Dehydration's the obvious problem for most walkers in summer, butdrinking too much water, in an attempt to compensate, can actuallykill you according to a report on the deaths of three US militaryrecruits.In each case the servicemen drank more water

Interesting article in yesterday's ObserverMagazineasking, 'Doenvironmentally friendly outdoors jackets exist?'The news from the nationals isn't all bad. Gore-Tex and other PTFEmembranes, are chemically inert and non-toxic, points out Lucy Siegle

reputation on all three counts, particularly in highlyconcentrated form, and has been linked to skin irritation, toneurological effects in a small number of cases and is toxic to birdsand aquatic life. Finally DEET can damage synthetic fabrics and plastics

and weather resistant clothing a water-resistant finish or DWR (Durable Water Repellency). In addition, they're found in membranes based on EPTFE like Gore-Tex, eVent and Teflon.They are, in very simple terms, says Greenpeace, toxic chemicals

tentpoles? Fleece - sounds like it comes from sheep, actually is derivedfrom the petro-chemical industry? How about the wicking treatmentsused on base layers? Water repellant chemicals?All those industrial processes are pumping out chemicals and byproducts