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Can you believe that the United States has produced more plastic in the past 10 years than the entire last century?! In Los Angeles alone, the Pacific Ocean is polluted with 10 metric tons of plastic per day.

As an intern at Rocky Mountain Wild, I expected that I would be filling in some odd jobs. Like most internships, my job description ends with those familiar words, “and other duties as assigned.”  Luckily, one of those other duties is the opportunity to go into high-elevation alpine environments to help Megan Mueller, our Senior Conservation Biologist, with her research on pikas.

Activism never ends; there’s no time for sleep, no time for fun and games. You’re either in or you’re out. And if you’re out, you’re in the way.

No, this isn't what's said in the community. But it's what we often feel - that we must exceed everyone else's expectations.

If you haven't heard the name Tyrone Davis Jr. before, just wait...there are big things on the horizon for this fella!

Simply Straws was started by the Sladics family, who were on a mission to provide safer and more sustainable alternatives to plastic straws (basically the coolest family ever!)

Sunski is a killer combination of adventure, style, and social responsibility.  Launched on Kickstarter in 2012, the company makes high-quality shades, perfect for any outdoor adventure.  Each pair is polarized and comes in a durable travel box!

Have you ever wished your adventure wear came with a little more style?

The peeps over at Third Eye Headlamps bring style and practicality together to deliver you outdoor gear that’s a little more “you”.

If you’re looking for an easy way to transition into a more eco-friendly lifestyle, then you are in the right place!

Brush with Bamboo was founded in California by the Kumar family. They consistently make efforts to live sustainably, including the development their own organic permaculture garden that produces 5,000 pounds of food annually. The idea for a bamboo toothbrush rose out of their desire to shift to a zero-waste lifestyle, and reduce the amount of waste ending up in our oceans and landfills.

Back in October, we ran our first ever Kickstarter campaign to launch a brand new bag design called the Premji Backpack. As part of the campaign, we offered a reward level that not only included two bags, but also an all expense paid trip to join Ethnotek on a fabric sourcing trip to India. We were honored to have not one, but two awesome backers pledge at that reward level! 

Some good friends of ours have been building something absolutely powerful over the past 10+ years and we want to tell you all about it!

If there’s one thing we’re passionate about here at Ethnotek, it’s keeping culture alive! In honor of our recent launch of the new Akan collection, we wanted to take the time to share some fascinating information about Ghana’s culture and history.

Here at Ethnotek, we love exploring, learning and immersing ourselves in new cultures and experiences. This definitely includes the great outdoors!

We asked a few of the ETK staff which national parks from around the world they loved or had a special place in their heart for, and we have a few fun stories to share! We hope you enjoy, and be sure to let us know your favorite national park or outdoor location - we’d love to add them to our future travel plans!

So you’re getting ready to plan a trip! The number one concern when it comes to travel for many people is the financial bit. Not everyone was born next to a tree full of money, nor does everyone make six figures a year. Does this mean you can’t travel the world? Of course not!

Warm weather is on the way, which means many campgrounds will be opening again, if they are not already open. You can check recreation.gov to see when federally-owned lands are open, what campsites are in your area, and book reservations.

Springtime symbolizes rebirth, newness, shedding of old skin, and moving forward towards a new year, new life, and well, lots of new things! Around the world, cultures celebrate the renewal of life after winter per tradition and ritual.

Taking pictures is not only a daily part of life for nearly everyone these days, but taking photos while traveling is an important part of making meaningful and lasting memories!

Hand-woven textile. Antiqua, Guatemala

We want to take you on a journey through the history of the Maya - the ancient communities who used to inhabit Mesoamerica and most of the Chichén Itzá peninsula of what is now current-day Mexico and part of Guatemala.

So, you’re preparing for your first solo trip!

Whether you are taking off to Europe for a few weeks, or just heading out on the road for the weekend, traveling alone can be scary, exhilarating, lonely, enlightening, and more. That being said, many people have come up with their best ideas while traveling alone - just like our founder, Jake, did while he was on a solo motorbike trip in Vietnam, he came up with the idea for Ethnotek!

Have you ever been on an adventure and forgotten something important, like a phone charger? These days we all have smart phones; we all have a camera or two; however, it may be hard to know what is best to take when traveling?

