Review: REI Traverse 30 Women's Backpack

My goal this summer was to hike my first 14er, which I did, and will post about ASAP! In order to do this, I knew I needed the proper gear, and thus my backpack search began. My beloved Camelbak M.U.L.E. NV just wasn't going to do the job, I needed more volume to hold those 10+ essential items. I compared and read reviews online from multiple sources, and then went and tried on 5 different packs loaded with weights.

I chose the REI Traverse 30 Women's Backpack.

I chose this pack for a number of reasons, mainly because I like how streamlined it is, while still having plenty of pockets - 1 main compartment, 4 organizational pockets, and one small pocket on the hip belt.  There are also mesh pockets on either side to carry water bottles or snacks, and an internal sleeve to hold a 3.0L reservoir. The major bonuses for me with this pack are 1) the hidden rain cover which many of the competitors I looked at did not have, and 2) it appeals to the green nerd in me... this pack is made of 100% recycled PET polyester fabric. Which means this pack keeps 24 16-oz. plastic bottles out of landfills. :)

This pack lived up to it's hype. It easily held the essentials, with room to spare for additional items that would be necessary for longer hikes. On Saturday, we hiked ~5.5 hours and the pack was comfortable. I really liked having the easily accessible side pockets for my water bottle of Pure Fitness and snacks, and the hip belt pocket that perfectly held my chapstick, camera, and tissues.

The only downside I could find for this pack is that there isn't a small organizational pocket inside to hold things like my ID, search & rescue card, and cash (in case I need to pay-off a bear?). I'm concerned that it's too easy for this type stuff to fall out, or get accidentally pulled out of the existing pockets. However, this isn't such a big deal as I've figured out a work around. I plan to get, or find in my closet somewhere, a change purse type thing to hold such items and attach it to a hook in the main compartment. Problem solved.

Another plus with purchasing this pack through REI is if for whatever reason this pack doesn't hold up, I can return it to REI no questions asked.

Here's a list of the other major competitors (for me):

• CamelBak Fourteener Hydration Pack - Couldn't find it to try it!
• REI Venturi 30 - Women's - The large pockets on each side of the hip belt hit my arms as I walked, which drove me bonkers.
• Gregory Jade 30 Pack - Women's - Couldn't get past the ugly color...

I really thought I was going to get the CamelBak Fourteener (in the yellow/charcoal color)... but REI was sold out in the store, and after calling around and not finding it anywhere in order to try it out with weights - I decided to go with the Traverse. I still want it. I mean, it's called the Fourteener! Bad, I know...

I might have to start collecting packs like I collect Coach purses. :D

Here's my collection so far, aren't they purty?

Where is your milk from?

One of the many, many great things about our move, (besides moving to the great state of Colorado!) is that we live close to a Whole Foods now. This could be dangerous...

My hubby and I make an effort to avoid buying foods that are overly packaged, and when available choose glass over plastic. BTW, do you know how hard it is to find ketchup in a glass container?! It's hard, and I bet you can't find it in your local grocery store... we finally did at Whole Foods. So, you can imagine how psyched we were to also find milk in returnable glass jugs from a local dairy - Morning Fresh Dairy Farm. Their products are 100% all natural, and they are in the process of becoming certified organic. They have everything from skim milk to whipping cream, including chocolate milk (from brown chocolate cows of course), seasonal eggnog (sooo yummy), and other dairy products. We tried our first 1/2 gallon last week and it was great. So today I traded in our empty/rinsed glass jug for another, and also picked up a quart of eggnog for my man. We expected it to be expensive (um hello, it comes from Whole Foods) but no, it's only $2.49 for a 1/2 gallon plus a $1.50 refundable deposit for a total price of $3.99! When you return the glass, you get the deposit back. It's not only cheaper than other organic brands of milk, it supports the local community, has a smaller carbon footprint, and I don't have cartons of milk to curb recycle every week. Oh, and did I mention that it tastes better?! I just wish we were on their delivery route...

So anyway, check out your local grocery (it's worth a try), or local farmers market and see if you can find a local dairy! But do your research first, not all are created equal.

*sigh*

OK, off my soap box now.

That's not Tang...

This video, which had me crying laughing is about NASA's Water Recovery System on-board the International Space Station that turns urine into drinking water... There is some bad language so consider yourself warned!

