We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day. Well, we suppose we could have, but it wouldn’t have done any good, since this November morning was nothing but blue skies and t-shirt temperatures. In fact, had the round-trip distance to San Francisco not looked something like 165 miles, we probably would have ridden our bikes to the GreenFestival!

Your two faithful Osprey Brand Team’ers had to park a good 10-minute walk away from the expo hall, so we had an opportunity to soak in the sun and general ambiance as we wove our way among the hippies, hipsters, green-pinstripes and enthusiastic student-types. It was so encouraging to see that we were not the only ones carrying our own bags and reusable water bottles! Upon arrival at the entrance we were greeted by the Ritter Sport remote-controlled truck that was rolling around and passing out little squares of chocolates. These are no regular chocolates; they’re German chocolates! Miriam being half-German and having grown up loving Ritter Sport, promptly flipped out and started grabbing the bright little packages. Additionally, Ritter Sport was there interviewing people for a chance to win a year supply of chocolate – check out Sarah with the mic!

We finally bought our tickets and walked in to the hall. It was overwhelming! SO MUCH TO SEE! The map was useless; we just started wandering. There were booths galore – organic, sustainably produced clothing; free-trade chocolate; kombucha (ewww); phases of the moon calendar; elephant poop greeting cards; bags of all sizes made from repurposed kite sails, billboards, tires and a bunch of other stuff. There were also all sorts of magazines being represented and we admittedly found it odd that there would be so much paper at a Green Festival. That didn’t stop us from picking up some great rags on vegetarian cooking (can’t wait to try some of those recipes!), yoga, responsible global politics and so on.

Eagle-Eye Sarah pointed out interesting people and stuff for Miriam to capture and upload to Twitter. Some of the highlights include the “Bag Man.” This was a dude who was walking around under about 500 plastic shopping bags (like you get at the grocery store), roughly the amount one consumer uses in a year. Seeing the sheer volume of plastic at once really puts things in perspective. People! Bring your own bags to the store! And if you can help it, why not use Earth-friendly bags made from organic or recycled materials (perhaps you can grab your Osprey ReSource backpack and pedal your bike to the store)?

We also spotted a gentleman Tweeting old-skool style: on a typewriter! He had a sign advertising poems… we asked him to write one for us. While he typed away, we observed a group of guys – probably high school students – looking on, completely agog. The look on their faces was something between “what the heck is that?” and “wow, that is pretty cool!” Isn’t it interesting that this little human-powered machine that was so revolutionary during our grandparents’ and parent’s generation, has so quickly become antiquated due to quick advancements in technology? This might have been the first time these boys had actually seen a real, live typewriter! Oh, and our poem was… weird.

Speaking of antiquated technologies, how about all that elephant dung, recycled, seed-infused paper!  Miriam and Sarah, despite their recycling, composting, reusing tendencies, are two people who still love themselves a handwritten letter or note. Your gals bought some beautiful, plantable (as in: seeds IN the paper), recycled fiber paper for this very purpose. Hey – why don’t you pick up a pen and write a nice note to let someone and tell them how much you care about them, in writing?! Guaranteed, it’ll make their day!

Around lunch time, we plunked ourselves on the ground in the food section. Oh wow, so many yummy options! But we brought our own stuff AND our own utensils. Miriam being the Green person she is, always carries a supply of utensils (including chopsticks) and napkins in her glove box for exactly such moments. Ever notice how a jaunt to a (gasp) fast food place or sandwich shop or café always results in extra napkins and/or plastic sporks? Do you find yourself just tossing that stuff in the trash? Well again, we can thank Miriam’s responsible German side for collecting the goods for (re)use.  And how cool is it that, at this GreenFestival, there were closely monitored bins for trash, recycle and compost? Wouldn’t it be cool if that were the norm?

After lunch, Sarah steered your faithful Osprey reps down the dessert aisle, where many amazing chocolates were sampled. When you learn more about the details of the chocolate industry, you will be happy to pay a premium for organic, free-trade chocolate.

