The Grand Trunk Goods Parachute Nylon Hammock is versatile for trekking, backpacking, adventure, travel, beach and backyard relaxing.  They are perfect for a simple relaxing afternoon and easily transition into a fully functional light weight sleeping system with minimal effort.  When paired with our all purpose rain fly and sleeping bag you can sleep confidently in the most adverse conditions.  No worries of water in your tent or finding a flat place to sleep.

The Grand Trunk Hammock comes in two sizes. Single weighing in at 16 oz and the Double at 20 oz  The double supports up to an amazing 400 pounds. All hammocks are “SUPER portable, comfy, easy set up and dissemble”. You can choose from a variety of colors and patterns including tie dye, Prints, and a multiple of color combinations.

Order yours now in the: Hammock Store

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If you’re a hammock aficionado, we know you’re probably dreaming up the next travel adventure where you can hang your hammock and relax after a day of hiking, climbing and other outdoor fun. As fellow travelers and adventure enthusiasts, we know that there are guide books and websites galore out there to help you plan. But beyond the typical travel guide, there are lots of great adventure stories that may be of interest, as well. Which books will inspire you the most, and be the next best thing to taking your own brave and improbable journey? We’re so glad you asked.

Vagabonding by Rolf Potts reached instant classic status…well…more or less instantly upon its release in 2002. Potts’ gorgeous prose is both a how-to and a call to action for anyone who’s dreamed of long-term travel, especially those who’ve decided wistfully that it may be out of reach. Vagabonding has been the nudge many people have needed to stop making excuses and start preparations to hit the road and wander, for months or years at a time.

The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard and Endurance by F. A. Worsley are captivating first-person accounts of expeditions to Antarctica in the second decade of the twentieth century. Life-or-death stakes with relatively primitive technology have been keeping readers of these books on the edges of their seats (and hammocks) for decades, and with good reason.

The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition by Caroline Alexander is an enthralling contemporary (1998) supplement to Worsley’s book, and includes jaw-dropping photos which had not been previously published. Once you’ve seen pictures of the ship, The Endurance, helplessly trapped in ice, you will never forget them or the story.

On the Road and The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac brought the idea of a new kind of road trip into American consciousness and literary history. In Kerouac’s “spontaneous prose” style, the former documents four cross-country treks fueled by sex, drugs, and jazz, undertaken by the alter egos of the author and his muse, the notorious Neal Cassidy. The Dharma Bums begins mid-adventure with a freight-hopping scene. Much of the book is devoted to riveting and lyrical descriptions of hiking and mountain-climbing trips with a thinly disguised future Pulitzer Prize winner for poetry, Gary Snyder.

A quick reminder: when you find that these books have filled you with so much inspiration and verve that all you can do is to pack your bags and head for the airport, don’t forget to put your hammock in your luggage. It would be lonely without you.

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The hammock has always been a symbol of leisure, relaxation and easy living. The exact origin of National Hammock Day is unknown, but it is known that Hammock day is not a day for work. Hammocks were originally developed by native inhabitants of Central and South America for sleeping. The first hammocks were woven out of bark from a “hamack” tree, hence the name. Later this material was replaced by many different fibers that were more abundant.

Hammock’s are used all over the world and for many purposes. Not only can you use a hammock as a great afternoon lounge spot, but many people use hammocks as their everyday bed. In fact, hammock’s are proven to help people fall asleep faster, as well as improving sleep quality. The gentle rocking motion of a hammock encourages a deeper state of sleep than sleeping on a stationary bed. Now, who wouldn’t be interested in that? As if that wasn’t enough, here is a list of six benefits of sleeping in a hammock:

1. Faster Sleep
2. Zero-Pressure Points
3. Deeper Sleep
4. No More Bed Making
5. Hammocks Are Good for Your Health
6. Comfort
7. If you think about it, hammocks have a smaller eco footprint in comparison to a tent or another form of camping shelter. Less fabric and materials go in to making a hammock than most other shelters or sleeping systems out there. Not to mention if you sleep in a hammock, off the ground, you are saving the vegetation below, as well as protecting yourself from the elements, bugs and wildlife.

So when July 22nd rolls around this year, and every year, take a few minutes to sit back and unwind on a hammock. Let the benefits and relaxation take over your busy mind and just simply “hang out.”

Happy National Hammock Day!

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Calling all Grand Trunk fans! Our favorite holiday, National Hammock Day is quickly approaching and what better way to celebrate than a photo contest filled with $3000 worth of prizes!

How can you win? Upload a photo of your Grand Trunk gear and get your friends to vote. The 31 photos with the most votes will win! Don’t have Grand Trunk gear? Show us a picture of where you would travel with your gear if you had some!