That depends on how you are traveling: by car, plane, foot? International or domestic? Short-term or long-term?

Who doesn't enjoy a quick weekend trip? Often times, a two or three night getaway is just what the doctor ordered to refresh your mind and it’s always fun to experience a new place.  

It’s also easy to overpack or underpack when you are not going to be gone for long. So, we’ve made it easy, and broken things down into warm weather and cold weather packing!

There is speculation among experts about the true origin of batik, but mummies in Egypt have been discovered with etchings and patterns on the cloth used to wrap bodies.

The word, "batik," is Malayan (the written language of Indonesia and Malaysia) which means, "to write," or "to dot," and is part of the process of creating the designs and patterns you find on batik textiles. 

The Northern Hemisphere marks the first day of winter and happens between December 21^st and 23^rd at which time religious holidays such as Christmas and Hanukkah are celebrated in addition to cultural celebrations of the sun returning. The first day of winter is the longest night of the year, after which point the days grow longer and the nights are shorter. Because so many cultures base celebrations and festivities around the suns' energy, we had fun researching a few lesser-known celebrations to share with you. So grab some cocoa and learn something new with us! 

Shopping consciously is something that is incredibly important to us, not only as a brand but also as individuals. 

Even if you buy just one person a gift this year that is sustainability made, has a positive environmental impact, and well-being for others in mind, you are making a positive impact. Small changes matter! There is a shift happening in our world and as a collective species, humans are becoming more aware of their impact, and that is incredible! 

An Interview with our featured Artist: Shay McAnally   

Can you tell us a bit about your background, where you draw inspiration from and how culture weaves into your work?

Hey Tribe!

We’ve got something exciting coming, just in time for the holidays!

Water is one of the most important foundations for life on earth, that is why we’ve committed to doing our part to helping the Water Protectors in North Dakota and their work towards preserving clean water, and we are proud to announce that our Ethnotek team in Germany have joined forces with Viva con Agua to help bring water to those who need it most!

By now you have probably heard about what’s happening at Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota: an oil pipeline is being built over protected land and will also go under the MIssouri River, which is a source of water to over 18 million people, including the Native Americans who live on the Standing Rock Reservation. The construction also requires the desecration of sacred sites and burial grounds to the Sioux Tribe.

 A small Standing Rock Sioux site in North Dakota called the Sacred Stone Camp has been propelled into the national news narrative following their stand against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Due in part to independent media coverage of the ongoing standoff, the Sacred Stone camp has grown into a formidable opposition against the $3.8 billion, 1,200-mile long pipeline.

Since our artisans are the reason we do what we do, we’d love to take some time to give a bit of background on the processes that our partnering villages use. In total, we offer three textile techniques: batik, weaving and embroidery, so let’s not waste any time and dive right into the batik process!

Hey Tribe, Adina here! 

I’m the graphic designer and visual storyteller for Ethnotek and I'm here to dig a little deeper into our third artisan process - the art of embroidery. 

Ethnotek Tribe member and photojournalist, James Pham, accompanied the Ethnotek team this year on a visit to the Cham village in Vietnam to celebrate the Kate Festival with their weavers and friends. For a unique and unbiased perspective, we asked James to write about his experience and share some photos. He was happy to oblige... Enjoy!

We couldn't be more thrilled and honored to be featured in this month's publication by the Textile Institute! 

The Textile Institute is a unique organisation in textiles, clothing and footwear. It was incorporated in England by a Royal Charter granted in 1925 and is a registered charity.

Here at Ethnotek, we are so thankful for you, our customers, the Ethnotek Tribe. You are a powerful bunch! You've tagged us all over Instagram and Facebook, you've shared your adventures and journeys with us, big and small, at home and on the other side of the globe.

You guys and gals, our beloved Tribe, have always loved the textile designs that are featured in our bags, which originated with the Champa Kingdom and are woven in the Binh Thuan & Ninh Thuan Provinces of Vietnam... In the name of increasing demand for the artisans so they can grow their family weaving businesses, we listened carefully to your feedback for inspiration to think of new ways to increase demand even more! 