We wandered around a bit more, all the while chatting people up about Osprey bags and handing out coupons for a cool promotion at local Lombardi Sports (buy an Osprey bag, get a steel water bottle for free!). That was, after all, one of the reasons were at the GreenFestival to begin with: to inform eco-conscious consumers that there are some pretty awesome eco-conscious and rugged bags available for all your carrying needs. The ReSource bags, folks. They rock!

Peace and sunshine to you from Northern California,
Miriam and Sarah

My friends and I wear really psyched for ice climbing after all of the recent snow fall here in Boulder. We took a chance to scout out some early ice conditions. What I knew was that some areas are more likely to have ice that others. I was looking for cooler temps and shaded aspects with higher elevation for forming ice. Also considering the hike in and a recon misson, I thought that Lincolon Falls would be a great venue to check out. Little did we know what was to be in store.

The drive to the parking area was a great time to confirm there would be good ice. Once we saw the main gully in a mild blue hue I knew that there was potential for some climbing.

The 1st pitch was a little more wet on the right side with H2O rushing down the ice fall. Over all there was pretty deep ice. The ice fall took screws and swings.

The second pitch was a bit more interesting. With chandlers and steeper terrain I was paying closer attention to where my placements went. During early season one must try to tread lightly on this forming ice. Ice that is not ready to lead must really be avoided for later-in-the-season climbing.

We found great mixed top roping with out bashing the ice pack that was still forming.

Working together we were able to come up with a plan. As mountain guides we are trained to be conscious of the resources and lead by example.

When the early season has you pumped to climb remember to think about preservation and the future of the season for you and especially others.

Joey Thompson
Colorado Mountain School Mountain Guide

For more information about the Osprey Variant 37 please click here.

For more information please see Joey’s bio page here.

Full report to follow!

For those of you who follow @ospreypacks on Twitter, our brand team will be tweet-tweeting away tomorrow during the Green Fest. Twitter users have already created the hash-tag to classify GF tweets – #greenfest – so look out tomorrow for interesting comments about speakers, presentations, and random happenings at the fest.

Besides giving you the scoop via Twitter, Miriam and Sarah will be giving out Osprey hats, stickers, and beer coozies…so if you’re there in person be sure to say hello and pick up some cool bird gear.

As a bonus, Osprey is teaming up with Lombardi Sports in San Francisco to provide a free Osprey stainless steel water bottle with each purchase from Nov. 13 through Nov. 27. Miriam and Sarah will be handing out the coupons at the event so make your next Osprey purchase one that hydrates, too.

Where:
San Francisco Concourse Exhibition Center
635 8th St (at Brannan St)
San Francisco, CA 94103

When: November 13-15, 2009
Friday 12pm – 7pm
Saturday 10am – 7pm
Sunday 11am – 6pm

Lombardi Sports:
1600 Jackson Street (at Polk Street)
San Francisco, CA 94109

Alison Gannett is a World Champion Extreme Skier, Founder of The Save Our Snow Foundation, an award-winning global cooling consultant, and long time Osprey Fan and Ambassador. She was named “Ski Hero of the Year” by Ski Magazine in 2009, and Outside magazine named her “A Green All-Star”, next to Leonardo DiCaprio and Arnold Schwarzenegger. She travels the world documenting glacial recession on her crazy ski mountaineering expeditions. She also trains individuals, businesses and governments on her four-step, cost-saving, climate change solutions framework, including working to train Al Gore’s Climate Project team and Congressman Markey’s Energy Congressional Independence and Global Warming Committee in Washington, DC.

To learn more or support Alison:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/905292877/save-our-snow-and-our-planet

Here are all the details, check out the show if you’re in the Bay Area! Say hi to Miriam and Sarah…they’ll be the ladies decked out with packs from Osprey’s ReSource series – these are packs made almost entirely of recycled materials. Sarah and Miriam will be toting the Float, React, Slipstream convertible wheeled pack.

