I'm very particular about what I strap to the outside of my backpack. I don't want anything heavy swinging around to distract my cadence, especially when I'm peeling off significant miles. Gear strapped needs to be lightweight and of the utmost necessity (e.g. tarp, hat, suntan lotion).

Bethany over at DIY Life recently highlighted a new, intriguing product that fits my ultralight hiking standards and makes for a greener footprint, too. The new LightCap 200 by SolLight is a 2.6 oz cap that screws onto any standard wide mouth water bottle to create a solar-powered lantern. No more lantern batteries to carry, no dripping candles to burn. Four SuperBright LEDs offer six hours of light on a full charge. Unscrew the cap from the bottle and you've scored a mini-flashlight, too. The cap costs $19.95 -- photo from www.sollight.com.

The arrival of this new product couldn't be more timely. By now you've likely read about heightened concern surrounding water bottles (e.g., Nalgenes) and other products containing the controversial chemical BPA (bisphenol A). BPA is linked to a host of ailments in animal studies. Major retailers are shunning some BPA-tainted products, and Nalgene amazingly announced last week they will no longer be manufacturing water bottles with BPA. Turning your old BPA water bottle into a solar-powered lantern is a good solution. I know I'd be willing to snap this solar cap on my pack.

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Anti-bisphenol A (BPA) consumers are shouting so loud, the manufacturing king of the popular Nalgene water bottle is finally listening. Consumers are snapping their wallets shut to BPA water bottles, and major Canadian retailers, the likes of WalMart Canada and Sears Canada, are pulling the BPA plug. It's looking like the market has forced Nalge Nunc International's hand to pull the chemical.

Nalge Nunc International announced today it will substitute BPA-free water bottles to replace its Nalgene Outdoor line, made with the controversial chemical. Over the next few months, bisphenol A-containing Nalgenes will be pulled from stores. The announcement is hardly out of the blue. The National Toxicology Program just stated concern over BPA's link to changes in behavior and the brain, early puberty and possible precancerous conditions in the prostate and breast in animal studies. Canada is likely poised to declare BPA toxic.

I'm not surprised by Nalgene's official PR dance surrounding the issue. The company's GM stated Nalgene believes their BPA-containing products are safe -- the new move is in response to customers requesting BPA-free alternatives. Environmental groups have been alarmed about BPA for years. Multiple animal studies link BPA to a host of ailments. Yet in the end, money talks.

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Julie's Health Club recently wrote about the rising health concern over polycarbonate plastic (e.g., Nalgene). I first heard the buzz a couple months back when an acquaintance recommended my kids stop drinking from polycarbonate plastic water bottles. She said research is linking this type of plastic to hormone problems. My son sips from a kid-sized Nalgene every day during kindergarten snack.

Now Globe and Mail reports Canada's largest specialty outdoor-goods retailer, Mountain Equipment Co-op, is pulling polycarbonate plastic food and beverage containers from its shelves over health concerns. Polycarbonate plastic is made from bisphenol A (BPA), derived from petrochemicals and said to mimic estrogen. Independent studies have tied this chemical to illnesses potentially triggered by hormone disruption. Bisphenol A-makers state their research proves the chemical is safe.

According to Globe and Mail, Health Canada is embarking on its own assessment of the controversial chemical, with preliminary results due next spring. Mountain Equipment is following the controversy, and stated that concern over bisphenol A has risen among a portion of the company's membership. The retailer, with about $222 million in annual sales, charges a membership fee to customers.

Wow. When a retailer that large makes such a bold move, I am paying attention. I, too, am pulling that purple Nalgene out of my son's snack bag. To remain on the safe side, I will be purchasing water containers without bisphenol A. Nalgene does sell containers without the chemical, and I just wrote a post the other day on SIGG aluminum water bottles -- a choice to consider. SIGGs do not contain bisphenol A -- see this letter assuring this fact from SIGG USA's president, Steve Wasik, which I linked to via SIGG's frequently asked questions section of their website.

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Now that I've signed Think Outside the Bottle's pledge to not imbibe in eco-UNfriendly bottled water anymore, are there any other portable water containers out there other than Lexan plastics (e.g., Nalgene)?

Consider a SIGG aluminum water bottle. Not only is the reusable design environmentally-friendly, but if you're a hydration king or queen regularly toting H20 to the gym or around town, SIGGs are 10-20 percent lighter than Lexan. These taste-neutral puppies will last for years -- Backpacker magazine ranked the SIGG "The World's Toughest Water Bottle" in 2006.

Most intriguing to me are the 144 SIGG water bottle designs with 22 interchangeable lids. For under $20.00, you can find the perfect SIGG fit gift to match anyone's style this holiday season. I've included a load of SIGG styles in the photo gallery. Photos from www.mysigg.com.

Fit Gifts: Hydrate in style with a SIGG aluminum water bottle(click thumbnails to view gallery)

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