If you read the last blog you know we've got some surprises up our sleeves this holiday season and here's one of em... Ladies and gents, meet the Padu Pouch. We made it just for your accessories - whether you want to store chargers and flash drives, or pens and pencils, or makeup brushes and eyeliner - the Padu Pouch will make it easy to keep everything in one spot.

Remember the last couple blogs where James Pham helped us spread the good word on Ethnotek, the story of how we began and about our mission as a whole? Yeah, he's the man, and now it's his time in the sun!

Experienced and avid world traveller, photographer and journalist, James Pham, took his Vietnam 5 Acaat Messenger for a test drive and wrote about it for Oi Magazine Vietnam. below is the break out of his review. Enjoy! 

This month we made it into print with Oi Magazine Vietnam and we couldn't be more excited!!! This is one of very few times we've been in print and not only is it crazy to see our story in physical form, it's a deeper dive than most of our other reviews! Journalist James Pham discovered us and came to Ethnotek Founder and Head Designer, Jake's studio in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for a quick interview... Which then turned into a four page spread for Oi, a product review and a partnership to do a written piece for the Cham community, complete with one-on-one interviews with the Inra family and partaking in the annual Kate Festival. Yup, there's lots of excitement around this project that we could talk about for ages, but for now, we'll just let you read the Oi article. It's a good one, enjoy!

Tribe member, Matt King, just took his Guatemala 4 Raja Pack on one heck of an adventure to Lombok. Not only did Matt put his Raja through it's paces, he talked about it as well. See his product review below...

Our Tribe in Seoul Korea now has a place to call home for all things Ethnotek.

Drop in and support Vita at: 229-64 YeonNam-dong MaPo-gu, Seoul, S Korea.

Big love to Singapore Tribe member Pamela Ho for the shout-out on her travel blog this week! Check out an excerpt below...

Tidbits is the essential tool for the style-conscious modern woman. They cover what's chic and locally-owned in their cities, and they only cover what they love. Cheers to Minneapolis Tidbits for the shout-out last week prior to our event at featured retailer Cliche! Read more below...

Excellent Adventurer

Ethnotek bags stand out from the pack with their colorful, globally inspired woven designs. It's the college in Boulder, Dead Head loving, frizzy hair, festival going you, and the grown up, running a company from a laptop at an indie coffee house and adventure traveling in Costa Rica you, all rolled into one durable backpack. The bags themselves are made out of a sturdy, water-resistant nylon, and then dressed up with interchangeable front panels, called Threads, that are created from textiles handwoven by artisans in villages around the world—Guatemala to Ghana; Indonesia to Vietnam.

Our Tribe sends it!!!

This week's proof of that is a story from our friend and fellow Tribe member Andrew Seymore. We like to think of his last name as being spelled 'SeeMore' because this dude does exactly that. He works hard as a High School teacher in Saigon, Vietnam and with what little free time he has, he dedicates it all to seeing more...life is short people, and I think we all can take a page from his book in how to maximize free time as free people should. 

Join Anywhere But Home's "Nomad" Naomi as she chats with Founder Jake and asks the tough questions. From Naomi:

Ever wanted to get under Ethnotek’s hood? I have. The first time that I heard about Ethnotek, it caught my eye for a number of reasons: a company that supports local artisans? Intrepid travellers running the show? A mission to ‘keep culture alive’? Yes please. As a lover of travel and of the web of artistic heritage from around the world, I was intrigued and wanted to get in on spreading the word about its mission. But first, I had to do my homework - Ethnotek’s ideals might be there, but is the reality?

Diwali has come to a close, and the Ethnotek crew is full of good vibes. Diwali feels good. It celebrates all of the things we hold most dearly as a community, namely connection and celebration of culture. Sure, we can learn a lot about the historical significance of this holiday and its cultural traditions from the numerous sources, but in order to truly understand how the cultural traditions play out in modern India we thought it'd be fun to talk to one of our favorite Tribe members to see how her family celebrates in Mumbai. Check out the below, and enjoy!

Join Tribe member Brooke as she shares her story, her passion and energy for all things adventure and the great outdoors, and her love for Bali and Batik...

"You don't really conquer a mountain. You conquer yourself. You overcome sickness and everything else - your pains, aches, fears - to reach the summit." - James Whittaker   

Check out Tribe members Kim and Kyle Vines on their blog, Wandering Vines.

