• Mattress: The Love and Sleep Mattress by Nest Bedding is one of the most affordable non-toxic mattresses (a queen-sized mattress costs about $600). The mattresses are handmade in the USA and ship quickly.
• Comforter/Duvet: 100% Yak Wool Duvet by Healthline. Yak wool is ultrawarm & hypoallergenic. See this article for more details.
• Comforter Cover: 300 Threadcount Organic Cotton Sateen Duvet Cover by Coyuchi
• Sheets: 300 Treadcount Organic Sateen Sheet Set by Coyuchi or Magnolia Organic Cotton Sheets
• Pillow: 100% Natural Latex Pillow by OrganicTextiles
• Mattress Topper: Serenia Natural 100% Natural Latex Topper or Pure Green 100% Natural Latex Mattress Topper by Sleep On Latex
• Mattress Topper Cover: Sleep On Organic Mattress Topper (80% Organic Cotton, 20% Polyester)

All of these bedding items are non-toxic, and hypoallergenic (meaning they won’t trigger allergies).

The blankets and sheets are also thermal regulating (meaning they help your body at an optimum temperature).

I have all of the products in my bedroom and have enjoyed them over the years.

Why Choose Non-Toxic Bedding?

We spend about one-third of our lives in bed. So choosing the right bedding is quite important. Our body also regenerates itself during sleep, and we absorb substances through our skin and our lungs during this process.

To create a non-toxic bed we must ensure that the mattress, pillows, and sheets are free of toxins. Specifically, the aim here is to avoid:

• Fire-retardant chemicals (PBDEs)
• Formaldehyde
• Boric acid
• Toxic dyes
• Bleaches
• Pesticides & herbicides

Most conventional bedding contains many of these contaminants. Unfortunately, some chemicals are even deliberately introduced, such as the fire-retardant chemical PBDE (or “Polybrominated Diphenal Ether”). To buy a mattress in the U.S. that is free of the PDBE, you need permission from a doctor. This is even though PBDE has been banned by Europe, Canada, California, and the state of Washington.

It’s also a good idea to avoid synthetic materials. Natural fibers allow for changes in body temperature, because they do not reflect heat and because they can absorb moisture.

More Information

The rationale for choosing chemical-free, organic bedding can be found in the book Sleep Safe In A Toxic World (this book is a great source of information).

See also the activist website People For Clean Beds.

The post The Best Natural & Non-Toxic Bedding appeared first on Reactual.

In terms of heat retention and the ability to be used as filling, these are the warmest fibers by weight:

• Qiviut [Musk Ox Wool]
• Yak Wool
• Alpaca Wool
• Camel Wool
• Sheep’s Wool

For more details, see my article explaining why these wools are ultrawarm.

After testing duvets filled with Camel, Alpaca, and Merino wool, I found that Camel wool is indeed the warmest inside a comforter.

All of these wools contain no lanolin so they are hypoallergenic and odorless.

They have good moisture “wicking” properties. This means that moisture is absorbed by the fiber. This keeps sweat away from being released to the outside of the duvet.

This is the duvet I found to be the warmest:

The absolute warmest duvet on the market is the Qiviut duvet:

Alpaca Duvet

This Alpaca duvet I have tested and it is also very warm:

• Ave Maria 400 GSM Alpaca Wool Duvet/Comforter

The post The Warmest Wool Duvets (Qiviut, Alpaca and Camel Wool) appeared first on Reactual.

• Dell Latitude 14 Rugged Extreme — for outdoor adventures and construction sites
• Update: Dell has released the Latitude 5424 — an updated ruggedized Latitude laptop
• Lenovo Thinkpad 11e — a ruggedized business laptop
• Panasonica Toughbook CF-33 — a ruggedized outdoor laptop

A Laptop For Outdoor and Work Environments: Dell Latitude 14

If you need a laptop that can survive construction sites and industrial environmental hazards, go for the Dell Latitude 14 Rugged Extreme.  It is fortified by a magnesium alloy backbone and is compression-sealed.

The Latitude Rugged Extreme stands up to MIL-STD-810G testing. That means it can withstand Transit drop (72”,60”,48”; single unit; 78 drops), operating drop (36”), blowing rain, blowing dust, blowing sand, vibration, functional shock, humidity, salt fog (optional with rubberized keyboard), altitude, explosive atmosphere, solar radiation, thermal extremes, thermal shock, freeze/thaw, tactical standby to operational.

It has an operating thermal range of -20°F to 145°F and has ANSI/ISA.12.12.01 hazardous location certification, so it can be used in pretty much any environment on earth.

The Dell Latitude 14 Rugged Extreme is available from Amazon.

