Gear

Fleece. It’s everybody’s favorite outdoorsy (and pseudo outdoorsy) material. We love our fleece blankets and zip-ups and sleeping bag liners for how cozy and cuddly and water resistant they are. Fleece hoodies and jackets and gloves are an outdoor staple because they wick sweat and are breathable and fast-drying. But since fleece is typically made out of PET (a type of plastic), and studies show it contributes to micro plastics in our waterways, is fleece all it’s cracked up to be? And is there such a thing as sustainable fleece?

It’s almost spring! That means it’s nearly time to shed the oversized parkas and trade them in for lighter, less bulky outerwear! Huzzah! But not all jackets are created equal. So we wrangled 6 sustainable jackets that are perfect for spring so you can step out in eco-friendly, outdoorsy style this season. OK, so it may not quite be windbreaker weather where you are yet, but it will be soon, so if you’re itching to say sayonara to snow and ‘sup to spring flowers and showers and slightly warmer weather, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared! So gear up and stay warm and dry out there on all your spring adventures!

I’m a sucker for a good outdoor blanket. A soft, cozy, durable blanket that can accompany me on all of my adventures. Fortunately, there are several brands making not only high quality outdoor blankets, but sustainable ones, too. And since so many of the are so much more than basic rectangles of fabric, you better believe they’ll be perfect for everything from backpacking in the mountains to weekend camping trips to picnics in the park and outdoor movies on the lawn. So if you’ll be adventuring outdoors this season (or any season), check out these sweet sustainable outdoor blankets designed with adventure in mind.

Here at Terradrift, we’re always on the lookout for the perfect bag for travel. And no lie, that’s a pretty tall order. Of course, “the perfect bag” will look different for everyone–someone on a luxury vacation in Europe is NOT gonna be considering the same bags as someone backpacking through South America for three months–but for those of us who prefer to shoulder a pack rather than roll around a suitcase and carry on our luggage instead of trusting it to those black holes at the airport where luggage disappears and–finger crossed–eventually comes back out again, the Cotopaxi Allpa 35L Del Día bag may be the perfect travel bag, especially if you consider sustainability a top priority.

Like organization? And durable luggage? In classic (but totally not boring) colors? Have we got a bag for you! It’s the 40L Topo Designs Travel Bag and it. Is. Legit. So if you’re in the market for a new bag for all kinds of travel (business, road trips, international, short and sweet visits with your in-laws…) read (or watch) to learn all about it, including what we thought of this organizational and customizable travel backpack!

Yeah, yeah, I know summer is basically over, but down here in the south and southwest where 5 out of 7 days are still above 85º, we’ve still got a lot of toasty hikes ahead of us. And while we are personally masochistic (or desperate?) enough to head out into dry, sweltering summer temps to hike shade-less trails with naught but a few Nalgenes full of water, we recently discovered a piece of gear that makes those outings exceeding less miserable: The ExtremeMist Personal Cooling System (PCS). And we’re gonna tell you all about the whole misting-and-hydration-in-one in this here review.

Underwear. They’re a fact of life. But most of them aren’t made of particularly eco-friendly or comfortable materials. So what’s a girl to do when she’s constantly on the go or hitting the trail on her next epic adventure or even just lounging around the house? Fill that underwear drawer with the most comfortable and sustainable underwear for women that she can find, that’s what. We’ve even done the legwork for you and researched the 3 best of the best in that department. So read on and, when it’s time to replace the old for the new, try these on for size.

We get excited about a lot of gear here at Terradrift, but we may never have gotten as excited as we got when our Tentsile Connect arrived at our door. I mean, until that point, we had only drilled over photos online and debated whether we should go for it and get one of our own. Because, honestly, we have a great tent and we love our Kammok Mantis camping hammock, so how many sleep setups do we really need? At least one more, that’s how many. And we’ll tell you why it immediately became our very favorite camping equipment the first time we hopped up into that open, airborne structure in this here Tensile review.

When it comes to sustainable outdoor gear and clothing, we love companies who care about the materials they use and the footprints they leave. Brands like Patagonia, BioLite, Toad&Co and Cotopaxi. But while buying new gear from brands who care about the planet is an excellent choice, there’s another option that’s even more eco-friendly (and cost-effective): buying used gear and clothing. Here’s why (and how).

Want to get into backpacking? We understand why. The call of the wild, sleeping under a canopy of stars, communing with nature, testing your survival skills, it’s a balm to the soul. But a lot of folks aren’t sure where to start when it comes to preparing for their first backpacking trip. Well, fortunately for you, we’ve put together this handy list of 10 backpacking essentials to help you on your way in our first of a series of Backpacking 101 posts. So gear up and wander on!