That's Not Tang - watch more funny videos

It is very "green" to recycle sweat and urine into drinking water! It is also very economical for NASA considering it costs thousands of dollars to ship a pint of water to the ISS. You can read more about this on NASA's website.

Ready to Compost

Today I assembled our new compost bin which is made of 100% post-consumer plastic (and is also recyclable). Now I just need to start it with a layer of yard waste... but it's pretty much open for business, I can't wait to have some nice moist compost for our garden beds. Not to mention that this will cut our curbside trash in half!

This can be checked off my Sustainable Kitchen Project list :).

Ranking of the 3Rs

I thought this cartoon was worth sharing here... The 3 Rs are ranked by order of importance Reduce in first place, Reuse in second, and Recycle in third.

It arrived!

Out with the Household Toxins

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) held a collection for the past 2 weeks for Household Hazardous Wastes right down the road from me, and I took advantage! A few months ago I collected all my cleansers that were deemed household toxins (aka not Earth and people friendly) and boxed them up so I could hike them across town to recycle. I hung on to the boxes for a little while so we could be sure that we weren't going to need them, or change our minds... the last thing I want to do is buy more chemicals! Thanks to the EPA, I only had to drive 3 minutes down the road and they even took the boxes out of the car for me! I dropped off 3 small-medium sized boxes of cleansers, a few petroleum based candles, and a couple of batteries. Feels good to have all those toxins out of our home, not to mention all the cabinet space I've gained!

If you have Hazardous Household Waste (batteries, paint, tires, cleansers, pesticides, etc.) - PLEASE act responsibly and dispose your HHW properly! Improperly disposed HHW can contaminate septic tanks or wastewater treatment systems if poured down drains or toilets, and these in the end lead to our oceans! Not sure where to recycle/dispose your HHW? Go to Recycling Hotline: Earth 911 and simply type in your zip code and what you'd like to recycle - from plastic to household cleaners to mattresses. This hotline helps you locate recycling centers in your community.

Here's an interesting article on Forbes.com: Hidden Household Toxins

GREEN Holiday Cards

Last night I bought Christmas cards. That's right, it's October 25th and I already have Christmas cards... ME who usually buys them a week before Christmas and may or may not actually get them in the mail in time! I was shopping with a friend and she needed to pick up a few Birthday cards at the Hallmark store, so I went in with her and behind where she was looking was shelves of holiday cards... and then I see a couple of shelves labeled GREEN eco-friendly cards (or something like that I don't quite remember). Well of course that peeked my interest so I took a closer look. They have a whole line of boxed GREEN holiday cards - and cute ones too for a great price! I'm disappointed to say that I could not find these on the Hallmark website to post a link to them here. Such a shame... well, here's what is printed on the package:

These cards are made from 50% sugarcane by-products and 50% recycled paper, so no new trees were cut down to make them. They are also recyclable. Happy Holidays to the planet and to you.

WHOOHOO! I'm so excited to send these to my family and friends this year! Below are a few links for places to buy recycled holiday cards online:
CardsDirect
Pear Tree Greetings
KidBean (expensive but cute!)

Waste To-Go

I love the convenience of food to-go, but I HATE all the waste that goes along with the food. I was ecstatic to find out that the company I work for is finally making changes to become more eco-friendly in our cafeteria. They've stopped using evil Styrofoam and clear plastic to-go containers in 2 (grill and deli) of the 5 stations, possibly more but I didn't scope out the other lines. Instead they are using paper baskets which I hope are made of recycled paper. Today I happily waited in the deli line, trying to crunch the numbers of this change - how many to-go containers are prevented from going into landfills, how it impacts the to-go container industry, etc.. So then, I ordered my chicken wrap with side salad. I take my chicken wrap wrapped once in paper, and I almost said, no paper basket but then I thought oh well, the salad will have to go in there... um, wrong... she handed me a clear plastic fancy cup of salad topped with saran wrap. Seriously? Before, side salads were spooned into the container from a large bowl. So really, they traded the waste for another kind in a different shape? UGH. Oh well, baby steps right? I really hope this is just the beginning. I do have to give them props for selling to go mugs offering discount refills, and making a major attempt to reduce the amount of waste - but they have a ways to go.

I still try to pack and bring most of my lunches from home, use SS flatware and my cloth napkins. Curious? You can check out my previous entry about waste-free lunches here!