I went to Moksha yoga tonight for a Hatha Yoga class at 9pm. Kitty was teaching. Moksha has a vibe about it. Something special. A rad space. Philly D, the owner, has become a friend in the few short months we've known him. He lives out the Moksha mission so authentically and when you find that in a fellow small business, it's refreshing. Moksha has 7 pillars...a set of ideas and philosophies they aim to live by as a community, and you can feel that. The 7 pillars are: Be healthy, Be accessible, Live green, Sangha support, Reach out, Live to learn, Be peace. Dig it.

Remember the gal on the homepage with the Vietnam 5 Dep Tote and rad, handmade Kiboots (we've written about Kiboots before)? And our "Pack Your Bags, See The World" t-shirt model? Yep, that's Hennessy. Not only has she modeled for us, but she's also a close friend of the Tribe and likes to rock not one but two Ethnotek bags in her everyday - and not so-everyday - adventures: the Indonesia 7 Dep Tote (she was a lucky gal to snag the only one we made!) and the Ghana 16 Raja Pack. 

After Tribe member and close friend/advisor Pierce McNally read Marie Malinowski's recent article in The Examiner (in regards to the 'how' and 'why' behind our direct trade business model), he felt inspired to weigh in on the topic of conscious consumption. Here's what Pierce has to say...

Thanks to Tribe member Marie Malinowski, whom we met this past January at Winter Outdoor Retailer, we were recently featured on the Examiner.com with a focus on our broader story: how we work with our partnering villages, the 'why' and 'how' behind what we do, and more. We're humbled by Marie's words, and we're also full of gratitude to see that our media friends continue to spread the good word about Ethnotek with a focus on our artisans and their time-honored craft.

Tribe Scribe here. It's National Bike to Work Day in the States, and we thought we'd invite close friend, Tribe member and Tribe Shaman (ambassador) Joshua Foss to make a Tribe cameo on the ETK Blog today, in honor of the day and in honor of living a more thrivable life. I know you'll dig his message and his vibe as much as we do. Check it out...

"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother. - Abraham Lincoln

This statement couldn't be more true. As you can imagine, the importance of motherhood runs deep in our Tribe. Many of the artisans in the villages we partner with around the world are mothers, and Tribe member Arushi has commented on how strong the role of women is in Bhuj - where the weaving process starts and ends with the women of the Tribe. That's special. The women of the Tribe are special, and we wouldn't be here without them. This statement holds true for our own mothers as well. Today we are full of gratitude for them, because without their undying support and love, Ethnotek wouldn't be possible. Today we are counting our many blessings, and taking time to express gratitude to the mothers in our villages, and our own mothers. 

Once upon a time there was a girl named Kayt. And a boy named Jake. They grew up together and chased each other around the soccer field. Literally. Verdict's still out as to who was chasing whom. They built forts and dreamed up mysterious make-believe lands in the shrub and woods behind the soccer fields when they were just six years old. The story goes that Jake (Founder and Design Shaman) and Kayt grew up together and remained friends, each growing in their creative pursuits - Kayt as a graphic designer and business owner extraordinaire and Jake as a bag designer and business owner extraordinaire - and all the while, Kayt has followed Jake's journey with Ethnotek and vice-versa. 

Despite the gloomy weather in both Vietnam and Minnesota, it's been an epic spring so far and the team at Ethnotek is getting very excited for the coming months - we have a lot of of good things coming the Tribe's way in 2013. We've also been full of gratitude to see that our media friends continue to spread the good word about Ethnotek in the most radical way: with a focus on our artisans and their stunning, time-honored craft. See below for features from our friends at Gear Junkie, The Examiner and Adventure Mom and join us in spreading the good word!

We were first introduced to Tribe members Nikki McGee and Melanie Ford's idea to tour South America (with a focus on Chile) when we were in Salt Lake City at Winter Market Outdoor Retailer this past January. With massive amounts of energy and passion, Nikki (who is originally from Minnesota and a longtime friend of Founder Jake) told us about The Female Frontier... 

That's right, Tribe...it's Swag for Stories time! 

This past Tuesday we introduced "Tribe Tuesday" with some Swag for Stories fun. Tribe Tuesday is all about appreciation of our Tribe...highlighting what our Tribe is up to with their packs, sharing stories of the Tribe from the road, and showing our gratitude with things like the chance to snag some free swag! 