These brand team’ers will be giving out loads of cool Osprey hats, stickers, and beer coozies. As fitting for this unique green/eco event, Osprey’s ReSource line is our first pack series built almost entirely from recycled materials. Each style includes the exact percentage of recycled materials by content. ReSource represents the next logical green step in our commitment to true sustainability.

As a bonus, Osprey is teaming up with Lombardi Sports in San Francisco to provide a free Osprey stainless steel water bottle with each purchase from Nov. 13 through Nov. 27. Miriam and Sarah will be handing out the coupons at the event so make your next Osprey purchase one that hydrates, too.

Where:
San Francisco Concourse Exhibition Center
635 8th St (at Brannan St)
San Francisco, CA 94103

When: November 13-15, 2009
Friday 12pm – 7pm
Saturday 10am – 7pm
Sunday 11am – 6pm

Lombardi Sports:
1600 Jackson Street (at Polk Street)
San Francisco, CA 94109

On Halloween we officially closed out the Backpacker magazine/Osprey contest – after tallying the numbers we received nearly 2,000 entries! With all of the fantastic “why should you be a part of our next Brand Team?” responses, we have our work cut for us in determining who will comprise the 2010 team.

From all of your entries will will also pick a winner for the Exos 46 pack. Look for that announcement this Friday right here on the blog, and on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Stay tuned and thanks again!

Osprey Flapjack courier

The uber-Mac aficionados at the popular Cult Of Mac blog have given the Osprey Flap Jack courier a 5-star rating. The author, Eli Milchman, is a longtime courier user and calls the Flap Jack the most stable, comfortable, and light “bike-bag” he’s ever used. Big enough to house a 15” Mac laptop, the Flap Jack also has plenty of storage and smart features like the drawstring gasket to protect your goods (…your Mac, duh!) from water, dust, or any other CPU killers.

Here’s a quick summation from Cult of Mac: Osprey’s bags are are so superbly designed, space-agey and just plain ahead of their time, I’ve often suspected that their designers are escapees from the aerospace industry. The Flap Jack does nothing to diminish my suspicions. Like most of Osprey’s creations, the Flap Jack is very light, feathery to the point of having made me wonder about the bag’s sturdiness — but after a month of heavy use, the Flap Jack is yet to show any signs of wear. The exterior is treated with a water-repellent finish that did a great job of shedding water through a light sprinkling; pity the bag isn’t waterproof though. Read the full review here.

From Ospreypacks.com:

Men’s Performance Flap Style Courier

These active everyday packs offer gender specific sizing and styling along with comfortable Osprey carry and smart functionality. All styles carry laptops safely and securely – along with everything needed for a busy day around town.

- Triangulated support waist strap

Colors available: Khaki, Black, Pepper

Get the entire Flap Jack scoop from Osprey’s official site here.

One of the top things we both wanted to do during our time in the Middle East/North Africa was to camp somewhere in the desert under the stars…Until we got to Dahab and heard about the Camel Diving Safaris, we hadn’t even thought about combining the desert camp with diving and an ocean view!

Like Baja California, Most of the Sinai is desert right up to the water. As a result, you have several small Bedouin (local) villages set up just along the shore. Buildings are no more than huts with no real walls or roofs to speak of. Since it rains maybe one day a year in the Sinai for about 15 minutes, this isn’t a problem.

Many of the villages (especially those close to interesting dive sites) welcome visitors to stay overnight in one of the many available huts and even cook you dinner and breakfast for a small fee. We decided to do a Camel Dive Safari out to Ras Abu Galum, an almost untouched dive site with far fewer visitors than other parts of the Sinai.

Ras Abu is only accessible via boat or camel – No roads. Many dive shops organize Camel Dive Safaris where you hire a local guide and local camels to take you and all the necessary dive gear out to Ras Abu. You can choose to do an out and back day trip (leaving early in the morning) or an overnight stay, leaving later in the day and doing most of your diving the next morning. We elected the overnight stay to be able to camp under the stars.

