Summer may not officially start until June 21st, but this past Memorial Day Weekend marked the start of an eventful summer camping season here at Lone Pine. While the erratic weather left some of us guessing on who should sit where around the campfire (sitting towards the smoke acts as an all-natural insect repellent) or if a campfire was even a possibility, we at least noticed it was going to hot in be Vermont this year. This means that from packing to dressing, “lightweight” is going to be a popular term. Here we have a couple lightweight and some eco-friendly options your that you should think about bringing along on your adventures this year:
Vibram KSO TREK (13.4oz/.38kg per pair)
Popping up all over the nation from the inner city of Boston to more rural areas, Vibram Fivefingers have most certainly made a name for themselves. These light weight shoes appear to most as a strange second skin, weighing as much as slippers. However, their KSO TREK make adds ruggedness and traction, making them optimal for: hiking, camping, or running on the toughest terrains. These comfy and freeing alternatives compared to your typical hiking boots are offered in men’s and women’s, and come in both brown and black. They also got the stamp of approval from Johann The Dog.
Price: $125
Available Online at Vibram’s website or if you’re in the area, at Outdoor Gear Exchange in Burlington
Lightload Towels (.5-5oz/.14g-14kg)
Fitting into the palm of your hand these towels expand to become various sizes from hand towels to even full-size beach towels. What makes them even more remarkable is that their made from 100% vegan viscose, which means you can rinse them off and keep them around or ditch ’em, since they’re biodegradable. Darren Alfffrom Bicycle Touring Pro gives a pretty helpful review of one of the smaller towels below.
Lightload Towels range from $2.79 to $9 depending on the size and quantity in each pack
Available online at Lightload’s website or if you’re looking to make a bulk order for a campground they’re offered at Peregrine Oufitters in Williston and Wilcor International
Solio Rocsta (4.6oz/.13kg)
Lastly and lighter than the rest, the SoCal company, Solio, brings you Rocsta solar-powered charger. With struggle between protecting the natural beauty of Vermont, and preserving the environment for the following generations, various energies have found themselves as prime targets of debate here in Vermont (cue the numerous VT wind energy proposals that were shot down due to aesthetics). After 10 hrs out in the wild and under the sun with the Rocsta, its internal rechargeable battery allows you to charge your cell phone, iPod, camera, GPS, or gives a boost to your eReader and smartphone. LAPTOP, a blog about mobile technology, gave it 3.5 stars out of 5 and said it fell in the about the middle of the pack, which is what most users have also experienced. However, they do note that it is a great option for charging a multitude of devices.
Price: $79.95
Available online at Solio’s website
Photo courtesy of: http://www.cultofmac.com/
Featured Image from Honeymoon Beach on Isla Danzante (credit to lowjumpingfrog).
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