Backpacker Magazine – April 2009

Editors' Choice Awards 2009

The best new gear. That's what earns our seal of approval, and only after months of hardcore testing. This year, we subjected dozens of products to heinous trail conditions from Alaska to Wales. In the end, 18 survived to take our top honor.

by: The Backpacker Editors

We have a new high bar in gear testing: Wales in November, where the spectacularly wet and windy weather is matched only by the magnificently craggy scenery. From the Pembrokeshire coast to the peaks of Snowdonia, we carried our Editors' Choice finalists into the worst Welsh conditions–after months of testing on trips from the Sierra Nevada to Spain. The damage: three tents destroyed, two leaky boots...and one of the strongest groups of winners ever.

SLEEPING BAG: MontBell UL Spiral Down Hugger #1
GPS: Garmin Oregon 400t
HEADLAMP: Mammut X-Zoom
TRAIL SNACK: Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews
CAMP FUN: Gibbon Slacklines
BACKPACK: REI Flash 65
VIDEO CAMERA: Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2
TENT: Sierra Designs Lightning XT 4
SLEEPING PAD: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir
CAMERA: Nikon Coolpix P6000
LANTERN: Black Diamond Orbit
BACKPACK: Osprey Sprint Series
MEAL: PackIt Gourmet Austintacious Tortilla Soup
BOOT: Kayland Zephyr
BOOT: New Balance 1500 Rainier

Editors' Choice Green Award
TENT: Big Agnes Salt Creek Recycled

Editors' Choice Gold Award
COFFEE MAKER: MSR MugMate
LUGGAGE: The North Face Base Camp Duffel


ON THE SCENE VIDEOS
See what the Backpacker editors had to endure to bring you the best gear of 2009.

Editors' Choice Trip 2009: Snowdonia National Park, Wales
Witness the world's worst weather as the BACKPACKER staff tackles wailing wind, slippery crags, and zero visibility in the high peaks of Wales' Snowdonia National Park.

Editors' Choice Award Winner: Black Diamond Orbit
Bright, light, and rechargeable—the perfect camp lantern is here. Green Editor Berne Broudy  breaks down why this lamp made the EC cut.

Editors' Choice Trip 2009: Brecon Beacons, Wales
Follow BACKPACKER Editors on a misty mountain hop through steep slopes, huge waterfalls, and fog-shrouded vistas in Wales' Brecon Beacons National Park.

Editors' Choice Trip 2009: Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, Wales
BACKPACKER Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Dorn shows you how to get the most out the British Isles' best seaside trek, the 186-mile Pembrokeshire Coastal Path.

Editors' Choice Trip 2009: Climbing Mount Snowdon
Rocky Mountain Editor Steve Howe tackles a different kind of mountain in this video. Join him as he battles howling winds on the highest peak in Wales.

 

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