Plant based anyone?

We have mentioned many times before how Millican Dalton was somewhat ahead of his time, a forward thinker you might say. Leaving the rat race for a more sustainable way of living was not quite the norm back in the early 1900's, however that did not faze him.

He was also a strict vegetarian who lived off the land and rather interestingly he was not a fan of competition.

At least he would have enjoyed 50% of the following blog post...

You may have noticed that the previous blog post (bags and men made from iron) featured an image of ultra endurance athlete Rich Roll. Rich is a man of many hats - but most importantly he is a plant based ultra endurance athlete. By that I mean that his diet is compiled completely of plant based nutrition.

Rich Roll

Earlier this year Rich completed the EPIC 5 Challenge: 5 Ironman-distance triathlons on 5 Hawaiian islands in less than a week. He has been a top finisher at the Ultraman World Championships, a 3 day, 320 mile double-Ironman distance triathlon. That makes me feel out of breath typing it...

Although Rich's athletic achievements are remarkable, the story of his journey to healthier living is even more inspiring. On his 40th birthday, at 50 pounds overweight and out of shape, Rich took a self-inventory and wasn't satisfied. His milestone birthday triggered him to overhaul his diet and transform his mind and body.

Not bad for a 44 year old...

In 2006, not long after his 40th he became a dedicated vegan, put on his running shoes, grabbed his bike and jumped into a swimming pool. Not all at the same time...

Two years later and closer to 50 pounds lighter, he surprised the triathlon camp, ultra communities by not only becoming the first vegan to complete the event, but by finishing in the top 10 males, despite never having even previously competed in a single ironman distance event.

So what's it all about, was Millican Dalton doing right back then and we're doing it wrong?

The American Dietetic Association report that vegan and vegetarian diets can significantly reduce one's risk of contracting heart disease, colon and lung cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, kidney disease, hypertension, obesity, and a number of other debilitating conditions. Cow's milk contains ideal amount of fat and protein for young calves, but far too much for humans. And eggs are higher than any other food, making them a leading contributor to cardiovascular disease.

There are arguments for and against as always, but for me I still don't like the idea of going without my Weetabix in the morning...

Whether you are looking to make changes in your life or you just enjoy a good story, you will be inspired by Rich's journey to change.

P.S. If you have the time there is a great interview from Mind Body Green with Rich Roll.

Bags and Men Made of Iron

What happens when you type into Google 'which person needs a bag most?'

OK, so at this point your probably thinking that I have too much time on my hands or I need to get out more. And on both counts you’re probably right.

However, this is the very activity that fills me with useless knowledge about bags and carrying needs. On this occasion my thirst for useless knowledge was satisfied... who would have thought that bags are so important to iron-man distance athletes.

Rich Roll - Endurance athlete

Most iron-man races have a bag system for each transition. You load up a T1 bag with 'swim to bike' stuff and load up a T2 bag with 'bike to run' stuff. There is a 'special needs' bag that you can put anything you want in at the midpoint of the bike and run stage.

Understandably so, it turns out that on race day a 'special needs' bag comes in handy for a competitor. It also turns out that there is much deliberation and debate as to what one should carry in their 'special needs' bag.

Personally this makes an interesting topic as I have always loved the idea of completing an iron-man, but then having looked at the dynamics of the race I have taken the safer option of the sofa...

Photo courtesy of Paul Saulius Flikr

The 'special needs' bag can be an invaluable tool to see you well on your way to your target time and even better it. Having the correct nutrition and enough fluid is a fundamental requirement in completing an iron-man. Special needs bags offer an opportunity to restock on vital nutrition and also allow you to race without the weight of extra bottles, gels, bars and salts you will need on the day. I can't recall seeing too many Iron-man champions with a panniers bag strapped to their bike.

But as the saying goes 'different strokes for different folks', everyone is different. Some choose not to use the 'special needs' bag for nutrition and opt for extra tires, inner tubes and CO2 canisters and some opt out of the special needs bag altogether - I'm struggling to see the logic behind this one. As an arm chair iron-man I probably know what's best.

Pattern of Swimmers, photo courtesy of Wayne Levin

Triathlete Europe offer an interesting insight into what two iron-man distance athletes carry in their special needs bag.

