Being an active mom on the go, I wanted a viable alternative to the flowery diaper/baby bags on the market. Most of these bags are fairly useless for someone who is more outdoors oriented, or has multiple kids. Also, the current selection of mama bags are often made from new, synthetic materials, sometimes coated with harmful chemicals to make fabrics ‘water resistant’ or leak-proof.
Osprey has a highly acclaimed line of packs and urban/day bags (received Outside Magazine’s green gear of the year award for 2007,) called their ReSource Series. I tried one of the Osprey packs, as an eco mom, to see if it served my purposes.
Size-wise, I wanted something that was big enough to fit our water bottles, some organic biscuits, a few board books, one or two woobies, my wallet, and a change of clothes for the tots. I chose the React, because although it is not the biggest daypack they make in the ReSource series, it is a reasonable size (1700 cubic inches.) I always tend to bring a bit more than I need and having a smaller pack forces me to pack lite.
Here are the specs on the pack that is made from recycled PET:
What is recycled PET fabric?
It’s what the ReSource series packs are made from!! Recycled PET is made from ground up water and soda bottles – the same ones we drink from every day. PET is the acronym for Polyethylene Terephthalate, a thermoplastic polyester resin. The introduction of recycled Pet as a pack fabric provides a key component of the ReSource Series.
-100% recycled PET fabric
-Minimum 70% total recycled materials by content
-100% Recycled mesh pockets
-60% recycled content spacer mesh
-55% recycled stretch woven pockets
-100% recycled binding tape
-100% recycled webbing
-Recycled buckles – reground from buckle scrap
-100% recycled fabric zipper pulls
This pack is great. There are a few compartments on the outside for easy access. It is so much easier to have what you need on your back and be able to have your hands free, instead of lugging around a big tote. These would be excellent book bags, too. Because they are not equipped with waist belts, they are not really suitable for overnights or carrying a lot of weight, but could certainly hack it on a day hike.
As far as packs go, you don’t get better than Osprey. They are innovative leaders in lightweight travel, alpine ascension, and now, forerunners in green innovation. Osprey strives to maintain corporate integrity by supporting social justice, sustainability, and environmental stewardship.
I love osprey packs… I’ve been using them in the backcountry for a few years now. It’s great to see them ‘going green.’ I think its important for us consumers to support businesses that are making a direct effort to benefit the environment. For example http://www.simplestop.net stops your postal junk mail and benefits the environment.
08/04/08 » 11:42 am »