See Backpacker’s 9 Favorite Products of 2021 in Action
Our editors nerd out on our 9 Editors' Choice winning products for 2021, complete with loads of gear-testing footage from Colorado's Big Dominguez Canyon.
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Welcome to our first first Editors’ Choice Awards Gear Show! In a year of gear testing unlike any other, we decided to create a gear review video unlike any other we’ve done, too, just for Active Pass members.
Real talk: If you love nerding out around a campfire about the intricacies of gear, this is the show for you. In it, our core test team, editors Eli Bernstein, Shannon Davis, and Zoe Gates, outline everything you want to know about our 9 Editors’ Choice winning products, complete with loads of gear-testing footage from our hike in Colorado’s Big Dominguez Canyon, where we took gear nominated from our wider testing team for a final quest to separate the real deals from the rest. In the end, these winners stood above the field for their innovation and value, no matter the challenges ahead.
Backpacker Spring 2021 Editors’ Choice Award Winners
Sea to Summit Telos TR2: A cutting-edge design and smart features make this shelter an ultralight palace.
MSR Guardian Gravity Purifier: All of the drinking-water safety of the original Guardian, with none of the hard work.
Sierra Designs Get Down 20°F: The best price out there for a three-season, workhorse down sleeping bag.
Good To-Go Chicken Pho: A delicious dish bursting with flavors rarely tasted in the backcountry.
Outly: This free, all-in-one app makes it easy for hikers and roadtrippers to find nearby campsites—no matter where you are.
Big Agnes Sidewinder SL 20°F: Side-sleepers rejoice: There’s finally a sleeping bag made specifically for you.
NEMO Moonlite Reclining Chair: Any piece of camp furniture this relaxing and under two pounds is a winner.
Editors’ Choice Gold Award Winners
Osprey Aether 55/Ariel 55: A longtime-favorite pack somehow gets even more comfortable under big loads, with smart design updates to boot.
Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer UL Hooded Down Jacket: The lightest full-featured puffy on the market gets even lighter, with typically impressive results.