A Ruggedized Business Laptop: ThinkPad 11e

Lenovo’s Lenovo Thinkpad 11e has carbon-fiber frame lid, magnesium body and stainless steel hinges. The hinges are both flexible and durable, lasting longer than any other on the market. The Thinkpad 11e meets MIL-SPEC standards in 11 categories: high pressure, humidity, vibration, high temperature, temperature shock, low pressure (15,000 ft), low temperature, solar radiation, fungus, salt fog, and dust.

The Thinkpad 11e also features a spill-proof ergonomic keyboard. ThinkPads are renown for their comfortable keyboards, so they are great for extended typing. A backlit keyboard is also available.

Lenovo’s Thinkpad 11e is available from Amazon.

The post The Best Ruggedized Laptop appeared first on Reactual.

Brightest Bike Light: Niterider Pro 3600 Lumen Light

The Niterider 3600 Pro is a 3600 lumen light made in the USA. This light has two chambers, and each chamber contains three Cree XML LED bulbs.

Niterider have a great reputation, and I’ve found their lights to be very durable — they’ve survived a few falls onto pavement from my bike.

This light is very bright and projects a wide beam hundreds of feet. A unique feature of this light is the included DIY software, which allows you to customize the settings it to your needs.

Brightest Bike Light With Built In Battery

Note that the light’s beam is just too bright to use in an urban area, unless you greatly step down the intensity! If you feel you’ll be doing this, you might consider the 1800 Lumen Niterider or the 1200 lumen Niterider.

The post The Brightest Bike Light appeared first on Reactual.

The Brightest Keychain Flashlight: Titan Plus

I received this flashlight, and it’s very bright and solidly constructed. I personally carry this light on my keychain. But others might find it too large — if this is the case, I would recommend the compact ThruNite Ti3 (see below).

All Surefire flashlights are designed and built in the USA, although some components are still sourced outside the US. The company says:

We do import a few components – most notably, the finest light emitting diodes (LEDs) from top-notch manufacturers outside the country – to incorporate into our products. All of that said, we do rely on as many American-made parts and components as possible, and the assembly of these components is done under our watchful eye in the U.S. to ensure optimal quality.

The Titan Plus is available from Amazon for about $90.

The Brightest Compact Keychain Light: ThruNight Ti3

The brightest compact keychain flashlight, the ThruNite Ti3 shines with 120 lumens in its highest mode. This is a very small light — it’s only 2.76 inches (70mm) in length. Its body is a titanium alloy, and at 0.56 ounces (16 grams) — this makes it one of the lightest keychain lights.

The ThruNite Ti3 uses just one AAA battery and costs about $13. It’s fully IPX-8 waterproof — it can be submerged up to 2 meters.

Here is the ThruNite Ti3 in action on its highest mode:

Personally, it’s all the light I need to travel through the forest at night.

One negative for me — when the Ti3 is first turned on, it starts in “firefly” mode (.5 lumens), and it requires a couple of more twists to get it to”medium” mode (12 lumens). However, if you keep the light off between 2 to 10 seconds and then turn it on, the light will turn on in the last mode accessed, thankfully.

The ThruNite Ti3 is available at Amazon for around $14.

The post The Brightest EDC Flashlight (300 Lumens) appeared first on Reactual.

The Details

Ultraviolet light is the preferred light source of TV crime scene investigators on the hunt for body fluids. Distinguished by its trademark purple glow, it has a wavelength that is shorter than visible light but longer than X-rays, in the range of 10 nanometers to 400 nanometers. It is useful to make fluorescent substances glow that can’t otherwise be seen by the naked eye. Portable UV light used to be too unwieldy and expensive for consumer purposes, but that all changed after ultraviolet light emitting LEDs were introduced in 2006. They are now widely available in flashlight form.

These flashlights are most often used to detect fraudulent documents such as fake IDs, see watermarks, read invisible ink or investigate crime scenes. They can also be used to “fluoresce” scorpions and certain types of minerals, and charge “glow-in-the-dark” object like fishing lures. Use them to protect your businesses from counterfeit money and your home from pointy tailed pests.

Gallium Indium Nitride UV Flashlight

This Gallium Indium Nitride UV flashlight gets great ratings from Amazon buyers, so we thought we’d include it here. Reviewers were impressed by the flashlight’s durability, and the fact that it emits 365 nm UV light, which is at the very edge of our visible range. The light from this flashlight appears as a dim purple-blue to the eye, but when it shines on items that fluoresce they light up brightly.

It uses three AAA batteries — we recommend using low self-discharge AAA rechargeable batteries like Eneloop Pros in this flashlight.

The post The Best Ultraviolet LED Flashlights appeared first on Reactual.

This headlamp weighs just 1.1 oz (32 grams), or 2.9 oz (80 grams) with an AA battery and headband. This makes it a great choice for a runner or night hiker.

