(This is the second in a series of guest posts, this one courtesy of Katie Nielsen.  There’s some great info here, so we certainly hope you’ll get to hear more from Katie soon! If you’d like to join the Trek Light family and be a guest blogger let us know!)

1. Let There Be Light!
   When your older incandescent light bulbs burn out, replace them with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). While the initial purchase price is higher, CLFs are inherently greener: they generally use less power and they last much longer. In fact, CFLs use 75% less electricity than incandescent ones (which can save as much as 5% on your monthly electric bill) and they last 10 times longer (via EnergyStar).

2. Thirst for Tap
   Instead of purchasing bottled water, opt for plain ol’ tap and carry around a reusable water bottle (I’m a big fan of the Camelback BPA-free water bottle). Not only will this significantly cut down on packaging and container waste, it can save you green. In fact, worldwide bottled water sales exceed a staggering $50 billion. If your tap water is less than pure, invest in a water filter to purify it.

3. Don’t Trash Electronics
   Electronic waste, which most often ends up in landfills, contains toxins such as mercury that are harmful to the environment. Contact your local government and inquire about an electronics recycling and hazardous waste program or set up an event if they don’t have one. You can also donate and recycle old electronics when you no longer need them (think donating old cell phones to a women’s shelter).

4. Nay to Paper and Plastic
   Paper and plastic bags are typically discarded after a single trip, contributing to landfills and wasting valuable resources (e.g. trees). Whenever you go out shopping, bring your own reusable bags. Most supermarkets, mass retailers, and drugstores sell them for just a few dollars each. (Editor’s Note: Of course, if you want a reusable bag that’s strong enough to hold over 50 pounds and packs down into a pouch small enough to fit on your key chain – you know where to get it!)

5. It Saves to Conserve
   On gas, that is. Not only is using less gas easier on your wallet, it’s also good for the environment since it’s producing less carbon dioxide. Use less gas by carpooling, using mass transit, or riding your bike to work. If you’re forced to drive, just drive smarter – don’t speed, keep tires properly inflated, and avoid rapid acceleration.

6. Go Paperless
   If you work from home or have a home office, considering going paperless when it comes to business documents. The need to print is almost completely eradicated by using an electronic document management solution. Not entirely convinced? Try this free paperless office ROI calculator, which can show you just how much you’ll improve your bottom line by going paperless.

7. Shop a Farmer
   Spring has officially sprung which also means you’re likely to see the annual farmers’ markets popping up all over town. Supporting local farmers can drastically reduce your carbon footprint since less fuel and packaging is used to provide your daily meals. Plus, the local produce is typically fresher, less expensive, and better tasting.

8. Get Automated
   A programmable thermostat costs between $30 and $100 – a meager price tag when you consider how much in can save you in heating and cooling costs. The thermostat enables you to set a schedule to adjust the temperature so you are not wasting energy cooling or heating your home when no one is there.

As always, you’re encouraged you to leave comments at the bottom of the post, but if you’d like to contact Katie directly you can send her an email or follow her on twitter!  

Spring is in the air and it’s time to start taking some photos and submitting them to the Trek Light Gear Photo Contest! To enter your photos just attach them to an email and send them to us here. For full contest rules and details, go here. To get you inspired, here’s a look at the winners from last year:

Contest #1

First Place:   Victoria K. from Pinckney, MI

While we certainly don't ask you to put yourself in an awkward or potentially dangerous position to enter our photo contest, Victoria sent in a great picture of her showing off the strength, size and durability of our Eco Tote Bags - you've got to see it to believe it!   We spend every day talking to our customers about how strong and durable the parachute nylon material is that we use in our products, but Victoria has showed us that a picture sometimes says it all. 

Victoria has earned herself a $25 Trek Light Gear Gift Certificate for her creativity (and determination)!

Runner-Up:   Sandy Kramer of Miami, FL

Sandy also chose to show off a Trek Light Eco Tote in her entry and she showed us just how great of a travel companion they can be.   The photo was taken in the Mexican village of Ajijic (about 45 minutes south of Guadalajara) and, as Sandy put it:

"There was no shortage of background color to show off my Eco Tote".       

We'll be sending Sandy a Trek Light Gear T-Shirt and we hope she inspires you to bring along an Eco Tote on your next vacation.   Whether you use them for all the shopping you'll do or even to give away as gifts for the people who offer you hospitality along the way, an Eco Tote is the perfect companion on your next trip.

Contest #2:

First Place:   Corey Crespi - Boulder, CO

Corey was so excited to show us his great photo that he brought them right to us at the Trek Light Gear kiosk in Boulder.  Corey is an outdoor lover but he also knows that the outdoors aren't the only place to enjoy the benefits of his lightweight camping hammock.  Corey tells us he loves that he can relax indoors in the hammock whenever he wants but can also easily take it down when he needs some extra space or when he's heading out for an outdoor adventure.     

