Eco Sport, Style & Design

The Twisted Sleeping Bag: Circus contortionists may be fine with the claustrophobic confines of the average sleeping bag, but for the rest of us, there's the Montbell Ultralight Super Spiral Down Hugger #1. By pairing elastic thread with ultralight 12-denier nylon cut on the bias-a tailor's trick that utilizes a fabric's natural stretchiness - it lets you, say, sit up cross-legged without unzipping it. And when you finally lie down, those elastic seams elaminate drafty air spaces.
[$329; montbell.com]

The Sexy Hiker: We appreciate the Patagonia P26 hiking boot-named for the number of bones in the human foot-for its eco-chummy leather upper (tanned in a process that uses 35 percent less energy) & 50 percent recycled sole. But we want it because it looks so sleek compared to other hikers, a streamlined, wedge-shaped sports car in a parking lot of blovky Econoline vans. [from $170; patagonia.com]

The Agile Knife: A sharp blade becomes more of a hazard than a help if you don't have the dexterity to use it properly. Enter the Gerber Mini-Remix and its gaping hole. Slide your index finger through & you'll realize that the knife's pivot point is right at the base of the 2.05-inch blade, not your wrist, allowing for control that makes you look like a sushi maker - even if you're just cutting drywall. [$30; gerbergear.com]

The Cutting-Edge Bat: Ted Williams once wrote that he spent the off-seaon using an ax because it improved his swing, which in turn inspired the Baden Axe Pro Bat. Gone is the perfectly cylindrical handle and disk pommel, replaced with the pinched oval handle and flared bottom of an ax. Okayed by the MLB, the new maple bat has caught on with pros who say its ergonomic handle lets them take batting practice longer.
[$110; badensports.com]

Unexpected Design-The Eco-Friendly Shoebox: A collaboration between Puma & California design think tank fuseproject to create a more Earth-sensitive, efficient shoe carrier.
Design Process: At first fuseproject, led by industrial design god Yves Behar, toyed with a fairly simple remix of the regualr shoebox: One prototype was made from 100% recycled pulp, but was discarded because it required more energy to produce than a standard cardboard box. Nearly 2 years, roughly 1000 concept sketches, 40 prototypes & several environmental audits into the project, Behar found what he wanted a design that was not only greener in constitution, but greener in function, too.
End Product: The Puma clever Little Bag is a heat-welded (to eliminate thread)sack made from recycled PET plastic with an origami-like cardboard divider inside. Puma estimates it will save 8500 tons of paper, 20 million megajoules of energy, & 275 tons of plastic, but Behar's pleased that he gave a shoebox utility. "Often with eco-solutions the consumer gets less of something," he says. "This bag becomes functional, whether it's to travel with the shoes or to replace the plastic bag you get at the store." After a few more tweaks, you'll be able to get your kicks with the Clever Little Bag this winter.

***SMILE! TGIF & be the Light in someone's day...Today! :)