How do you enter? There are three different ways you can enter to win the contest:

1. Facebook Tab

2. Use the hashtag #GrandTrunkNHD and tweet us a picture @grandtrunkgoods.

3. Use the hashtag #GrandTrunkNHD and tag us on Instagram @grandtrunkgoods.

 What are the prizes?

Winners will be announced on July 20th… Just in time to celebrate National Hammock Day!

Grab your camera, your favorite gear and get ready to win!

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Through the end of the weekend my mindset shifted a little bit more towards school, since I had to tour and complete a museum worksheet for class, somehow register for class and figure out housing for my next semester at Mount Union, on top of having a spanish class final. Luckily there was another day off of class towards the end of the week because there was yet another strike going on at campus. I still am confident in saying that I have seen more strikes in my first month in Alicante than I have in my entire life. The Thursday of the strike also marked the day my mom and two brothers touched down in Spain! Yes, it was very sad news that my dad couldn’t get off of work for long enough and the fact that it worked out so perfectly for my family to arrive on the day of a national strike. Did I mention that it was April 1st as well? Maybe it was a whole joke that my family was coming to visit? I guess with limited access to wifi and no phones I would have never known if their flight had been cancelled or not, but luckily they made it to Hotel Mexico pleasantly.

My family planned to tour Madrid per some of my recommendations, visit the Palace and some museums, but definitely took advantage of things I was unable to see or that they stumbled upon. On Sunday they took one of the last 3-hour train rides from Madrid to Alicante, where I waited to see my brother sherpa lugging all the overweight bags my Mom managed to bring in addition to his own. I can’t complain of her packing though because she brought me a few things, in addition to some gifts for my host family. Barbecue sauce and hot sauce were a huge hit! Noting that the barbecue was gone within a week and now my host mom puts hot sauce on everything. These things I was really craving, since in Spain they don’t seem to comprehend the idea of a rich Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ and an actually spicy hot sauce!

The afternoon my family got into the train station, my host mom, sister, and her boyfriend waited with their cars to load up the luggage and drive to the Gran Sol, the tallest hotel in Alicante right along the port, where my family stayed. I rode with my host mom and sister, translating spanish back and forth as my mom was clinging to my arm excited to see me! Word of mouth says that my two brothers did exceptional in talking to my host sister’s boyfriend for the ride, but I find it hard to believe. The very same night my whole family and host family all went out for tapas together at a wonderful restaurant called Nou San Blas. They got a taste of some traditional spanish food like patatas bravas, calamares, among other things. The night was definitely a challenge for myself since I was constantly switching back and forth between speaking english and spanish translating! My head was pounding at the end, but the whole night was a magical moment, two families being united through my study abroad experience, with completely different backgrounds.

The first few days my family was in town I was still in school before spring break and had to take a Spanish for Business exam, but I was able to bring one of my brothers to our final rowing class in the port. Many people were already headed off on vacation so my brother and I were able to use a two-seater, much faster and more fun that the 8-person boat!

While I still had class I was able to enjoy the city with my family, who made homemade sangria everyday. Since I live with a host family I don’t get to go out to eat much, but took recommendations from some of my friends living closer to the barrio, or downtown bar/restaurant area. One night we went to a Chinese restaurant that serves spring rolls the size of burritos, 3-courses, dessert, and drink for about 6 Euros. Great deal, normally with a complimentary shot at the end, and my brother confidently said it was his favorite meal in Spain thus far. Ha! We also went to Mi Cachito de Sevilla, translated to My Little Piece of Seville, where I had the best paella in Alicante. It is safe to say that this was the best overall family meal we had together. Another food that my brother’s girlfriend told him he must try was a gofre, since she studied in Spain when she was in college. After the night we had rowing class we went to a stand right across from the Gran Sol and he devoured the dessert (waffle with chocolate sauce/or other mixings). I wonder if he liked it.

We also took advantage of el Castillo de Santa Barbara and hiked up to the top a few times, and my mom was astonished that there was a place named and entirely dedicated to her (her name is Barbara)! The same night I tried showing my brothers some Alicante nightlife but being a weekend the discoteca’s were closed. We managed to meet up with a bunch of my fellow study abroad and other local friends in the barrio at Havana, a bigger bar with music…but no discoteca.

The week my family came it was leading up to Easter…Holy Week or called Semana Santa in Spain. The week includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and there are magnificent processions the entire week. Up until about 2 AM people are winding the streets with huge religious floats of Jesus and other Catholic symbols, dressed in traditional costumes (that look similar KKK outfits but are not), and have bands playing. These are spread throughout the whole city and the most notable procession is the one that winds down from the castle, through the barrio, and all the way down La Rambla or main street. Spaniards seem to make every time of year or holiday the most fabulous or elaborate!