Veteran iron man distance athlete Belinda Granger has completed 36 iron-man races and has been a winner of 14, it's fair to say that she may know a thing or two about 'special needs' bags. What she carries: bottle of Carbo-Pro and two PowerGels, four caffeinated PowerGels and five salt tablets.

Offering a different take is David Thompson, a rookie iron-distance athlete who debuted with a third-place finish at the 2010 Rev3 Full at Cedar Point. David suggests that you should try to limit what you carry with you and plan on picking up your 'special needs' bag if you can’t get what you need at the aid stations. What he carries: One high-calorie blueberry muffin, one Snickers (king size), one McDouble (frozen overnight) cut in half, two gels with extra sodium and caffeine.

I like the idea of a Snickers and a blueberry muffin...

Modern Day Millican?

"If Millican Dalton lived today, would he be allowed to live in his cave on Castle Crag?"

That's a question I'm often asked by customers and curious visitors to the stand when they learn about the life of simplicity chosen by our namesake.

My answer has always been "I'd like to think so" but now I'm not so sure.

A modern day Millican, otherwise known as "Driftwood Dave" is putting the challenge to the test.

For the last 25 years, he's been leading a simple existence in a stone built hideaway in Embelle Wood in the Exmoor National Park.

When he's not earning some pennies working as a gardener, he spends his days collecting litter to recycle from the beach, salvaging wood worn smooth by the waves or boiling his kettle on his home made stove for another pot of tea.

His tree shaded site on the edge of Embelle Wood Beach is a good hour's walk from the nearest road, well off the beaten track. Few people know Dave lives there, until now that is. Having discovered his hideaway, Exmoore National Park are now trying to make sure he makes no claim to the land, as it has been part of the National Park since 1974.

Let's hope they can all come to an agreement, so Driftwood Dave can continue to live a peaceful life with nature, harming no one, and the National Park can see him as a treasure, just like our very own "Self Styled Professor of Adventure".

This film from Matthew Entwistle, author of Millcan Dalton's biography (and the name behind Matthew the Daypack) takes you into Millican's famous cave and shows just the importance of local legends - those who've chosen another path to follow their passions and dreams.

Royal Highland 2011

As we were driving over the border to Scotland en route to our first Royal Highland Show in 2009, a couple of weeks after launching Millican, Nicky said "I certainly hope someone wants to buy some of our bags"

Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, as she passes our stand, 2009.

Two years on, and luckily some people have wanted to buy our bags, not only in Scotland but throughout the world online.

So we find ourselves packing up the stand gear and stock in the trusty trailer for the Royal Highland Show 2011. Thanks to the amazing organisers Mags and Anne-Marie, we've bagged a larger stand in a new location, number 623 on the teeming Avenue 13 opposite the Blacksmiths Forge. We're excited.

The Royal Highland Show is one of the largest agricultural shows in Europe now. On every visit, I marvel at the incredible collection of prize cattle, sheep, horses and other livestock as well as the craftspeople who display their skills.

It'll be great to see some of our old pals; Andrew The Balvenie whisky Brand Ambassador, who'll be bringing some delicious malts to sample on our stand; Angela Davidson and her husband Sandy, a real character we had the pleasure to meet at Burghley (who kept us entertained with his cracking one-liners). And of course, Gili with her own tweed and clothing designs at Gilinix.

Spot Andy (the waterbottle this time in good company)

And we'll have new friends to introduce ourselves - Adam the Suitcase, Keith the Writer's Bag, Ryan the Dome pack (son of Dave the Rucksack), Rob the Traveller and Ian the Camera Case. They'll all be making their first appearance to the nation. Every time we launch a new bag, it feels like letting one of our kids out into the big wide world.

Difference is, this time we know there are folk out there who really get what Millican is all about, love the bags and are truly loyal "millicanites".

So let the show begin!

Bodged Job

Always on the look out for new ideas and other carry needs, Nicky ventured to Gardeners World Live at the NEC this week with her Mum, Jenny.

The sun shone (in between the rain showers) as they ventured round the show gardens, stalls and veg plots in abundance. Nicky was on the phone to me when she suddenly cut me off - she'd just walked into the middle of a film set with none other than organic hero, Monty Don, wandering round the miniature replica of his very own Jewel Garden. A star-struck moment.

