Not often would I write about bottled water. I'm more of the mind that you should refill a metal (or non-BPA poly) bottle with filtered H20 from the tap. But Project 7, an outfit in Southlake, Texas, has a new twist on the (recyclable) plastic bottle game. Namely, the company (www.project7.com) has pledged to address "the seven most critical areas of need in the world today: Build the Future, Feed the Hungry, Heal the Sick, Help those in Need, Hope for Peace, House the Homeless, and Save the Planet."

To that end, the company says it will take more than 50 percent of profits from its products to create a community piggy-bank. Throughout the year, the company will accept applications from nonprofits that benefit one of the aforementioned seven causes, eventually selecting three finalists for each to award the money.

Regardless of sales during its first year, Project 7 has committed to donating $15,000 to nonprofits supporting each of the seven areas of critical need, totaling a minimum donation of $105,000 in 2009.

The water -- which comes in recyclable polyethylene terephthalate bottles filled with locally-sourced water -- will soon be available at coffee shops, health food stores and grocery chains around the United States. Go here -- www.project7.com -- for more info.

Wenger, a brand known mainly for its Swiss Army Knives and sport wristwatches, last month launched a line of shoes promising “superior performance and incredible comfort.” Working with Established Brands, the worldwide footwear licensee for Wenger, the company unveiled eight shoe models that include features like spot-welded seamless interiors, antibacterial insoles and liners, and contoured footbeds with cell pattern padding for air circulation and breathability.

According to Wenger, the outsole on all of the models adjusts to hot and cold environments to offer better traction. Price range is $95 to $170, and the line will be sold in sporting goods and outdoor specialty stores starting this month. Here’s a look at three stand-out models. . .

Above: The Shiltorn is a lightweight, low-cut athletic shoe that employs the company’s Temposit sole, a rubber formulation that adjusts to adapt to the climate, hardening in cold weather and getting softer when it’s warm. A seamless interior and mesh upper adds comfort for long treks.

Above: The Eiger is a mid-cut hiking boot the company says absorbs impact to reduce foot stress via something called the Spydraflex Outsole, which dampens and displaces impact outward rather than up the skeletal structure of the shoe. It has a waterproof membrane booty to keep your foot dry in puddles and snow and a one-piece leather upper.

Above: Wenger’s Vitznau is marketed as a “performance crossover shoe,” meaning you can use it in town where style counts or on the trail. It has a seamless interior and a lightweight but high-traction outsole, according to the company.

See the full Wenger footwear line at www.wengerfootwear.com

My story this week for Travel+Leisure — “Do-It-Yourself Digs” — covers a subset of science-based trips that are participatory expeditions and get-your-hands-dirty digs. The Warren Wilson College archaeology field school, in Morganton, N.C., as one example, offers sessions that put attendees on the site of a 16th-century Spanish fort. You dig and brush at the dirt to find pottery and tools at the earliest European settlements in the interior of what is now the United States.

Other trips are more exotic, including an expedition run by the Earthwatch Institute to Chile’s Atacama Desert, where one person I interviewed came face-to-face with a mummy. Not the Hollywood kind, but a real, long-gone hunter-gatherer. The body was wrapped in a grass mat, skin still intact, resisting rot for centuries in the antiseptic dirt of one of the driest places on the planet. “It was right out of the pages of National Geographic, just mind-boggling to see,” said Carl Schweser, a retired university professor.

“Major discoveries are not uncommon,” says Jeanine Pfeiffer, a program director at Earthwatch, which facilitates more than 4,000 volunteers a year. These volunteers have discovered a “trophy” ancient Wari warrior skull in Peru, an Inca solar observatory, and an “Argentinean fossil treasure trove” that revealed a new vertebrate life-form that existed in the Late Triassic period.

Some adventurers hire private guides to dig in out-of-the-way places, while families and day-trippers can find more accessible programs. In the United States, several research sites are open to the public, including the Pioneer Trails Regional Museum in North Dakota. This museum and hands-on field school offers amateur paleontologists the chance to help at a dig site for dinosaurs at the price of $100 per day.

See the full story and a list of “Do-It-Yourself Digs” at http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/do-it-yourself-digs

That famous pink bunny powered by batteries has rolled into the outdoors arena. Energizer’s e2 Lithium headlamp, unveiled at a consumer-electronic trade show in early 2008, is an interesting new entry into the now-crowded product category. The solid little light has an aluminum lamp case and an LED that delivers up to 100 lumens of brightness (140 lumens in a boost mode, as per the company’s spec).