Namaste Tribe! Greetings from India!

I’m sure most of us have either climbed up hills and mountains (or trees!) to be awestruck by the view from the top, or travelled to far off destinations to marvel at things. But how many of us have ever felt like that on a daily basis?

We came across this image and the story behind the Osani Circle Game a few weeks back on Tribe member Emilee's Facebook wall, and it definitely caught our eye. For obvious reasons. The story that was circulating the social media world differed a bit from the story we found when we dug a little bit deeper. In each of the stories we found, though, we learned something. And, in the spirit of celebrating and promoting world culture, we thought we'd take the time to share it with our Tribe. Here goes. 

This ETK Blog post is brought to you by Cori Orak, via the Tribe Scribe. Cori was the first official member of the Tribe, and is Founder and Head Bag Designer Jake's leading lady. Cori has been Jake's muse in many respects, and thus has been extremely influential in the design process. We are beyond-honored and happy to welcome Cori as a guest writer on the ETK Blog. Cori's perspective on life in Vietnam is invaluable, and she shares the same passion for cultural appreciation, social responsibility and sustainability in this time-honored craft.

Now that we've had some time to settle back into life in Minnes(n)o(w)ta, I'd thought I'd sit down, take a deep breath, and share with our Tribe the stories of our travels out west to Winter Market Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City, Utah. Better late than never, right?! Sure thing. Here goes (worth it, I promise)...

Have you ever heard of the Minoans? How about the Lenka – at least their direct descendants are still around. What about the Shan people. Of these three cultures, the Shan are still here, there culture is somewhat intact, but they are struggling to maintain it. The Shan history is long and troubled but it is recent history that has seen the Shan homeland split across international borders, into Burma and Thailand.

As the Ethnotek crew gears up for another trip out to Salt Lake City to hang at the Salt Palace for Outdoor Retailer round 2 - the Winter Market variety - we take some time to take a breath and get excited about everything our small team has been working on. You may remember our team's last trek to Utah - it was our first foray into the trade show world, and we had a blast.

Happy 2013 to our Tribe members around the globe! As we, the Ethnotek crew, reflect on 2012 - we realize we have a lot to be thankful for...here are just a few of the many highlights: we were featured in The Huffington Post, powerful connections were made, we enjoyed our first trade show foray at Outdoor Retailer (and the misadventures along the way) and met some inspiring, like-minded people behind socially-responsible businesses, our Tribe community has grown to over 2,000 fans on Facebook, we launched the Acaat Messenger, Wayu Pack and Dep Sleeves for iPad and iPad mini...and so, so much more. 

What's up tribe, Rambling Shaman here, back from a long hiatus and more inspired than ever!

Amidst helping write the closing statement for the Ethnotek 2013 catalog, (which we just sent to the printer today, stay tuned) we happened upon a link to what photographer George Steinmetz has been up to and had to take some time to appreciate the truly unbelievable sites around the world that he's had the pleasure of documenting in vivid color. 

Our friend Jade over at Uncommon Gear put the Guatemala 1 Raja Pack to the test and man, were we excited to read her review! Here's an excerpt from her write-up:

In the midst of all of the busy-ness of the holiday season, and the excitement around our new, limited-edition Ghana Raja collection, the crew here at Ethnotek is taking the time to step back, take a deep breath, and reflect on all of the blessings in our lives. This past year has been incredible for us. We have so much gratitude for so many reasons. So, we thought we'd take some time to start a list of the things we're thankful for, and encourage you to dream up your own list. 

Our limited-edition Ghana THREADs are back, and better than ever! Join us this week on facebook, as we learn about the Ghanaian textiles in our Letters from Ghana series.

OH MY GOSH!! Not sure if you've seen the news yet, but we were featured in The Huffington Post this week! Must have been a Diwali, Festival of Lights, gift. 

This brings us joy. Co-Founder Jake couldn't have said it better when he said, "It means a lot to our little mission, and to me personally, to receive validation from the Huffington Post on the topic of socially responsible business and sustainable practice." 

