Dressing For Success

Posted on: 5 April 2019

These days, a lot of outdoor gear and apparel is made from synthetic fabrics. Not surprisingly, the production of these fabrics is not the most eco-friendly practice out there. And when you're done with these items, they won't really break down in a landfill. If you value the environment and prefer to buy greener, more natural products, you do have options. Here are four eco-friendly materials used to make outdoor gear.

Wool

Wool comes from sheep, but contrary to what some animal activists may have you believe, its production does not hurt or harm the sheep. The wool is merely sheared from the sheep; they are not killed in the process of obtaining it. The sheep need to have their wool sheared every spring in order to remain cool; they will not shed on their own. Wool is an eco-friendly choice for a few reasons:

• It breaks down naturally when you are done with it.
• It does not need to be washed a lot, so you use fewer polluting detergents when you own wool items.
• It lasts a really long time, so you do not need a new backpack, new socks, a new coat, or so soon; less pollution is therefore generated since only one item needs to be produced for you.

Wool socks and outwear are really common, but you can also find backpacks, pouches, and hats made from wool. Learn more about products such as eco-friendly black backpacks from a company like SMKFLWR.

Hemp

If you would rather have outdoor gear made from plant material, then hemp is a material to look into. Hemp has a really rough, tough texture, so it is often used to make backpacks and bags. Hemp can be grown without a lot of the pesticides and fertilizers needed to grow cotton, making it a more earth-friendly choice. Like wool, it is biodegradable and does not need to be washed often.

Hemp is also a good choice for people with allergies since, unlike wool, it is hypoallergenic. It breathes when it is warm and offers a little extra insulation when it is cold outside -- so you can buy just one backpack or rug to use year-round.

Organic Cotton

Conventional cotton is definitely not known for being eco-friendly. Farmers have to spray it with a lot of pesticides in order to keep the bugs off of it. You can find plenty of organic cotton outdoor apparel, however. Organic cotton costs a lot more because growing the plant without pesticides is hard, but it is a nice, soft material that works well for creating day packs, other light bags, and summer clothing. (Don't wear cotton when it's cold -- even organic cotton can absorb moisture and then hyper-cool on your body, thus the common phrase "cotton kills.")

Organic cotton is not as long-lasting as the other materials on this list, but it will break down when you are done with it, and it's easy to wash since it dries quickly. You can wash it with simple soap rather than having to use laundry detergent.

Bamboo

Making clothing and outdoor gear from bamboo may sound strange at first, but bamboo can actually be processed into thin threads and then woven into a pretty soft cloth. Bamboo is an earth-friendly material because it can be grown without any pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides. It also grows really quickly, so as soon as it is harvested, it can be replanted. Bamboo releases a lot of oxygen into the atmosphere as it grows. Backpacks made from bamboo are especially durable. You can also find bamboo socks and hats.

So are you ready to embrace more eco-friendly materials for your outdoor gear? Wool, hemp, organic cotton, and bamboo are all great choices.