SmarterFitter Blog Less diet, more brain

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I recently posted about the recent BPA warnings around plastic water bottles. If you don’t want to risk drinking from these containers but also don’t want to add to the landfill, here are a few novel ideas from Trailspace:

• The LightCap 200 Solar Powered Light fits onto any 2″ wide mouth water bottle and turns it into a solar-powered lantern.
• Lifehacker posts how to make your own DIY First Aid Kit with a disused water bottle, complete with “all the necessities—home medications, band-aids for minor cuts and scrapes, latex gloves for protection, sunscreen, matches, hand sanitizer, and safety pins and bandannas for quick slings, in addition to other must-have items.”

Trailspace readers have a few more novel suggestions:

• Make a sleeping bag warmer by putting hot water into the bottle and tossing it in the sleeping bag. “Heaven!” according to one reader!
• Pee bottle.
• Christmas light covers: “Drill a 5/16in or 3/8in hole in the center of the lids, add a small string of white christmas lights and presto, the coolest deck lights on the block.”

Ways to Reuse Your Old Polycarbonate Bottles

DIY First Aid Kit

Interesting. Merrell’s new Gatherer Jacket is a lightweight shell that you insulate yourself. From trailspace.com:

Instead of coming filled with a pre-determined amount of down or synthetic insulation, the Gatherer features several strategically-placed zippers that allow the wearer to stuff the jacket with whatever insulation material they like: dried leaves, scraps of yarn, pine needles, shredded newspaper, and any other reused, recycled, or found materials.

Not only that, but the jacket is semi-transparent so you can show off the maple leaves, wool socks, and toilet paper you’ve stuffed yourself with. Kind of a cool live-off-the-land idea for the ultra-lightweight eco-aware camper (or self-expressionist). But how warm could it be? I kind of want to find out…

The Gatherer will be available in August 2008, retailing for $99.

Link to Outdoor Retailer: Merrell Gatherer Jacket