Best New Gear Award Presented to Granite Gear’s Nimbus Trace Access 70

Two Harbors, MN – At the 2014 Winter Market Outdoor Retailer, Gear Institute presented Granite Gear’s new expedition backpack, the Nimbus Trace Access 70, with the “Best New Gear Award.”

 The chief highlight of the Nimbus Trace Access 70 is the 3-dimensionally molded maple-core frame sheet. After 15 years of experimenting with the supporting frame sheet in their backpacks, co-founders Jeff Knight and Dan Cruikshank found inspiration from the composite of a wood core ski, and created their own maple-core composite frame sheet.

“It’s rare to see backpack designers looking to natural materials to deliver higher levels of performance, which is what makes the maple-core frame sheet in this backpack so unique—it’s lighter and stiffer than plastics and metal frames,” notes Gear Institute Editor, Justin Nyberg. “Plus, at 4lbs 3oz, this pack weighs in at the very low-end of the scale for one rated to carry 60-pounds. This is a truly innovative backpack that’s also built to perform.”

“Best New Gear” awards are presented by the Gear Institute to new products that demonstrate true innovation in outdoor gear design—in performance, aesthetics, or design. The award is given twice yearly at the Outdoor Retailer show by the editors of the GearInstitute.com, the industry’s top network of outdoor product testers. 

About Granite Gear
For 27 independent years, Granite Gear has brought cutting-edge products to the outdoor marketplace. Their award-winning backpacks, extensive variety of storage sacks, lifestyle accessories, dog products and canoe gear offer excellence in design and construction. Granite Gear’s desire is for all outdoor enthusiasts and travelers to experience the incredible durability and comfort of their products. Located in Northern Minnesota, just minutes from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Superior Hiking Trail, they have a rugged and beautiful testing ground for their products.