We are beyond-excited to announce our collaboration with Mehdy Ghannad, from The Hostel Life. Mehdy has been a friend of the Ethnotek crew for quite some time, and as backpacking travelers ourselves, we back his mission 110%. 'What is The Hostel Life?' you may ask? Allow me to explain. 

Every so often, the Tribe surprises us with some pretty sweet snaps with their packs, from around the world. In today's post, we wanted to feature a few of our most recent favorites, and thank all of you Tribe members for sharing with us! Enjoy the journey... 

On this Saturday morning, as I sit here and and sip espresso from my Snow Peak titanium camping mug, The Holstee Manifesto has snuck into my mind once again, and intertwined itself in my thoughts...consuming my brain. And, I think to myself, 'what a lovely thought to consume my brain.' So I watched the Holstee Lifecycle video again. And then I read the words on the poster. Again.

Not too long ago, the Tribe Scribe told the story of a very brave 14-year-old Pakistani girl, Malala Yousufzai in the Let's Hear it for the Gals post. Simply put, Malala is our hero. Her mission is a mission we support with every ounce of our being. And I know it's silly, but when I was thinking about Malala and her beautiful passion for her mission, Beyonce's empowering 'Girls (who run the world)' started playing in my mind (hence the article title).

Today I was reading National Geographic's Adventure Blog and happened across their Ultimate Adventure Bucket List 2012.  If anyone could do an article like this justice it's National Geographic (I must admit, I'm biased, I've had a subscription since I was a 2nd grader and have wanted to be a NG photojournalist since I opened my first issue, so I think they are the best at just about everything).  To make this list of 20 once in a lifetime adventures, National Geographic reached out to a few of their friends, 20 of the worlds top extreme athletes (being National Geographic, they have some crazy cool friends), to share their dream adventure.  What they've pulled together is a so-crazy-it-makes-you-sick-just-thinking-about-it bucket list.

Neither can we. In today's blog post, the Tribe Scribe asks y'all a very important question (okay, maybe it's not that important, but it's intriguing and starts our day off on the right foot - pun intended - nonetheless): can you skip without smiling?! 

Is it just me or are there a lot of inspirational stories flying around this week? From the world record skydive by Felix Baumgartner (24 miles, what?!?) to celebrating "International Day of the Girl", I can't help but start to get the feeling that anything is possible. 

Last week Jake gave us all of the Ethnotek Bags' eco-friendly gossip from Vietnam. That was fun, and oh-so-cool. We were inspired and all fired up about the recent eco news straight from the source in the sample room. And then, the Tribe Scribe taught us all a lesson about the notion of 'Less Stuff, More Happiness'. Man, has the Tribe been getting schooled lately, or what?! We're doing our best. Along the lines of these insightful posts, I wanted to share with you a thought-provoking documentary called 'WASTE LAND'. Two words: watch it. And one more, NOW. Watch it NOW.

Shopping consciously is something that is incredibly important to us, not only as a brand but also as individuals. 

Even if you buy just one person a gift this year that is sustainability made, has a positive environmental impact, and well-being for others in mind, you are making a positive impact. Small changes matter! There is a shift happening in our world and as a collective species, humans are becoming more aware of their impact, and that is incredible! 

What's up everyone, head designer Jake here, reporting live for the tribe from hot and sweaty Saigon. Now that I've been close to the sewing needle and knee deep in THREAD fabrics for about a month now, I figured it'd be a great time to reveal some cool bag related details that you might not know about. A lot of you beautiful people have been getting behind our socially responsible mission, and now more than ever, we've been receiving questions about eco-design considerations and if we take any measures to be responsible in the green way as well. The answer is 'absolutely YES'! Or at least we try our best. Some of them are just buried deep within the bag construction. Here's the inside scoop.

Something is brewing at the Ethnotek HQ! The excitement has been growing - and overflowing - over the last few weeks as we've been prepping for a beyond-rad-and-meaningful campaign on the horizon (more to come on that). And you, our Blog/Facebook/Twitter Tribe followers, are the very first to know about it. So, join us and share the news loud and proud! 

First off, you probably didn't think of Minnesota as an adventurous place (Or maybe you don't know where Minnesota is? If that's the case, Google is your friend). Boy are you wrong. Hang with me, I'll prove it. 