During the end of the week there were also vendors set up on the Explanada, and we paid a visit once more to my host family. My brother also got to try my favorite home cooked meal from my host mom: Arroz Cubana (rize, frankfurts, tomato paste, egg on top). Eventually the week winded down, and we were all ready to travel to Mallorca and Barcelona together, the beginning of my exciting spring break vacation!

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“If your green travel journeys find you in non-traditional overnight accommodations where crisp clean sheets may not always be in the cards (think yurts, huts, hostels, or the occasional couch via couch-surfing site), it’s essential to have a high-quality organic sleep sack. I thought I was getting by just fine hauling around my heavy-duty backpacking mummy bag in all seasons, until I recently tried out Grand Trunk’s Bamboo Sleep Sack.”

View the full article 

Check out the Bamboo Sleep Sack here!

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One Saturday, on Saint Patrick’s Day, we went to La Sierra de Bèrnia that extends to the Mediterranean coast in the province of Alicante, and also includes ruins of Felipe II. The highest peak in the Sierra de Bèrnia is located in the district of Jalón, and
measures 1,128 meters above sea level. During the hike we started at one side of the range and hiked all the way around, passing through ruins and vineyards with some stunning almonds trees. Once we arrived at the other side of the mountain the hike was more strenuous, had many more rocks and climbs, but finished with a tunnel (El Forat) to the other side. Que guay! This was definitely the highlight of the hiking trip and once you made it to the other side there were killer views overlooking the sea. We stopped here with the group for some time to have a snack and soak it all in.   A little bit longer of walking we arrived back to the vans where all the girls passed  out in the backseat for the half hour ride to Alicante.

The very next day was another adventure of senderismo, but this time with my host family. My host mom, host sister, her boyfriend, and Luna y Lola (two of our little cocker spaniels) went near the pueblo of Elda for some hiking. We made a few stops for snacks, saw many bikers, some ATVers, and set up my Grand Trunk Double hammock during lunch. My host mom absolutely loved the hammock and kept on saying it was very “chulo,” or very cool! I might leave it with her as a gift since she is very into hiking and even did parts of El Camino de Santiago in northern Spain.

Once we all arrived back to our apartment, siestas or naps were needed across the board…and I normally never siesta. After, we all rallied and went out for some tapas to complete the day full of family.

The month of March consisted of a lot of senderismo but I needed to stream live games of March Maddess as well, one of the best times of the year for college sports.  Although my bracket ended up being horrendous…the sweet sixteen was extra sweet when four Ohio teams and two Wisconsin teams were playing. Unfortunately the Badgers and Buckeyes couldn’t pull a championship march madness run together and I lost much sleep watching the games with the time difference. There’s always next year.

The last part of March was the most crazy: Las Fallas. Some friends and I took a bus early in the morning to Valencia and returned to Alicante around 5 in the morning the next day. To say the least the say was very eventful and also very long and tiring. We ate some paella, enjoyed much street art that Valencia offered, and were in awe of all the structures created for this festival. Las Fallas is a traditional celebration held in commemoration of Saint Joseph. The term Fallas refers to both the celebration and the monuments created during the celebration. During the week leading up to March 19, each group takes its “ninot” out for a grand parade, and then mounts it, each on its own elaborate firecracker-filled cardboard and paper-mâché artistic monument in a neighborhood street. This whole assembly is what is called a “falla.”

In la Plaza de la Virgen there is also the offering of flowers. There is a wooden silhouette of the Virgin Mary that is filled in with bouquets of carnations. It is a whole ceremony where people dress up in their best and most colorful traditional costumes and pass by the Virgin bringing the flowers, which are then arranged by the crew on site.

The five days and nights of Fallas are a continuous party. There are a multitude of processions: historical processions, religious processions, and comedic processions.  The Mascletà, an explosive barrage of firecracker and fireworks displays, takes place
in each neighbourhood at 2:00 pm every day of the festival, and we saw the main  event at la Plaza del Ayuntamiento. Picture your ordinary 4th of July show, but only with the fireworks that make the loudest of noise and display no colors. This went
on for a good half hour! Smaller neighbourhoods often hold their own mascletà for saint’s days, weddings and other celebrations.

Around midnight is when La Cremà happens and the Fallas are burnt as huge bonfires. This is known as the burning and the climax of the whole event, and the reason why the constructions are called fallas or “torches”. Traditionally, the falla
in the la Plaza del Ayuntamiento is burned last. There are also many little fallas that are constructed and earlier in the night burnt. This festival was so awesome because I never could image an event like it! So much fire, people, vendors, fireworks, for
completely the whole day. In Alicante in late June there is a very similar event called Las Hogueras, which is basically the same thing with more partying in the streets since it is much warmer weather.