Next she bumped into a modern day Millican - a real life Bodger, who works out of his local wood on the Bolton Abbey Estate. His woodland shed and workplace have been recreated by Garden Designer Chris Myers, who won Gold and Best in Show Facade Garden for "The Bodgery"

I didn't have a clue what a Bodger was, but it turns out they used to work in woodland in the 19th and early 20th century. They used pole lathes to turn wooden chair legs, spindles and rungs for chair makers in towns.

The Bodger never made a finished chair himself and over time any uncompleted job became known as a "Bodged job". 

Just looking at the unfinished jobs in and around our house, I guess that must qualify me at least as a part-time Bodger ...

Jute Bags

Has the time come when using a polythene bag to carry your shopping is almost like wearing fur? Maybe not quite there yet...

The rise in popularity for reusable bags is certainly a welcome one.

A large quantity of reusable shopping bags are crafted from Jute (a shiny vegetable fibre produced from plants). Jute is one of the most affordable natural fibres and is second only to cotton in quantity produced.

There is also talk of some European countries banning polythene bags altogether which can only be good news for the environment and economies such as Bangladesh. Jute goods manufacturers in Bangladesh export around 1,000,000 shopping bags a month and is proving a major source to the countries income.

Photo courtesy of Dr Michael Delstein

We're all hoping the demand for natural, biodegradable bags will continue to increase as more and more retail chains around the world replace polythene bags with bio-friendly natural fibre bags. Here at Millican we do our best to make conscious environmental decisions when manufacturing our canvas bags.

Photo courtesy of R Zaman

At current the Bangladeshi government is pro-actively formulating a National Jute Policy which will include a duty-free export-processing zone for jute good manufacturers and offering flexible loans to small businesses to encourage growth in the jute sector. This will ultimately allow the country to obtain larger orders of bags that are currently being rejected due to the inability to provide importers with large quantities of bags.

There is no doubt that the reusable shopping bag has become somewhat of a fashion statement, but that aside everyone should have a practical functional shopper or tote bag to satisfy their carrying needs.

At Millican we love the idea of everything having a second use - the idea of a reusable shopping bag is close to our heart. I recently came across an interesting article on the Vahisht Broadcasting website titled the Reusable Bag. Interestingly they had some specific views on what a reusable bag should entail:

1. Easily folded flat, both for storage at the checkout counter and for refolding for the return journey.

2. Relatively inexpensive to produce, so the supermarket and grocery stores would use it in greater amount not worrying about their cost control.

3. Made of durable, sustainable materials that give the bag structure but also keep it lightweight.

4. Easy to carry, possibly in different configurations (traditional handles, over the shoulder, etc).

5. Has an appropriate strategy for end-of-life disposal when it is finally properly disposed of after a lifetime of good use.

6. Not only durable and long lasting, but also attractive, comfortable and classy.

This has certainly given us food for thought for future Millican products - highly functional and reusable. A couple of brands who understand how to make a shopping bag from jute is Apolis Activist and Wisteria.

Apolis Activist Market Bag

Wisteria Large Jute Tote Bag

So what we'd really like to know is, what's your perfect shopper?

Adam The Suitcase

When Millican was a mere twinkle in our eye, Nicky and I fell upon my idea of heaven - a shop in the heart of The Cotswolds crammed to the gills with vintage and "campaign furniture".

Inspiration wasn't the word .What ingenuity those travellers had, fuelled by the desire to travel the globe and still have all their home comforts.Why else would the expert carpenters of the day have created such things as wardrobes in a crate, a folding rocking chair, a carry your own wash bowl (with places for all your toiletries, shaver, soap and brushes).

There was a place for everything, and as Nicky's Gran used to say, everything had its place. Each item was highly functional, fit for the job in hand, but equally beautiful, aesthetically pleasing. As the travellers of the day would have required every item to fulfil their needs without spoiling their "little piece of England", wherever they ventured.

We've taken that to heart and each Millican bag is not only styled on a classic design that has proven itself over time, it is also highly functional, with a place for everything and, even if I do say so myself, very pleasing to the eye.

