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Dall'intimo alle calzature da trekking: 5 capi che gli scout indossano sempre in escursione
L'escursionismo è meraviglioso e facile da iniziare! Ecco una guida per principianti sulla scelta del giusto strato base e delle scarpe da trekking. E beh, gli scout sono esperti in questo campo, quindi lasciamo che ti raccontino... Noi scout amiamo stare nella natura e respirare l'aria fresca. Ma se hai freddo, sei bagnato o ti senti a disagio, l'esperienza diventa spesso più traumatica che piacevole da ricordare. Naturalmente è meno importante se stai pianificando solo una gita di un giorno, ma se sei come noi e fai trekking per diversi giorni, vuoi rimanere caldo e asciutto senza portare un milione di vestiti. Quindi, questi sono i nostri suggerimenti su cosa indossare durante un'escursione: 1. Lo Strato Base Poiché la Finlandia è piuttosto fredda durante tutto l'anno, ti consigliamo di investire in uno strato base di lana merino. La lana merino è eccellente nel trattenere il calore corporeo, respira e lascia evaporare il sudore per mantenerti asciutto e caldo, inoltre è resistente alle macchie e agli odori. Puoi anche usare il tuo strato base in lana merino come pigiama durante i mesi estivi quando la temperatura scende durante la notte. La lana merino traspirante è utile anche nelle escursioni estive, altre opzioni sono ad esempio l'abbigliamento tecnico in poliestere (riciclato). 2. Pantaloni da Trekking Sopra lo strato base, vorrai indossare pantaloni da trekking con un materiale resistente ed elastico. I materiali traspiranti e resistenti all'acqua sono i migliori e spesso sono costituiti da un mix di poliestere e cotone. Fortunatamente oggi alcuni marchi outdoor offrono prodotti alternativi realizzati con materiali riciclati, quindi se hai una scelta, scegli sostenibile! E poi un vero punto cruciale... 3. Calzature da Trekking I tuoi piedi sono la parte del corpo più preziosa durante un'escursione. Anche una piccola vescica può facilmente diventare così dolorosa e irritante da rendere difficile proseguire un'intera giornata di trekking. Quindi, investire in un buon paio di scarpe da trekking ripagherà. Assicurati di rodarle adeguatamente, ad esempio con escursioni più brevi di un giorno e non avventurarti mai nel bosco con scarpe nuove di zecca. Inoltre, indossa calzetti da trekking appropriati che assorbono il sudore e mantengono i piedi a una temperatura stabile. 4. Giacca da Trekking Come strato più esterno indossa una giacca da trekking o una shell jacket. Si consiglia una giacca da trekking traspirante e impermeabile poiché l'escursionismo è un'attività faticosa e puoi facilmente accaldarti molto. Se non vuoi investire in una giacca da trekking speciale, una normale shell jacket spesso fa al caso tuo per proteggerti dal vento freddo. 5. Maglione Caldo in Lana Durante un'escursione vorrai fare molte pause, a volte solo per ammirare la natura mozzafiato ma anche durante i pasti. Muovendoti tutto il giorno genererai molto calore corporeo ed è importante non lasciare che il tuo corpo si raffreddi troppo durante le pause - è così che ti ammalerai. Pertanto, porta con te un maglione in lana (merino) o una giacca leggera in piumino per mantenerti al caldo. Non aggiungono quasi nessun peso extra al tuo bagaglio e sarai estremamente felice di aver portato qualcosa di caldo e confortevole. Buona Escursione! Con affetto,gli Scout Spanarna
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Adventure Gear Must-Haves: 10 Items Every Scout Packs for a Hike
From the base layer to snacks and entertainment, in this article we'll tell you about the ins and outs of adventure gear you need while hiking and camping in nature. Let's go! All hikers know how heavy that backpack feels on the second day of the hike. Especially after you have been exploring the woods for hours, somehow managing to get lost and end up walking 10 kilometers more than planned. If you don’t recognise this scenario, I envy you. In order to survive that part of the hike, where your legs seem to be disconnected from the rest of your body and your shoulders are screaming for a massage, we scouts live by the simple rule of 10 must-haves for adventure gear. With 10 must haves we eliminate the unnecessary gadgets and clothing that we can live without and leave our backpacks as light as possible. Throughout the years the list has gotten smaller and smaller and now it is as close to complete as it will get. 1. The Base layer Hiking anywhere can often be a cold or wet experience so wearing a warming, sweat absorbent thermal base layer is extremely important. We suggest a base layer of wool for the colder periods and a lighter base layer of polyester or netted merino wool (up to 15 degrees celcius) during the warmer days. Merino wool accessories can be worn basically all year round, because if its breathing, warming, stain-resistant and odour-resistant properties. Also, if you are one of those people who find wool