Congratulations Corey, you've won a $25 Trek Light Gear Gift Certificate!  

Runner-Up:   Eric Santo - Dublin, OH 

Eric sent in this picture from a recent trip to Maui and said he found no shortage of perfect trees right along the beaches to hang out in his Trek Light Double.

"Hanging out in the water is peaceful when the waves are slow, but my new favorite spot to take a break and enjoy the scenery is definitely my Trek Light hammock.   I wouldn't even think of heading out on another trip without one.”    

We're sending Eric a Trek Light Gear T-Shirt and we're happy to know that Trek Light's parachute nylon travel hammock is now a permanent part of his travel gear.

When you take a tropical vacation you shouldn't have to keep your fingers crossed that you'll find a great hammock along the way - remember to bring along the lightweight hammock that goes wherever you do and you'll have the perfect vacation every time!

Click here to read more...

Courtesy of our friends over at Camping Blogger:

Creative deserts

There’s more to camp deserts than marshmallow s’mores. Baked apples are easy to make, by wrapping in foil and placing on hot coals. For an added treat, core the apple halfway through. Press several caramels into the center and plug the hole with the top of the core. Cooking time is similar to baked potatoes: about 30 minutes.

No-stick marshmallows

Tired of all the marshmallows getting stuck together? Add some powdered sugar to the bag, before you hit the road.

For even more great tips, check out the full blog post here: 10 Tips to Better Outdoor Cooking

This is the first in a series of guest blog posts from readers and friends of Trek Life.  The post is written by Bill Anderson who runs a great Canadian outdoors site called Muskoka Outdoors.  Bill shares with us a story about his love for eccentric fishing lures that anyone who’s dug through an old tackle box can appreciate.  If you would like to be a guest blogger on Trek Life, please email me and let me know!  - Seth

I admit it.

I have contributed to an angling cold war regime. I recently found a partial 'weapons cache' in an old tackle box.It was hidden in my basement behind a box of hunting gear. A slightly-rusted, old fishing spoon was the first to tumble out of the tackle box when I accidentally tipped it over. The yellow and red diamond spoon was supposed to slay Lake Trout in Tim Lake.

At least - that's what I told the guys before the trip. It never caught a thing.

Then, there was an old, white, dollar bin jerk bait that i picked up that looked similar to something I saw on a Bob Izumi show. Once again, I talked it up with the guys on the boat about how great this lure was going to work.

It caught zero fish.

Things just got out of control after that. It became tradition for me to brag about my secret lure as I massed lures of potential mass destruction. Big or small I would buy it and try it. Most did not work.

Some did.

Like a silver walleye diver in Lake Opeongo  and a yellow flatfish in Lake Vernon.

Sometimes, I am so convinced in my mind that my secret lure should work, that I will refuse to change it when everyone else has resorted to the 'same-old' lure/bait presentation. Perhaps, this is what drives me to stockpile a mass of hooks, flashing metals, and scented plastics. The tried and true presentations will always work - but I like to change things up.

Mix things up a little.

Besides, the trash talk about my secret fish offerings make things more fun on the radio and around the camp supper table. The guys expect it now.

"So, can you hook you this ole' fishing lure dictator up with a little something I can take to the lake with the boys next week?", I asked the guy in the fishing aisle.

My mind drifted back to reality after I spilled out my long confession to the silent staff member. He took his time taking in all I had just said to him. I continued down the aisle looking for a new secret weapon. Suddenly, out of the blue I heard the staff member say,

"How about this?"

I looked down at the strange looking contraption in his hand, "this has 15 fish attracting surfaces with laser cut hooks and titanium alloy upper body. It smells like leeches in the morning and golden shiner in the evenings. It never snags and instantly retracts its hooks when the fish is in the landing net. It is OnStar ready and can follow a pre-programmed travel path during reel-ins."

"It's perfect!" I said and placed it in my cart.

A weapons treaty will have to wait one more year.

Bill Anderson
www.muskokaoutdoors.ca
Hunt Proud. Fish Hard!

Randy Gingras had to make a choice in December: He could either lay off a couple of dozen welders, or he could pay them to build him a couple of palm trees from which he could hang his hammock.

Randy Gingras, we salute you.  Click here to read the full article on Randy.

While I occasionally blog about cool products and gear that I discover or read about on the web, this is the first of what I hope will be a series of actual hands-on product reviews.    But first, a disclaimer of sorts:  For those of you who did your homework and read the About Us page on the Trek Light Gear website, you may have noticed that my last name is Haber.  And here I am writing my first product review on a brand called HaberVision.  Is this a shameless plug for a favorite uncle with a goggles company?  Not at all.  Believe it or not, I hold absolutely no relation to the company or its founder with a very cool last name.  Located just down the road from Trek Light Gear (in Golden, Colorado) it was almost inevitable that I would cross paths with them sooner or later, but I was actually introduced to the company through my father who is a huge fan of their travel bags and sunglasses.  I initially thought he just liked getting things with ‘Haber’ printed on them without having to pay extra for the personalization, but I quickly realized that he was passionate about the company’s products and that’s something that will always catch my interest.