I tested the headlamp on several nighttime hikes this month, and it provided a bright, clear light that created a wide window of virtual daylight. I was impressed with its adequate brightness and peripheral range: The lens has a super-wide setting that illuminates a giant circle of nighttime air, providing a full field of vision (as opposed to a tunnel of light or a beam). This light doesn’t reach as far as the focused beam of a Princeton Tec Apex or a similar model, though for hiking and easy biking after dark the Energizer e2 Lithium gives more than enough light, stretching about 150 feet outward and 75 feet wide in a strong bubble of light.

Bonus: Energizer added a few features I’ve not seen on many other headlamps, including interchangeable battery packs (you can use AA or AAA batteries); a red-light mode for map reading at night (it won’t wreck your night vision); and a tiny blinking green LED on the battery case to provide easy location of the headlight in a dark backpack and to allow your fellow hikers to see you on the trail, even when your light is turned off.

Ergonomically, the e2 Lithium felt fine. That is to say its fit was average — not extremely comfortable but for the most part unnoticeable. Small cord-routing plastic clips on the webbing can rub a bit weird if the unit is worn too tight.

It weighs 6.3 ounces on my scale with its AAA battery pack, which is an average weight. Energizer (energizer.com) ships the lamp with two sets of its Ultimate Lithium batteries, purportedly “the world’s longest lasting AA & AAA batteries,” according to the company. These batteries do have some advantages in the outdoors, too, as they are good in temps ranging from -40° F to 140° F.

Energizer touts the e2 Lithium headlamp as “hands-free light for the most extreme outdoorsmen.” I’m not sure I’d go that far. But this light is an admirable new entry into the headlamp game. It is high quality and solid, and its wide, clear and white LED window of light illuminated with aplomb as I hiked down the nighttime trail.

Price: $54.99

Available at www.brightguy.com or www.opticsplanet.net

(Stephen Regenold writes The Gear Junkie column for eleven U.S. newspapers; see www.THEGEARJUNKIE.com for video gear reviews, a daily blog, and an archive of Regenold’s work.)

In this third look at the latest gear from the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market trade show I have uncovered stylish sunglasses made for fishermen, water shoes that look like skate shoes, and a luxury rooftop cargo box from Thule that will sell for $800. . .

H. Toad Cayo

This techy T-shirt can take you "from trailhead to summit and taco stand to dance floor." That's according to ***** Toad, which commissioned this everyday shirt to be constructed with a proprietary fabric called DynoSoar that is made from 85% recycled poly Dri-release and 15% organic cotton. DynoSoar feels like cotton but has performance properties for wicking, drying, comfort and odor control. $54; available February 2009; http://www.hornytoad.com

Thule Excellence Roof Box

Advertised as "ultra premium," the Excellence rooftop cargo box from Thule has 18 cubic feet of capacity and touches like struts, stiffeners and a high-gloss two-tone finish. Its main innovation is in its looks, which Thule says can complement the lines of a higher-end vehicle, which is the market. Made for SUVs, crossovers and mid-size vehicles, the Excellence box is sleeker, lighter, and more aerodynamic than much of the competition. The box comes with a customized lid cover to shield from the elements during storage to help maintain a newly-purchased appearance for years. $799.95; available March 2009; http://www.thule.com

Marmot Wool Half Zip

Marmot cites the Half Wool Zip as offering "a glimpse into the future of base layers." That future apparently includes lots of sheep and a few coconuts. Indeed, with its unique combination of natural and synthetic fabrics the top employs the latest version of Polartec Power Dry with wool on the outside layer to keep you warm even when wet. The inside layer is polyester, which Marmot cites as being comfortable next to the skin and highly breathable. Last, the polyester fabric is fused with fibers derived from coconut husks to add odor management, wicking and sun protection. $85; available this fall; http://www.marmot.com

Gregory Diablo with Bio-sync

As part of a new line of eight lightweight trail packs with "Bio-sync suspension," the Diablo moves as your body moves, according to Gregory. Made for running, hiking, cycling and other aerobic sports, the Bio-sync suspension system uses elasticized attachment points at each shoulder harness and on the waist belt that the company says can mimic the wearer's body motion during activity. The pictured Diablo pack (called the Dipsea in the women's version) is a six-liter pack with just enough space for water, food and a layer or two. A notable feature: the "tube management system" is made so that after a drink your hydration hose will snap back into place on the shoulder harness automatically with the aid of a powerful embedded magnet. Just don't get your compass too close to that small force field. $59; available January 2009; http://www.gregorypacks.com

