Minimize wasteful shipping with products made in the USA. Make mindful purchases by choosing companies that donate a portion of their profits to nature-based charities. Opt for high quality goods that will last you a lifetime (and maybe even your kid’s, too) or gear derived from natural materials. These 8 products are total twofers: they feel good and get the job done.
Nothing’s cleaner, greener, or more flexible than a Platypus SoftBottle. Taste-free and BPA-free for clean drinking, this flexible water bottle is made in the USA and weighs 80% less than its hard bottle brethren.
Buy Now: $8.95 or go to: Platy.com
These sweat-proof and water-resistant Bluetooth earbuds offer Hi-Fi wireless audio with Comply ear tips and an optional soft rubber ear fin, making them extra comfortable and stable enough for any active lifestyle pursuit from running to workouts in the gym. Further, Outdoor Tech donates $1 for each pair sold to the Whaleman Foundation – a non-profit research, education, conservation and wildlife film production organization dedicated to preserving and protecting our ocean world.
Buy Now: $99.95 or go to: OutdoorTechnology.com
Keep your camera and lunch safe from unruly waters with SealLine’s watertight Seal Pak. SealLine individually hand makes each Seal Pak in the United States, allowing this USA-made brand to distribute regionally and minimize wasteful shipping. The pack features an external pocket for easy organization.
Buy Now: $47.95 or go to: SealLineGear.com
Hardworking, dependable, and tried-and-true since 1936 (when it cost $4.45), Coleman’s classic two-burner stove will run like products of yesteryear that were built with quality and an intention to last. We hope to see it in your kid’s camping quiver one day.
Buy Now: $69.95 or go to Coleman.com
Lululemon created this super soft lightweight tank out of naturally breathable Vitasea™ fabric that’s made with SEACELL®, the yarn derived from seaweed, and blended with cotton and spandex. When a beautiful day comes your way, the only thing to do is get out and make the most of it.
Buy Now: $48 or go to: Lululemon.com
It’s Therm-a-Rest’s core philosophy that whenever possible, they should manufacture what they sell. While much of the world’s manufacturing has shifted from North America and Europe to Asia, Therm-a-Rest still builds the vast majority of its products locally. U.S. manufacturing allows them to retain control over the quality and availability of what they sell, to distribute regionally, minimize wasteful shipping, and to keep living-wage jobs here at home. The compact Treo Chair’s legs are sourced from a composites molder in southwest Washington, the seat from a sewing shop in Seattle, and Therm-a-Rest does the final assembly of all the components (including some from Asia) at its plant in Seattle.
Buy Now: $99.95 or go to: Thermarest.com
Superfeet’s undisputed heavyweight champions haven’t changed much since their design in 1977. Why? Because they work. Affordable, professional-grade orthotic support and comfort for hikers, runners, and anyone who wants their footwear to fit and feel better. Bonus: One percent of Superfeet’s 2015 sales will go to conservation-based charities. Buy Now: $44.95 or go to: SuperFeet.com
The last stove you’ll ever need to buy: the Seattle-built MSR XGK EX is the world’s most reliable extreme-conditions stove. Thirty-five years old and it’s still the only stove polar explorer Eric Larsen will trust on his expeditions to the North and South Poles. Larsen calls it “easily the best stove on the entire planet” and while he carries spares of most gear, the XGK is so reliable and field repairable that he only carries the two stoves he needs for use each day. He’s never experienced a clogged jet even after using the stove an average of five hours a day for 53 days straight in -40F weather. If he can’t break it, neither can you.
Buy Now: $159.95 or go to: MSRGear.com
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