Company Background: The company was founded by Steve Haber, who founded Bolle America back in 1981 and developed the familiar Bolle brand of sunglasses and goggles.  Steve ended up selling his interests in Bolle and in 2005 he founded HaberVision.  According to the website, HaberVision.com is “the world’s first online only premium sunglass store”, although as this review indicates they certainly make more than just sunglasses.

Review:  When you first set eyes upon the HaberVision Riva goggles, it’s impossible to not be mesmerized by the bright blue and orange hues of its reflective lens.  When it comes to sunglasses, I tend to think that blue reflective glass is something that hasn’t quite redeemed itself from the 80’s.  Last summer I tried to ‘rock’ a pair of sunglasses with bright blue lens in an attempt to reclaim the look, but every time I saw a picture of myself I couldn’t help but think ‘Man, I need some new sunglasses’.   But skiing is a whole different beast and with an attire that already consists of a bright orange jacket, blue boots and a helmet I knew that these goggles would feel right at home and make me a force of nature color to be reckoned with on the slopes.  

Vail Shuttle Driver:  Are those HaberVision goggles?

Me:  Yeah, I’m about to try them for the first time.

Driver:  You’re going to love ‘em, I’ve got a pair and they’re the best goggles I’ve ever owned.

That was an actual conversation that took place on my way to give the Riva goggles their maiden voyage at the skier’s paradise that is Vail.   I’m not sure whether the great folks at HaberVision secretly planted that shuttle driver to influence my review, but in over over 25 years of skiing I’ve never had anyone comment on my goggles so I was more excited than ever to hit the slopes and try them out.

Click here to read more...

Thanks to Twitter, a few weeks ago I was able to connect with a fellow by the name of Jesse Simmons and learn about his mission to walk the nearly 4,000 miles from LA to Boston.   Jesse is doing it not for the exercise or the scenery, but to raise money for cancer research.  Along the way he’ll be teaching people about his journey and raising money for Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG, the Jimmy Fund, and the Susan G. Komen For The Cure foundation. 

For our longtime readers, you may remember our blog post from 2007, where we announced that we were sponsoring Brent Thomas and Lee Briggs in their ‘Bike Across America’ campaign.  Brent and Lee were successful in raising over $11,000 for cancer research as a result of their trip! There was nothing better than hearing that having a Trek Light Hammock along for the ride helped them immensely, whether it was for a rest in the middle of the day or to sleep in at night.  When I heard that Jesse was planning a similar mission, only he was planning to do it by foot, it didn’t take me long to get one of our lightweight hammocks in his hands. 

Jesse has already covered over 400 miles, much of it down long and empty, hardpacked roads in the arid southwest.  He’s already had a chance to setup his Trek Light Hammock in Joshua Tree National Park and with all the miles he’s got left to go there’s nothing better than knowing he’ll be able to get off the ground after a long day and relax in a hammock.

When you’re walking alone from one side of the country to the other, the one thing you need is support.   Jesse has had a lot of folks come out and meet him along the way, give him a place to stay for the night, buy him a beer or just give him a high five.  Check out his route and if he’s coming near you see if you can meet up with him.  To follow Jesse online, you can keep up with his blog and his Twitter posts and, if you really want to put an extra spring in his step, please donate.

I encourage you to leave comments below, I will pass along any words of support to Jesse and I’m sure he’d be happy to know that the Trek Life community is rooting him on.

For those of you that keep an ample supply of Clif Bars in your packs, pantries and desk drawers at work (we know you do), be sure to check out the link below with details on the recent voluntary recall.   The recall comes as a result of the recent peanut butter Salmonella outbreak that has resulted in a fairly high number throughout the US as you can see on the map below.

Clif Bar Voluntary Recall

CDC Website:  Salmonella Outbreak

If you haven’t seen the satellite photo taken during the inauguration, check this out.

(Courtesy of the Boston Globe: The Inauguration of President Barack Obama )

The New York Times brings us their list of 44 Travel Destinations not to be missed in 2009.   It’s quite an interesting mixture of places and you can easily filter the list by categories, so if you’re interested in visiting a place known for its food, its culture or its family friendliness you can pick accordingly.  Travel in general is definitely something I’ll be writing about on the Trek Life blog and the list is interesting enough that I was just about to blog about it anyways.  But, what started out as just a ‘check out this link’ blog post turned into what you’re about to read when I came across the following…

Click here to read more...