Inno Kayak/Canoe Locker

Load and lock down your kayak or canoe with this unique lockable strap system rack. Rubber-coated steel cable straps ratchet around your craft and lock with a key. Capacity is one kayak or one canoe and up to two wind-surfboards or up to three surfboards. $229; available now; http://www.innoracks.com

Smith Mogul

Made for fishermen, the Mogul comes in "fishing-specific" lens tints and is available with "polarchromic" lenses that shift when the ambient light changes outdoors. It has polarized glass lenses with a hydrophobic coating on both sides of the lens to keep splashed water from smudging your view. An anti-reflective coating is applied to the inside of the lens to eliminate backlit reflections from bouncing into the user's eye. Light-blocking temple arms and a distinguished chrome logo badge complete the Mogul look. $159 (polarized), $179 (polarchromic); available now; http://www.smithoptics.com

Teva Gnar

Borrowing more from the skate culture than the boating world, the Gnar is engineered to perform in the water. Features include a tacky rubber outsole for grip on slick stone, a closed-cell EVA tongue that absorbs no water, and mesh panels for drainage once you step out of the creek. $80; available in January 2009; http://www.teva.com

Stephen Regenold writes The Gear Junkie column for eleven U.S. newspapers; see http://www.THEGEARJUNKIE.com for video gear reviews, a daily blog, and an archive of Regenold's work.

The Outdoor Retailer trade show is a twice-annual gathering in Salt Lake City where journalists and buyers preview the latest in outdoors gear, gadgets and apparel. I just returned from Utah, spending three days trekking the show floor. Here are a few items that caught my eye, a preview of what's to come in outdoors shops circa 2009.

Big Agnes Slide Mountain Series

Campers tired of tightening rain-fly guy lines gone loose might be intrigued with Big Agnes' incorporation of the Boa Lacing System into a new series of three-season tents. The company has added Boa knob-based tensioning -- a feature often found on footwear the likes of snowboarding boots -- to enable campers to create a taut rain fly from inside the tent. Just reach up from your sleeping bag and twist. Tiny cables connected to the fly pull the fabric tight as you reel the line back onto a spool. Slide Mountain tents start at $499.95; available in spring 2009; http://www.bigagnes.com

Mammut Verglas jacket

The Swiss-designed Verglas jacket, a soft shell made for all-around use, is one of several new pieces to feature a finishing treatment from Schoeller Textiles purported to make dark colors feel lighter than wearing white. Called Coldblack, the treatment reduces heat build up and keeps the wearer cool while offering protection from the sun’s harmful rays, according to Schoeller. $279; spring 2009; http://www.mammutusa.com

[http://www.mammutusa.com]

Brunton BrewFire

Brunton calls BrewFire "the world's first portable, duel-fuel coffee maker." It's just like your coffee maker at home, but this one is fueled by the same propane or butane cartridges used in camping stoves. Just put your coffee grounds of choice in the filter, add water, turn the knob and flip a switch. In ten minutes you have eight cups of steaming hot java. The double-walled, vacuum-sealed stainless steel carafe keeps your coffee hot for 2.5 hours, the company says. $99; available in February 2009; http://www.brunton.com

Injinji Rainbow Toe-Socks

Reviving the classic rainbow toesock, Injini touts these COOLMAX-fabric toe huggers as "retro fun in a smart, high-performance sock, ideal for active outdoor adventures." The Rainbow toesock incorporates Injinji’s patented construction, which recently received the American Podiatric Medical Association’s Seal of Acceptance. $14; available in February 2009; http://www.injinji.com

http://www.injinji.com

Bilt Stainless Steel water bottles

Metallurgically, I may be a bit inept. But if it means anything to you, these Bilt bottles are made with a "premium food-grade Korean type 304 stainless steel containing 18% chromium and 8% nickel." I think that's good. The company says this material was chosen for its consistent quality and performance characteristics of not leaching chemicals, staining, corroding or rusting. Bilt bottles are available in several sizes, shapes and colors, starting at $16. http://www.bilt.ca

Light & Motion Seca

Touted to be "the first LED bicycle lighting system to make good on the promise of besting the top HIDs on the market," Light & Motion's Seca line of LED bike lights will provide models with output up to 700 lumens. VERY bright, in other words. And at that output Light & Motion specs five hours of burn time between battery charges. (Burns times up to 20 hours are achievable at a lower brightness setting.) Multiple light pattern modes let you put the Seca's beam right in front of your wheel or blast a ray of powerful light down the trail, piercing the darkness up to 200 feet ahead, according to Light & Motion tests. Three Seca models will ship next year, with prices starting at $349; http://www.bikelights.com

