Map Trips, Get Free Gear—Guaranteed!

You spoke, we listened. 

You wanted better chances to win gear for your mapping efforts. You wanted a guaranteed prize when you submit something. How ’bout both?

Now, we’re announcing a change to our Be a Backpacker Mapper giveaway. Everyone who submits one approved hike (click here for full rules, including qualifying criteria) gets a free BACKPACKER T-shirt. After that, for every fifth hike you map and submit, you’ll get your choice of gear from our gear closet.

Here’s a list of the first 20 items we’re offering:

1. [Pack] First Ascent Tahoma 40
2. [Pack] Kelty Lakota (Women’s)
3. [Pack] Osprey Aether 70
4. [Pack] The North Face Crestone 60
5. [Boot] Kayland MXT (Size 9 M’s)
6. [Boot] La Sportiva Wildcat (Size 9 M’s)
7. [Boot] La Sportiva KaraKorum (Size 6 M’s/7 W’s)
8. [Boot] Zamberlan 760 Steep GT (Size 9 M’s)
9. [Boot] Zamberlan 308 Trekker (Size 7 M’s)
10. [Bag] Rab Quantum Top Bag AR (Regular)
11. [Bag] Jacks R Better Shenandoah
12. [Bag] Sierra Designs Nahche 0 (Regular)
13. [Bag] The North Face Mercurial Liner 
14. [Bag] Feathered Friends Egret (Women’s)
15. [Tent] REI Half Dome 2-plus
16. [Tent] The North Face Mica 12
17. [Tent] Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2
18. [Tent] MSR Asgard 2-3
19. [Tent] Mountain Hardwear EV Direct 2
20. [Tent] Kelty Shiro 6

The contributor with the most hikes in the tank by November 1, 2010 will win a closet-full of Editors’ Choice gear and an epic trip to the Colorado Rocky Mountains with our map editors.

What does this mean? The faster you hike, map and submit trip reports, the better your chances of snagging that piece of must-have gear. In most cases, there’s only one of each item.

We’ll add new items as this list gets cherry-picked. Keep an eye here for the most up-to-date information on what’s still available.

—BACKPACKER Editors