In most cases, you’ll want to use the 116-lumen “medium” mode — this is quite sufficient to light up a trail at night. The Zebralight H52 lasts about three hours in this mode, when using a rechargeable NiMH batteries like the Eneloop Pro. The headlamp is also capable of accepting a 3.7V 14500 lithium-ion rechargeable battery.

When in high mode (300 lumens mode) it lasts about 40 minutes. In low mode it outputs 27 lumens — this enough light to read a book in bed for example.

The maximum beam length is 66 meters.

The Zebralight H52 is waterproof to IPX7 — this means it can be submersed for 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter. This is due to its unibody aluminum casing.

Here are some more nice features on this headlamp:

• A battery capacity indicator (LED flashes 1-4 times)
• Automatic stepping down to lower output when battery (AA and 14500) capacity is low
• Over-discharging protection for 14500 batteries at 2.8V cutoff

You can find the Zebralight H52 (Cool White). on Amazon for about $74. Also available is the 280 lumen Neutral White (this version has 20 fewer lumens but a slightly warmed light).

The post The Brightest Single AA Headlamp (300 Lumens) appeared first on Reactual.

The Toughest Camera: Olympus TG-4

The Olympus TG-4 is a shockproof and freeze-resistant camera that will capture beautiful images in extreme environmental conditions. It works underwater, and can snap pictures in RAW with a wide-angle lens. See our full review.

The Toughest Tablet: Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 8.0

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab Active 8.0 is a rugged water and dust resistant tablet that can survive in rough-and-tumble workplaces. Enjoy the vibrant colors and ultra-high resolution of Samsung’s flagship line of portable electronic secured in a MIL STD 810G rated anti-shock case. See our full review.

The Toughest Laptop: Panasonic Toughbook 31

The Toughbook 31 combines military quality drop-shock protection and best-in-class performance to create the world’s best ruggedized Windows notebook. A full magnesium alloy case safe-guards a powerful touch-screen notebook from hazardous environmental conditions and accidental drops and blows. See our full review.

The Toughest Smart Phone: Droid Turbo 2

Frequent phone droppers rejoice — Motorola has created the world’s first truly shatterproof smartphone, the Droid Turbo 2. An innovative five layer plastic AMOLED screen and aluminum chassis keep the Droid Turbo functioning even after drops of over 900 feet. See our full review.

The Toughest Audio Player: Cowon Plenue 1

Audiophiles in search of a portable audio player with high-fidelity sound and durable construction need to check out the Cowon Plenue 1. This tough device forgoes cheap plastics for a diamond-cut aluminum chassis. The solid-metal frame makes this MP3 player the toughest in the field, and a Burr-Brown DAC gifts the discerning listener with great sound quality and diverse file support. See our full review.

The Toughest Headphones: V-MODA XS

Listen to music with the peace-of-mind that your headphones can survive the use and abuse of daily transit. The V-MODA XS offer hi-fi sound in a solidly constructed shell. It has a steel frame, detachable cloth braided cords and a headband that bends but doesn’t break. See our full review.

The Toughest Portable Charger: Unifun Waterproof Battery

Keep your portable electronics fully charged in harsh environments with this dustproof and waterproof external battery by Unifun. The lithium-polymer battery is water-resistant and protected by a hard plastic case and shock-absorbing rubber edges. Plastic cover seals the Unifun’s two micro-USB charging ports from water. See our full review.

The Toughest USB Drive: Survivor Stealth USB 3.0

Transport your files in aircraft-grade aluminum with the Survivor Stealth USB 3.0, a military-style data transport that can endure extreme environments. An EPDM waterproof seal keeps water out and a molded shock damping collar protects this USB drive from drops and crushing. See our full review.

The Toughest External Hard Drive: U32 Shadow

Edit HD video and store your files on the U32 Shadow, a compact Solid State Drive housed in a stylish and durable aluminum case. Store up to 256 GB of files and run them through USB 3.0 at a speed of up to 400 MB/s. See our full review.

The Toughest Keyboard: Topre Type Heaven

Discover the joy of typing on this luxurious Japanese keyboard, the Topre Type Heaven. The solid, heavy design features electrostatic capacitive key switches at an affordable price point. The Topre Type Heaven will win over any typist with its satisfying tactile feedback and silent stroke. See our full review.

The Toughest Mouse: G602 Wireless Gaming Mouse

Get over 20 million clicks with the G602, a wireless mouse with 11 programmable buttons and a crazy long battery life. The G602 is outfitted with mechanical switches to increase lifespan and uses Delta Zero Sensor Technology for ultra-accurate cursor control. See our full review.

The Toughest Compact Flashlight: Titan Plus

The brightest and strongest ultra-compact flashlight is the SureFire Titan Plus. This flashlight that shines with 300 lumens at its highest setting — more than enough light to illuminate a forest trail. A nickel-plated brass body gives rugged protection that brushes off scratches and prevents corrosion. See our full review.

The post The Toughest Electronics appeared first on Reactual.