I love bags, and I especially love vintage suitcases. The sort that have clearly been used a lot - whether for train journeys up and down the country, or further afield on the ocean liners of the time. Just the weathered labels still stuck on the suitcase give a glimpse of the adventures the owner must have had. It's the stories behind each one that I find so engaging and intriguing. My mind starts to create romantic stories of bygone days and the people behind them.

Sometimes we find more evidence when we discover the contents inside some of the vintage suitcases we buy from auctions - a school cap with the name of a boy alongside an army beret with the same name. Already an understanding of the boy and then the man behind the case begins to appear. Fascinating...

So it will be no surprise that we have finally designed (and will soon launch), Millican's own version of a suitcase.

Introducing Adam the Suitcase.

Made using the same sustainable materials as all the other bags in the range, inspired by vintage suitcases, with all the functionality needed for a journey, and as this era dictates, still fits within hand luggage regulations.

We named Adam after Adam. A design genius with a Cumbrian heart, who we're fortunate enough to work with when designing our new products. He's at Pitti Uomo this week with his own brand of Herdwyck tweed bags, Cherchbi - hopefully another very successful show for him!

Adam will be joining all our other friends in August, and he'll make a sneak peak appearance online from July, to give you a chance to pre-order one.

Keith the Writer's Bag, Rob the Traveller and Ian the Camera Case won't be far behind him. More on that to follow.

P.S. Though Adam won't be available for Father's Day, Peter, Jonathan, Mark, Stephen, Les and Matt are all ready and waiting to make your Dad's day. Check them out here.

Liz in the Gobi

The contrast couldn't have been more stark, Keswick on a balmy June day or the Gobi Desert where Liz has spent the last few weeks with her fiance Chris battling against the wind and whatever else the desert threw at them.

We were packing for a relatively sedate (and very welcome) camping weekend with our pals from Somerset, while Liz and Chris were recovering in Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia. Worlds apart.

But after watching the video Liz sent through, the reality was brought to life of just how challenging the most recent leg of their NZ back to The Lakes, England cycle adventure had been.

 
 Simply entitled Liz in the Gobi, the first section is a film strip of shots of Liz, her trusty bike and the tent they call home (spot the Millican gas bottle cover if you can).

Remote, barren, stunning, overwhelming....just a few words that sprang to mind when watching her battle across one of the least populated areas in the world. The second half is a film of Liz, talking to the camera, telling it as it is.


Last time we saw Liz it was in a Lakeland hotel, by a roaring fire, discussing the latest tweaks needed for our website (Liz has been our web designer ever since the launch of Millican, and she helped us from afar as she cycled through Thailand and China). Now here she is, tanned, weary and wind-battered.

It's all for a great cause. Of course this is an amazing experience that Chris and Liz will no doubt cherish for a long time to come. But they're also pedalling half way round the world to raise much needed funds for Child's Dream, a charity created to support underpriviledged children in the Mekong Sub -Region.

Child's Dream focusses on educational infrastructure (nurseries, schools, vocational training centres and colleges), as well as health care programmes such as the Children Medical Fund. The charity also provide stationery to over 55,000 children all over the region.

Check it out and let us know what you think. And if you fancy donating to support Our Brave Pals, even better...

Tou-che Duffle Film

No doubt that Tou-che certainly make a beautiful duffle bag. Handmade in Devon, with 12oz waterproofed canvas with solid brass fittings and real leather. The result is a considered product that will no doubt improve with age.

This short film which has been taken from the website gives an insight into the bag itself and shows it off in a creative format. The visuals are really nice and a great choice of song from the Fleet Foxes.

www.tou-che.com

Bellroy Take out Wallet

Bellroy, known for their neat little videos which highlight the superiority's of their products have come up trumps once again with the ‘take out wallet’.

The take out is an innovative design which features a full size portfolio with a smaller detachable wallet inside. Crafted from ultra-soft vegetable tanned sheep hide, the zippered wallet holds cards, cash, coins, and whatever else you want to fit in there. But it gets even better; when you feel like travelling lighter, the middle section pops out, folds in half, and fits in your jeans pocket.

Check the video out and see for yourselves...

Bellroy Take Out Wallet from Bellroy on Vimeo.

Available through the Bellroy online store