particularly itchy, merino wool is a good alternative for you as it is softer and less irritating for the skin than other types of wool. 2. Water Bottles: How many a day? There is no use in even getting out there if you haven’t planned your source of water. Many national parks now have water stations where you can refill your bottle. But if you, like us, would rather hike where no one else has hiked before you, then you can simply boil up some lake or spring water to get rid of the bacteria and let it cool. Humans need at least 2 liters of water per day to remain hydrated, so that means 4 regular water bottles in one day. Ofcourse it all depends on the person and the intesivity of the hike, but two liters is the minimum quantity of water you need in a day. 3. Hammock Tents are long forgotten, the only proper way of sleeping in style and with maximal comfort is in a hammock tent. Also, if the weather is good, there is no need for a tarp over your head and you will get the most wonderful morning view. 4. Hiking Shoes Your feet are your most valuable possession (okay, well maybe not a possession but body part) during a nature hike, so you must take care of them by wearing proper hiking shoes. If your shoes are the wrong fit, or not properly worn in none of your other adventure gear will save you from the suffer - and the whole experience will be more painful than pleasant. 5. Extra Pair of Socks Again, if your feet are wet or cold you will be miserable - no matter how beautiful the nature is, it cannot make up for the fact that you would give anything for a hot bath and warm toes. Through years of experience and numerous ice-cold toes, we are careful to always bring at least one extra pair of socks. 6. Warm Sweater Hiking is a sweaty business, especially with a heavy backpack on your shoulders. To avoid getting too cold and subsequently ill it is important to have at least one warmer sweater that you can wear at night time or during breaks. Wool is the preferred material as it is very compact and light but at the same time extremely warming. 7. Dehydrated / Dried Food Okay, so dehydrated food might not be the most delicious meal you will eat in your life, but it will give you all the energy and nutrients you need without taking up half of your packing. Dehydrating vegetables and especially meat before heading to the woods is something that you can easily do yourself, it also makes it easier to portion out your food into ready meals that you simply mix with water and heat up when you are ready to eat. Most importantly your food will be about a hundred times lighter to carry plus it preseves for years, depending on the food, so it can be eaten on hikes to come for a long time (also a great saving tip). 8. Quality Sleeping Bag If you plan on sleeping outside in the nature, which is an amazing experience, you will definitely need a warm quality sleeping bag. There are not many experiences worse than getting a bad night's sleep during a hike because you are too cold. Thus, getting a thick sleeping bag and a sleeping bag liner is recommended. With a sleeping bag liner (which functions much like sheets) you can use your sleeping bag as a blanket if it gets too hot, or just keep the zipper open throughout the night. Plus the it's easy to wash and the bag stays in good condition longer. 9. Snacks If you are anything like us and get moody with low blood sugar levels, then snacks are a must. Trekking all day in challenging conditions and with meals carefully planned out and rationed, snacks quickly become your best friend - it will elevate your mood and give you bursts of energy when you most need it. Our favourite is a trail mix made of dark chocolate, a variety of nuts and some dried fruits. Cliff bars or flapjacks are also a good alternative - just make sure not to leave the wrappers lying around in the woods! 10. Hiker entertainment: Playing Cards Hiking for several days is fun! But it is also tiring and you'll need to take breaks - especially because it's too easy to stay up all night with hiking buddies. So bringing at least one set of playing cards with you on a hike is essential for a good time! It is not only cozy to sit around a fire with a hot cup of tea and play cards, it can also be a competitive and fun bonding experience - why not play a game over who gets to carry the trash-bag the following day, or over who gets to do the morning dishes? Love, the Spanarna Scouts
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5 Tips to Do Sustainable Shopping
