Sigg Shortage

I totally have gone urban crunchy in terms of my accessories lately.  I bought this backpack (the grey/black version) to replace my messenger bag.  I've gotten a lot of jokes since I made the switch: "Going camping?"  "Running away from home?"  You get the idea.  The bottom line is that the pack straps down in every direction to shrink itself when all that space isn't being used (which for me is all the time).  The bottom bottom line is that it's better for my back than my Timbuk2 messenger bag.  It may look like overkill, but it's really not that much bigger than the Timbuk2.

I also bought two Sigg bottles: one sports-sized one for my bike, and one to carry around town.  Given all the controversy over plastic bottle safety and bottled water quality, I decided to get a permanent bottle that didn't leach taste or harmful chemicals into my water, and I decided to drink more tap water and Deer Park bottled water (the latter from my work cooler).  Why?  Well, not really for environmental reasons.  I hate the taste of plastic, and I like the idea of being able to leave water in my bottle indefinitely.  I figured it was the logical way to go.  A lot of other people have, too: apparently, Sigg's stock has gone up five times in value over the past 2 years. 

Frustratingly, a lot of other people have hopped on the bandwagon since then.  Back when I ordered my bottles, every store had plenty of Sigg bottles and accessories in stock.  I was chagrined to discover that local stores sell them for the same price as online stores, but without a shipping charge.  Now, almost nobody has them in stock -- and Sigg has instituted order limits for each seller.  Apparently, Sigg is having a huge problem meeting demand.  I tried to buy one last bottle (to make powdered Gatorade in), and I haven't been able to find one of the large bottles in stock at any outdoor store in my area.  Worse, the important accessories (like the Sigg Bottle Brush) are sold out everywhere, even online.  A month ago, I could have had all this stuff at will.  Now it's like a freaking scavenger hunt. 

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