Yakima LoPro Skybox

At 15.5 cubic feet, this cargo box was made for consumers with tall vehicles, low garages and/or those looking for a low profile, space-saving solution. But here's the kicker: This cargo box has a built-in solar-powered light that automatically illuminates the SkyBox when opened for better visibility inside. $649; available at retail by Jan. 2009. http://www.yakima.com

Crazy Creek Beach Backpack Chair

Advertised as a "super-comfy, lightweight outdoor seat that can be carried anywhere," Crazy Creek's Beach Backpack Chair has padded backpack straps for transport. Nice touches include height and length adjustments, a swiveling footrest pad, adjustable headrest, and a drink holder.$99; available in early 2009; http://www.crazycreek.com

Patagonia wool base layers

Wool for warm weather is the premise behind Patagonia's spring 2009 collection, called Wool 1. The company is pitching the line as "officially the lightest wool baselayer on the market today." Made from 63% merino wool (16.5 micron fiber) and 37% recycled polyester, this soft, stretchy fabric combines wool’s natural odor control and insulating properties with polyester’s durability, stretch and speedy dry time, the company says. http://www.patagonia.com

ZYM Catapult

Pop it in your bike bottle and wait for it to fizz. Then drink. That's all there is to downing the electrolytes and other athletic enhancers in ZYM Catapult, a new hydration product that includes 100mg of caffeine and B12 vitamins. The result, the company claims, is a concoction that "fights off dehydration, fatigue, muscle pain, and lactic acid build-up." 10 tables cost $8.95; http://www.drinkzym.com

(Stephen Regenold writes a daily blog on outdoors gear at http://www.gearjunkie.com)

As most of you readers know, Critical Mass is an event held on the last Friday of every month in cities around the world, including Minneapolis where I live. It is a protest and a show of solidarity where bicyclists take to the streets en masse. Originally founded to draw attention to how unfriendly cities were to bicyclists, the event has featured arrests, bike crashes, brawls with motorists. . . and change in the way bikes are viewed (e.g., as viable city transportation).

Last month, reporting on a story about Critical Mass, I pedaled for more than an hour in the July 25th Minneapolis ride. It was an intriguing experience, with the entire spectrum of the cycling demographic represented, including moms and kids, commuters, messengers, a couple mtb’ers, male roadies (with shaved legs), and female anarchist types (with hairy legs). Oh, and we had 28 cops on bikes pedaling along with the pack to keep things in line. Squad cars were circling and revving their engines, honking, blocking off intersections for us when we pedaled through the busiest parts of town.

It was a bit odd, as the event started with some tension between the riders and the cops, but later everything eased. Bystanders and people in cars cheered more than they honked or yelled. The group blocked traffic as it tootled along at maybe 6mph, and after an hour the event, to me, began to feel more like a parade than a protest. That’s when I left.

Now, I’m not 100 percent cool with Critical Mass. “Don’t **** where you eat” comes to mind for me, as Minneapolis is among the most bike-friendly and tolerant cities on the planet to pedal two wheels. On the other hand, a couple hours each month to show some solidarity as cyclists who have a right to be on the road is not such a bad thing, either.

I’ll write a full story on the Mass experience soon. But today I leave you with the below sequence, a few screen shots from a video of a Mass rider treated wrong in New York on July 25.

Ready!

Set!

Slam!

According to gothamist.com, this scene—where one of New York’s finest violently shoves a cyclist off his bicycle, launching him through the air to the curb—happened at 46th street and Seventh Avenue.

Although a judge ruled in 2006 that the monthly Critical Mass bicycle rides could proceed without a permit, the NYPD’s stance remains somewhat adversarial, according to Gothamist. Police have been ticketing cyclists during the ride for such infractions as not having the required lights.

The report said the knocked-down rider, Christopher Long, an Army veteran who works as a grocer, was arrested, held for 26 hours, and charged with attempted assault and resisting arrest.

Fortunatly, it now looks like the police officer in the video—a 22-year-old man named Patrick Pogan—has been stripped of his badge and gun and the NYPD has “placed the officer on desk duty pending the outcome of a department investigation.”

The cyclist has not commented, but his lawyer said, “The video speaks for itself.”

Go here for the full story: http://gothamist.com/2008/07/28/cop_caught_on_video_assaulting_cycl.php