The Ethnotek Crew are a bunch of curious folks.  We can't help ourselves.  When we see people carrying a pack, we want to know what's in there (and most of us are really not shy, so if we run into you, we'll probably ask you).  We are especially curious when we see backpackers.  Being on an extended travel means having to carry your whole life on your back.  And so, that begs the question, what are those can't-live-without-it items that make their way into travelers packs?    

The time has come to reveal the name behind the bag! As you all know, we recently launched the newest member of the ETHNOTEK product family the Wayu Slim Pack. Aside from it's many features and THREAD interchangeability, what gives the bag so much soul and life is the man and sourcing experience behind the name. So who is Wayu? Wayu (pronounced 'why-oo') is the kind hearted, adventure seeking, futsal playing person who introduced us to local culture in Surakarta, Indonesia. He was also our main mode of transportation the three weeks we bounced around between several Batik workshops scouting the ideal ETHNOTEK fabric.

As you probably know by now, Team Ethnotek experiences some pretty gnarly and incredible (mis)adventures. Most recently, one of Team Ethnotek's Tribe Scribes traveled with her Raja Pack to the Czech Republic and Holland on a journey to make new friends and keep the old. And let me tell you, new friends were made and old friends were enjoyed over a conversation and some kava (that's 'coffee' in Czech for those of you non-native Czech linguists). From the City of 100 Spires (Prague) to a quaint fairytale town (Český Krumlov) to a land full of gorgeous canals, super-cyclists and tulips (Amsterdam), this Raja Pack soaked in as much Euro spirit and adventure it could. While in the Czech Republic, the Raja Pack sported its Printed-Ghana 6 THREAD, but for Amsterdam it took a change of pace donning its one-of-a-kind Peruvian THREAD, sourced while on a recent trip to the Amaru Village in the Pisac District of Peru.

Huge thanks to our friends at Bless This Stuff for their review of the Wayu Slim Pack! If you haven't been to their blog, they review all things men drool over, such as technology, wear, living, culture, sports, vehicles and more. Expect good things from these dudes, their updates are always fresh and unique. 

Our bags and their designer just got off the boat from Southeast Asia perfectly in time to announce the release of the new Indonesia 5 THREAD. Come meet our Indonesian friends, learn about the Batik process and see Jake falling out of a box. Enjoy!

ETHNOTEK tribe member Alexa, recently shared a fascinating article with us about the T'boli people of the Philippines which gives an in depth look into their unbelievably complex process and spiritually imbued T'nalak textiles.  

Our good friends at Bless this Stuff have supported us from the very beginning and just featured the new messenger bag on their blog. Thanks again guys, you're the best!

This is an exciting time for us because we just grew our company by one wildly creative person and travel companion. He prefers to remain anonymous for some reason, so we assigned him the nickname “the Rambling Shaman” (Rasham for short). Please help us welcome him to the ETHNOTEK team as you will be hearing a lot from him over the next few years. Rasham was hired on as travel writer, photographer, sourcing assistant and anything else we’d like our new gofer, I mean good friend to help with. Not only does he have a view askew of the world, but he also has almost the same amount of bag design experience and as many stamps in his passport as our Founder and Chief Designer Jake, so he’ll be able to relay all the technical terms that are needed to describe our process as well as contribute some creative inspiration while we’re planning new collections from the road.

Socialbusiness.org and its partner groups are dedicated to raising awareness of social businesses around the world. Their dream is that everyone will choose to work for a social or environmental business in the future, and that starts first with awareness.

Carryology puts our ETHNOTEK backpack under the microscope this week. Check it out here: http://www.carryology.com/2011/08/26/road-test-ethnotek-backpack/

The bag was reviewed by experienced Softgoods Designer James Jeffrey. This guy really knows his stuff so we're quite relieved to have made the grade. James is an Aussie living and working in London as a Freelance Design Consultant. If any of you are looking for a pro bag designer, look no further. http://www.jjid.info/

One Day on Earth - Motion Picture Trailer from One Day On Earth on Vimeo.

Check out these awesome 8" x 12" block prints on rice paper from Hội An Vietnam. Thanks to ETK tribe member Cori for gifting them to us! They came from the artisan's hands at Reaching Out Handicrafts: http://www.reachingoutvietnam.com/