March was a little more relaxing and went out with a bang for Fallas, but will go out even bigger once my family comes to visit me in Alicante! Only 2 weeks until spring break begins and I truly start travelling the world.

-Zak S.

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Living in a society that thrives off of global interaction, it has become almost necessary to have a deep understanding of cultural diversity in order to be an insightful, erudite professional and companionable individual. Global humility and cultural competence are skills you learn from immersing yourself through living in the country and taking advantage of what your surroundings
have to offer. One must experience it themselves in order to truly understand the impact of history, tradition, art, and lifestyle on the local people, and the global community as a whole. What makes such experiences so special and unique is that they cannot be replicated through textbooks, media, or even from person to person.

My 4 months spent in Lausanne taught me much more than a new language, how to rely on public transportation, or how to make cheese fondue. Studying abroad gave me the opportunity to gain an appreciation for my surroundings from places to people. So, here are 10 things Lausanne taught me:

1) Adventure is beautiful. Don’t let fear scare you away from this. Sometimes it is best to throw yourself out there to see where you land. Hop off the plane, and throw out the itinerary; that is when you will find true adventure.

2) More than anything, being abroad is not about the number of places you go, but the people you meet. Interactions are so important in making your experience. You learn so much from people who are similar and different from you, who speak another language, who have grown up in an entirely different society. Whether it is at a local grocery store, a club, or on a train…don’t be afraid to start a conversation with a stranger, even if you barely speak the language. Turns out, gestures are universal, and conversations push your language skills, no matter how bad you think you are at speaking the language.

3) Keep a journal and make it a habit. Through your travels, you’ll experience so many different emotions, learn new history, and sometimes find yourself in places you never thought you would be. Write it down. Whether it is a few sentences or six pages, it is the best way to keep your memories alive and remember your experiences. Once you are home, they slowly start
to fade, but when you open that journal, it’s like you are transported back in time.

4) The peers and staff members you study with abroad will become your best friends, and your family. Although only for a short time, the friends I made abroad in my program were truly some of the most caring, and influential people I have ever met. Living in the same house with seventy other students heightened this experience, and I feel incredibly blessed to have
met the students that I did. Each one impacted me in a way that helped me grow and make the most of my time abroad.
5) You will have some experiences that you can’t explain in words; it is something you have gone through yourself, and only you will understand its impact.

6) The best way to share your experiences to tell stories. Go through all the photographs you took with your friends and family, and tell them the story behind the photograph. A picture is worth a thousand words anyway, right?

7) Keep a budget. Studying abroad in general can be pricey, and it especially was in Switzerland. I was fortunate to have a supportive family, and a partial scholarship from Grand Trunk. However, it is extremely important to budget yourself and make the most of it. Remember, those cheesy “priceless” Visa commercials? It is so true. The experiences you
have are absolutely priceless.

8) Time goes by fast. Before you know it, it will be time to pack up and go home. So make the most of your time abroad, cherish the friendships you make, and leave with no regrets. Be thankful for everything you have, and don’t take a single moment for granted. You wont realize what you had until you have to go home.

9) Don’t judge a book by its’ cover, you’ll end up missing some pretty good stories. Be open to take in what the world has to offer.

10) “No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old familiar pillow” So true. Glad to be home.

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North Avenue Beach  -  Backyard Session Clean-up    

Wednesday May 23^rd

1600 North Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL

12pm – 4pm

Grand Trunk is working with partner,  Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and local groups  to clean up North Avenue Beach in Chicago, IL while providing onsite Leave No Trace education.

North Avenue Beach/Lincoln Park is considered one of Chicago’s premier beaches. The beach, which features a biking and running path as well as extensive volleyball options and attracts large numbers on weekends and weeknights. Issues such as litter, crowding, and waste disposal are becoming a noticeable issue as more users recreate.

In Chicago?  Join us!

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The Jewel of the Seas is an incredible vessel. There are thirteen vessels available to guests, and each one holds a new adventure. The top decks have pools, a rock wall, a gym, putt-putt, and basketball court, dance floors, and that’s just the top three decks! I am close to breaking the ship’s record for the rock wall which is 10 seconds, so hopefully in the next few days I will be able to shave 5 seconds off my time! My fellow students and I are somewhat of a celebrity group on board because we make up the majority of the small population of young people on the entire ship. Since this is a transatlantic crossing, the majority of passengers are elderly retirees returning to England from vacation. One of our group is the king of the belly-flop competition, another girl is the “name-that-lyric” champion, and myself and my dance partner Mary Chambers are well known for our dancing prowess in the ballroom.

We are having an awesome time here on the Jewel of the seas, but I am looking forward to reaching Europe so we can begin the cultural immersion process. Farewell for now and I will update you all again as soon as I reach the beautiful Azores!

- Caleb Timmerman

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