The Grand Trunk pillow has been popping up on travel news sites around the country, including The Denver Post and Philly.com. Whether it’s your turn to sleep on that long road trip or you just need to block out the world and get some sleep on that overnight flight, this is THE perfect companion when you travel.

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First off, the happiest of happy holidays to those of you that happen to be reading this.

Today’s blog word of the day is: Grateful! So, what are the top ten reasons we’re grateful?

1. Our freedom and story: Without this, there is no GT. Without this, there wouldn’t have been a trip to Thailand searching for self-discovery and an answer to an ever looming questions, “What’s out there? What does the other side of the world look like? What do the people look like? What do they sound like? What does their food taste like? How will they receive me?” We are grateful for ALL of the people in uniform around the world that strive each and every day to keep us safe. They work around the clock in less than desirable conditions, sacrificing time with loved ones and special dinners, they alertly stay awake in the middle of the night when it’s cold and wet, they see and do things that most of us aren’t capable of digesting, and they do it so we can spend time with our loved ones, open presents, tell stories, and make memories. Our team often talks of this sacrifice and during the holidays, we try to keep it front and center when we’re having a bad day, or things aren’t going our way. We hope you do the same.
2. Grand Trunk wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for our hard working and always entertaining employees! Thanks to each of you for working hard, staying focused, getting the job done, supporting your teammates and for never allowing a dull moment around the office! Ben “Badger & Booger”; Sean “Stryka”; JB “Acorn, Peanut, little John”; Blake “The Fix-it Guy, Hustler, Blizake”; Tommy “It’s Miller Time”; Estref “The Mooch”; and Chris “Knack Attack”–we couldn’t do it without you guys, thanks for loving GT as much as we do!
3. Extended GT family—This piece of our business includes our most picky “brand manager”–thank goodness for his discerning eye and it-can-always-be-better attitude; our designer who just plain gets it done; and our adviser who has helped us learn to work together and to become business men…sometimes that word freaks us out, but going from “good to great” requires skills and making decisions that have to be made. At the end of the day, if you want to be a man and own a business, you have to figure out how to be a business man. (Even if we consider ourselves travelers and wanderers at heart.) Just ask JZ. SocialKaty, Celtic Inc., Webimax, ATTA, 4 point design, and so many more.
4. The Llama—Without the most handsome of logos we would just have a cool brand without a face.
5. Our brand—GRAND TRUNK! We love it, and we know that our fans and customers love it too, they tell us.  Plus, it gives our handsome logo something strong to stand with and for.
6. Our customers—Well, this one is easy. Thank you for your continued support! To see a list of these hard working, travel, camping, outdoor and focused lifestyle brand retailers, check out the dealer locater on our website –Most of these folks we’ve been working with us for a long time, and they have shown patience, honor, loyalty, flexibility, and respect for us, towards us, and with us. THANK YOU ALL!
7. Our Parents/Family—This section could fill an entire chapter, so until we write our memoirs, we’ll just keep it short and sweet. We are more than grateful for the love and support you’ve given us over 10 years, and we couldn’t have made it out of year one without you. You are as much a piece of GT as anybody, and everything you’ve done for us will never be taken for granted. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
8. Hammocks! Heck yeah we’re grateful for hammocks, who isn’t? Near and dear to our hearts and something we don’t get to enjoy enough. Sometimes the business you started to have fun turns into a business you do for work, and the only bad part of that is not getting to spend enough time in the greatest hammocks in the world! In 2013, we have pledged to not only be grateful, but to have fun again and to spend some quality time hammocking on this beautiful planet we call home.
9. Spike the GT dog—Can’t even begin to imagine not having the greatest dog, mascot, companion, and buddy at the office every day. The number of smiles you’ve provided our team and this crazy world are too many to count or name, so what the heck, another treat it is Spiker!
10. Our health—without this we don’t get to live this wonderful life in the way we’ve all inspired to live it.

So, cheers to you, your families, your hopes, dreams, and desires. And may 2013 bring you the most love, happiness, and health that this world has to offer.

All the best in 2013!

Team GT

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Not too long ago, I raved about Grand Trunk’s Bamboo Sleep Sack and Tim reviewed their family tent. Now I’m back with Grand Trunk’s Hooded Blackout Pillow. I said it last time and I’ll say it again: I love the Grand Trunk philosophy of adventurous exploration and practical solutions to make said adventures more fun and, frankly, more comfortable.

The Hooded Sleep Pillow is designed for long car, plane, and bus trips, but we used it for another purpose as well (three cheers for double-duty gear!). More on that in a minute, but first, here’s how it works: travelers pull the compressed u-shaped pillow out of its stuff sack, put it around their neck like a standard travel neck pillow, and then put the attached blackout hood over their head, adjusting with the drawstring to tighten as needed over eyes for some serious shut-eye on the go.

My kids used the pillow for precisely this purpose while on a long road trip last month, but I grabbed it from the car for an overnight in our camping tent on impulse and never looked back. I love using this pillow for camping and backpacking! I’m actually surprised the Grand Trunk folks don’t list backpacking as a use for the pillow on their site: the included stuff sack makes it easy to bring along (though yes, smaller backpacking pillows are out there), and the blackout hood does double duty as either a regular hood to keep your head and ears warm on cold nights or as a blackout for your eyes (I always wake at dawn while backpacking because the sun wakes me before I’d like).

The shape of the pillow (which is lovely memory foam) is just as comfortable while resting it on the ground as it is to use while sitting, and it’s much more substantial than other backpacking pillows. It felt downright luxurious to use it on a multi-day pack in July. The weight is 16 oz, so no, this won’t work for extreme backpackers reducing every ounce, but for the less hard-core, give it a try! The stuff sack is washable, and you can remove the memory foam insert and wash the outside too.

Whether you use the hooded pillow for road or air travel or as a camping and backpacking pillow, it’s a nice travel accessory to have in your arsenal for $39. Pick it up at Grand Trunk, or look for it at Amazon for the same price.

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