On our way to the location to meet the camels we stopped for a midday dive at Rick’s Reef, another less frequented location and had a nice quiet dive with just us and our guide April (who was my course instructor – she’s awesome as both a guide and instructor!).

We met the camels in the mid afternoon and watched the Bedouin locals load up all the camel bags with our gear (regulators, BCDs, masks, fins, overnight equipment, sleeping bags, food, even the air tanks for all our dives). These animals are amazing creatures, quiet and steady, workhorses that are the transportation backbone for this region.

This was my first time on a camel and let’s just say it’s quite bumpy and my butt was quite sore after just a short time. After a short ride on the camel I hopped off and walked the rest of the way – Ras Abu is about 4 miles from Dahab. It was a beautiful, breezy night and the walk right on the coast was spectacular.

We arrived at camp just as the sun was setting and we were treated to gorgeous colors in the sky, along with a few local children and women trying to sell us bracelets and scarves (of course). As the sun went down, we ate dinner by candlelight and took in the millions of stars.

Jeff & I elected to take our sleeping bags outside and just sleep under the stars. We did see a few remnant shooting stars from the Orionoids shower and fell asleep to the sound of the water. However, the sand was quite hard and even with a sleeping bag and pad, neither of us got a full night sleep. Oh well! The view was totally worth it.

We woke up with the sunlight coming over the back of Saudi Arabia (across the Gulf of Aqaba) and geared up for an early morning dive. The conditions, the reef and quality of marine life were out of this world! No one was out there but us and we saw tons and tons of fish (some really big ones) and amazing colors of coral.

We got out of the water, had breakfast, and then went in for our second dive, going in the opposite direction of the reef. We were greeted by a sea turtle, an octopus and a school of barracuda. Super cool!

After the second dive and cleaning up, packing the gear, it was almost noon and time to head back to Dahab. Unfortunately, the hike back was not nearly as fun as the way over with blazing sun, no clouds and 90+ degree temps. We all rode the camels for a while since we were tired, but it’s actually hotter and slower up there, so we got off and hoofed it back.

Jeff & I checked into our new place, the Dahab Coachouse, which is a lovely small B&B run by a Danish couple, took massive showers, wolfed a big dinner of the local meatloaf surprise cheeseburgers and promptly crashed! Today we are taking it easy; I might do yoga tonight again here at a local class. Tomorrow is our last full day in Dahab before making the trek to Petra, Jordan.

Dahab has been the perfect stopover after the craziness of Cairo and Sharm El Sheikh and the fast pace of the European leg of the trip. Super excited to see Petra and then move on to Eastern Africa when we touch down in Nairobi on November 1.

Sojourn 28

Features of the Sojourn 28 wheeled convertible pack: Our StraightJacket™ compression system has always been well-suited to the rigors of travel. Add the High Road™ Chassis to the mix and you’ve got the Sojourn. For those who want to reduce the hoist component of their haul time it can’t be beat. When you do need to carry the Sojourn our superb zip-away suspension is on the ready. You’ll also find foam sidewalls for keeping the load secure, while handy mesh pockets, clothing straps and front panel daisy chains maintain your organization. Colors available: Earth, Charcoal, Pepper. Click here for more information – Sojourn Series.

For more information about Aimee, check out her bio page here.

Saturday October 31, 2009 (Halloween in case you hadn’t heard!) marks the final day of our Backpacker magazine and brand team contest. Head over to Backpacker.com and give us your story…you even have a chance to win an Osprey Exos 46 pack just for “playing.”

So what is the Osprey brand team…

If you’re one of our blog’s regular readers you’re probably familiar with our brand team project. Basically, it works like this: back in early February we recruited a group of athletes and adventurers to write about their experiences using Osprey packs. The contract is simple — be trustworthy, love our product, provide us with a consistent stream of new content documenting your journeys (with photos and videos wherever possible), and attend an outdoor event in your region as an “on-the-ground” rep for a day. It’s that easy. Our 2009 team has done a fantastic job so far and we would love to hear why you would make a great addition for 2010. So. Go. Now. Backpacker! We’ll be in touch soon!