I think we've all been there. Where: In the trance of cheap clothing joyfully wondering how on earth can this garment be so cheap and without further thinking we are already walking back home with it. But you are probably wondering: Where do these heavenly bargains come from? Here's the deal: In 1960s' 95% percent of the clothes in the US market were made in the US. Today the amount has shrunk to 3%. In 1981 British clothing and footwear industry imported only 29% of all it sold. By 2001 it was already importing 90%. In Finland only a handful of brands are still manufacturing in Finland and the amount has been shrinking down during the past years. And you know how the story continues... It's normal to want to look good Because it's human nature. Throughout history people have been communicating who they are through clothing. If you look at the different time periods, there's always been prevailing trends. This is normal to human nature. But we need to start understanding what has happened to the fashion industry and how we have become pieces of game to it. So we have to look deeper into Fashion Industry: Fashion industry today There used to be a fashion system of four seasons, spring, summer, autumn, winter. Today we have 52 seasons. Something new is coming into stores every week. It's not about people anymore. The way of productions looks only after big business interest. You don't fit into their thinking and neither does the girl in Bangladesh who works with a salary of 2 € per day. The goal is to make as much as possible as cheap as possible to collect the profits. The question is, do we want to be part of this game? 5 tips for more sustainable shopping Here are five tips to get you started with your more sustainable lifestyle: 1. Think before you buy Too often we end up buying new stuff just because we want it. Start thinking if you really need the thing you're about to buy or do you possibly have something similar already. If we can reduce demand by making smart choices and stop buying every other thing we see then eventually the supply will reduce as well. 2. Buy Second hand The best choice socially and environmentally is not to buy at all second best is to buy second hand. Why? Because it's already made. It won't use more resources for manufacturing it'll only wait for becoming landfill, unless somebody buys it again. 3. Made in where? A lot of cheap manufacturing happens in third world countries where people are mostly working in very poor working conditions. In 2013 Rana Plaza, an eight-story commercial building in Dhaka Bangladesh collapsed and caused over 1000 people's death and left approximately 2500 people injured. The cause? Cheap clothing! The factories have no choice but to make cheaper and cheaper clothes in a shorter amount of time than ever before. This directly results in neglected working conditions and salaries so low, they're not enough to have basic needs met. And to be frank, cheap clothing doesn't only have an effect on the people who make them but also on us buyers as we get poor quality clothing with cheap or even dangerous materials due to toxic chemicals used in the production process. By changing our shopping habits we can start the change towards a fairer and greener world of fashion. 4. How much? Usually cheap price implies to cheap manufacturing and therefore bad working conditions and other things we've discussed above. But there are expensive brands that also use cheap manufacturing and are guilty for same neglecting as their cheaper comparisons. That's why it's important to get to know the brand before buying from them. look for their social and ecological policies and get to know their supply chain. If they're doing things responsibly they usually are open about it on their website. There are social business platforms that help you to find these brands such as newly launched http://kehko.com/ that collects all kinds of social businesses from food to accessories. 5. Look into materials Pay attention to what materials your clothes are made of. While most materials we use on our clothing are somewhat harmful to the environment some are less than others. Most synthetic materials are derived from coal, air, water and petroleum whereas cotton as a natural fibre needs a lot of water to grow not to mention the GMO cotton that is very harmful to soil and people who have to work with it. Look for organic and recycled materials: For example jacket made out of recycled PET bottles is much better choice than jacket made out of raw polyester. Organic cotton might be high in water consumption but it's safe to farm and because it's GMO free the farmers can grow food in the same land and are safe from toxic pesticides and are not dependant on expensive supplies. There are brands that use recycled materials that are better for the environment for many reasons. The material is already there it saves a lot of energy and other recourses to reproduce such as water and oil and if nobody reused it, well then it would end up to landfill. Also: Look for certificates like bluesign, GOTS and Fair Trade for ethical and ecological guarantee. Lastly: Be smart with your consuming and ask questions. These two things will give you a good kickstart towards more sustainable lifestyle. Sources: Lucy Siegle, To Die For: Is Fashion Wearing Out the World, Fourth Estate, 2008 The True Cost - A Documentary Film. http://truecostmovie.com/
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