleeping bag that combines functionality and sustainable performance due to production technology. Thanks to recycled polyester fibers this sleeping bag is breathable, protects from UV rays and is lightweight.
It also has a storage bag included for maximum convenience. Sierra Designs is unique for its use of Cocona fibers that derive from recycled coconut shells. The bag is reinforced with internal pockets for small electronics, so they would be close to you and wouldn’t freeze.
It is one of many companies that produce green sleeping bags of high quality recycled, natural materials and don’t compromise efficient design.
Solar lights
Going on an expedition without a proper light is a risky choice. It is a crucial piece of equipment so you should pay special attention to the lamp you choose. Solar power is taking everything by the storm and camping gear isn’t left out.
LED lights and solar panels are practical enough to fit in our backpacks and offer supreme illumination. Solar power doesn’t leave you when you need it most because there is no conventional charging and plugging into a grid. This makes solar lights a valuable and functional piece of tool and takes an additional worry off your shoulders.
For instance, Waka Waka company offers mini LEED lights that provide survivors with up to 40 hours of lighting per one day charge. It has various settings that allow it to be highly efficient- for example; it automatically switches to 30 percent of light after approximately 30 seconds.
Another renowned company specialized in solar lighting, LuminAID, presented their LuminAID PackLite 16 that features four settings, runs 30 hours per one charge and has overwhelming two years of storage life. Except for high-performance qualities, LuminAid is environmentally sensitive – it leaves zero carbon footprint and completely excludes PVC.
Stoves
Survival changed quite a bit with a rapid development of technology; therefore, wilderness food standards evolved too. Lightweight, portable stoves allow us to consume properly cooked food in the middle of nowhere. Many portable stoves use gas and require propane supplies in order to work, however, green technology experts came up with an eco-friendly version of this tool.
Sustainable stoves use various types of biomass, so, instead of utilizing toxic petroleum to burn they use branches, sticks, and twigs. Low smoke technology stops mischevious vapors from infiltrating the environment. In addition to that, eco-friendly stoves typically have a sturdy shield that prevents potential natural disaster.
Chargers
Although there is a minimal chance of signal appearing in the woods, having a charger and your phone is recommended. There are countless helpful apps such as MAPS.ME or simply compass that works offline and could be crucial in unexpected situations.
Phones became our all-time companions, and that wouldn’t be possible without portable chargers. A new wave of eco-friendly charging devices landed the market offering incredible performance while fitting into a pocket. Sunlight becomes the primary source of power so you can eliminate the possibility of getting lost on your expedition.
Prices, of course, vary depending on the size, powering properties, running time and design of the charger. Although solar chargers can be a significant financial investment in comparison to regular chargers, they guarantee your safety at all occasions.
Water filters
Sudden situations may put you in the position with no safe drinking water available. In such times, panicking is not an option either. Be prepared for your journey and invest in one of many water purifying methods.
How you choose to clean water is up to you but most often and convenient practice is using portable water filters.
Water filters allow you to consume water immediately which is highly appreciated when it comes to surviving. Decades ago water filters were heavy and expensive, but today they are the most compact, cost-effective option for purifying water. They work on squeezing or pumping principles in which you infuse water in the filter and then squeeze it out. Inside the filter, the water goes through physical and chemical filtration. Physical filtration removes pieces of solid impurities while chemical filtration uses an active ingredient that chemically dissolves impurities.
Portable shelters
Nowadays, there is an overwhelming amount of shelters available on the market. For someone who just got into survival skills, camping and spending time in nature it can be profoundly challenging and confusing to choose a shelter.
There are numerous non-portable green shelters that you can easily build as your permanent home in the middle of woods. However, emergency situations on short-term journeys require great simplicity in the form of efficient portable shelters- tents. The sustainable industry doesn’t lack the ideas when it comes to lightweight, portable huts and there is also an option of buying a mobile house.
Natural and organic tent fabrics
Most environmentally adequate shelters are tents made of biological and natural fabrics. Their impact on the environment is minimal in comparison to synthetically made tents, and they leave almost no footprint behind.
Conventional natural materials used for manufacturing organic tents are wool, cotton or hemp.
Artificially made materials have lower insulating qualities which are crucial in emergency situations. Cotton, for example, protects the body from outside extreme heat or cold which is a fundamental aspect of comfort and safety in a tent. Compared to human-made materials, cotton, hemp, and wool are more breathable and UV resistant which makes tents more durable.
Unfortunately, although hemp fibers, for example, swell when wet and make tent watertight, tents of organic materials mostly have to be additionally waterproofed. They also require a significant sum of money but offer more comfort for dry areas camping.
Recycled and recyclable materials tents
However, consumers are still widely attracted to synthetic tents and products in general. From an objective point of view, synthetic tents do, indeed, provide better protection from wet weather conditions and are usually more lightweight than natural shelters. Still, sustainable manufacturers found the way to combine the tensile strength of synthetic shelters and environmental sensitivity of naturally made tents.
An alternative to both are tents made of recycled and recyclable synthetic materials. Example of such tent is Big Agnes’s Salt Creek Tent 2 that got numerous positive reviews. Tents as such are made using recycled polyester and waterproofed with a solvent-free coating. They effectively protect from insects, hold a stable temperature inside the tent and eliminate the use of toxic dyes.
