BEST WATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY

For Immediate Release
Backpacking Light Magazine Announces Winners of First
Annual Lightitude Awards for the Outdoor Industry's Best
Lightweight Gear
Lightitude Awards Set a New Standard for Excellence in Lightweight Gear and
Apparel – GoLite, Cascade Designs, Garmin, Western Mountaineering, McNett,
TarpTent, and Six Moon Designs Take Home Top Honors
Bozeman, Mont. − August 12, 2005 - Backpacking Light Magazine
(www.BackpackingLight.com), the industry’s leading consumer voice for lightweight
backpacking trends, technique, and gear is pleased to announce the winners of the first
annual 2005 Lightitude Awards. Winners were announced at the Outdoor Retailer Summer
Market 2005 in Salt Lake City, Utah on August 12. See the table below for complete list of
award winners, products and reason for selection.
“Above all, this new award recognizes superior innovation and performance in product design
for lightweight gear,” said Ryan Jordan, co-founder and publisher of Backpacking Light
Magazine. “Lightweight backpackers have significant influence in shaping the industry as they
continue to push the envelope of what humans can do on the trail. Not only do they spend
more money on gear, but they use it, abuse it, and talk about it.” And talk about gear they did:
a public community forum was opened at BackpackingLight.com for discussing all 174 pieces
of gear nominated for the 2005 Lightitude Awards.
In response to the rapidly growing trend towards lighter gear in apparel in all outdoor sports,
not just hiking and backpacking, Backpacking Light created the Lightitude Award to recognize
those very few, but exceptional, pieces of gear that met the strictest criteria of maximum
performance at minimum weight. “We are very excited to recognize these seven companies
and their commitment to not only to designing and manufacturing high quality products, but to
commend them on their commitment to the lightweight trend.” said Ryan.
Lightweight backpacking is a healthy and growing trend. Backpacking Light Magazine's
demographic research indicates that of the approximately two million backpacking
“enthusiasts” (those who spend more than 10 days per year backpacking, according to the
Outdoor Industry Association), 360,000 – or more – are actively practicing a holistic approach
to lightweight backpacking, regularly carrying less than 20 pounds of gear (less food and
water) into the backcountry. The top 10 percent of this group spends an average of $1,000 on
lightweight backpacking gear, translating to $36 million in generated revenue for the
lightweight gear industry. As more outdoor enthusiasts discover the benefits, comfort, and
safety of going lighter and faster, Backpacking Light expects this number to grow significantly
in the coming years.
Backpacking Light received 174 nominations from qualified outdoor professionals and
backcountry core users. Unlike other magazine awards which seek out “cool new gear,” the
Lightitude Awards committee would only accept nominations for products that had previously
been on the market for a significant period of time and available to the public.
The nominations were then subjected to the court of public opinion in an open community
forum at BackpackingLight.com, where users and industry professionals gave critical
feedback about each product. “A magazine's editorial staff can only test so much gear,” said
Ryan. “Input from the public, industry equipment designers, and outdoor professionals were
absolutely critical to bringing integrity and authenticity to the award.” Following the public
comment period, an award committee (consisting entirely of individuals who hold engineering
degrees) individually and blindly rated each product. Only those products that received the
very highest rating from each member of the committee were considered for a Lightitude
Award. “The bottom line,” Ryan says, “is that by the time a product is honored with a
Lightitude Award, it has stood up to the most rigorous review process in the industry today.”
“This award simply recognizes the best gear in the industry,” said Jordan. Of the 174
nominations, only eighteen were unanimously chosen to be worthy of the title, “Lightitude
Award.” Seven gear manufacturers received the award and eleven others received honorable
mentions for their products.
2005 Lightitude Award Winners:
Company
TarpTent
Product
Squall 2
Category
Best Single Wall Shelter
Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo e
Best Solo Tent
GoLite
Best Soft Shell Apparel
Momentum Jacket
Winning Solution
At 35 oz (including floor) for a two-person
shelter that provides full weather and
insect protection, wind stability,
ventilation, easy setup, good views,
plenty of room for two people – and their
gear – with the ability for both to sit up,
combined with beautiful aesthetics in
design, the TarpTent Squall has set the
standard for two person ultralight
shelters for the past several years.
The Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo e
requires only a single trekking pole for
setup, with good ventilation, insect
protection, exceptional views, room to
stretch out – and sit up – and a
cavernous vestibule for storing gear or
cooking a meal, all in a 23-ounce
package unmatched by any solo tent on
the market.
Exceptional fit, a highly weather resistant
– and breathable – fabric, and aesthetics
that reflect simplicity and elegance of
design, make the 13-oz GoLite
Momentum Jacket the most functional
lightweight soft shell on the market.
Western
Mountaineering
Flight Vest
Best Insulating Apparel
Cascade Designs
Platypus Bottles
Best Hydration
Accessory
McNett
Aqua Mira
Best Water Treatment
Technology
Garmin
Geko 301
Best Navigation Device
At only 5.5 ounces, the Western
Mountaineering Flight Vest offers two
inches of loft with the market’s highest
quality down, a weather resistant
microfiber shell that doesn’t leak plumes,
and design purity that reflects the
garment’s ability to perform a core
function that no other piece of apparel
can claim: maximum warmth-to-weight
ratio.
Eliminating extraneous features that add
unnecessary weight is the strength of
Cascade Designs’ Platypus Bottle line:
they perform the simple task of holding
water at less weight than any other
product on the market, collapse to
pocketable sizes, and remain durable
enough for a thru-hike.
The new gold standard in ultralight
chemical water treatment technologies,
McNett Aqua Mira is backed by sound
science, is utterly simple to use, remains
pocketable for easy access while on the
trail, provides safe drinking water in a
matter of minutes, and best of all,
creates drinking water untainted by the
foul tastes of other chemical methods.
No other GPS is as small, or as light, and
offers so many of the essential features
required of a hiking and backpacking
GPS, as the Garmin Geko 301: magnetic
compass integrated with GPS
electronics, barometric altimeter, PC
interface, one-handed use requiring
minimal button pushing to perform
necessary functions, customizable
displays, and a truly pocketable form
factor.
Honorable mentions include: Pentax Optio WP Digital Camera, Komperdell Carbon Tour
Duolock Trekking Poles, Photon Freedom LED Microlight,
SnowClaw Backcountry Snow Shovel, Ushba Altai Titanium Ice Axe,
Integral Designs South Col Bivy Sack, Gossamer Gear NightLight Torso Pad (Torso ength),
Big Sky Products Evolution 2P Shelter, Grivel Air Tech Light Crampons, Northern Lites
Backcountry Snowshoes, Suunto X6 Altimeter Watch.
Award winners were presented with personalized plaques etched with the Backpacking Light
Lightitude Award logo and features the winner's company logo and product name.
Transparent plaques were suspended from a carbon fiber frame with Spectra cord and
mounted on Pennsylvania Blue Sandstone, the characteristic rock of the Appalachian Trail's
most difficult state.
For complete product descriptions and to learn why each product was chosen, please visit
www.backpackinglight.com.
About Backpacking Light
Backpacking Light Magazine (www.BackpackingLight.com) is the outdoor industry’s most
recognized and authoritative voice for wilderness travel philosophy, techniques and gear.
Catering primarily to prosumer and industry professional audiences, Backpacking Light
technical articles and product reviews are based on accurate and trustworthy investigative
research. In addition, Backpacking Light publishes content for beginning and novice
wilderness travelers to help them go light while staying safe and comfortable in the
backcountry. Backpacking Light offers two primary subscription-based products, including a
print magazine of exceptional shelf quality (Backpacking Light, ISSN 1550-4417) and a
comprehensive online magazine (BackpackingLight.com, ISSN 1537-0364) that features
articles, reviews, gear guides, reader forums, and a members’ co-op-style gear shop that
features some of the quirkiest and coolest ultralight gear on the planet. Backpacking Light
Magazine is also the publisher of the critically-acclaimed book, Lightweight
Backpacking & Camping (ISBN 0-9748188-2-8), announced on August 11 at the 2005
Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City.
###
Media Contact:
Bridget Cavanaugh
406-522-8075
[email protected]
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