Big Agnes Wins Two Backpacker 2008 Editors' Choice Awards

March 11, 2008 (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) – Big Agnes® Inc., maker of innovative sleeping bags, pads and tents, has been named the recipient of two 2008 Backpacker magazine Editors’ Choice Awards. Both their new Copper Spur Ultralight 3 tent and Cyclone Superlight chair kit were bestowed the honor, one of the most prestigious awards in the outdoor industry, given annually to products in recognition of their outstanding innovation in design, materials and performance.

The Copper Spur SL3 (three season series) from Big Agnes combines the benefits of their lightest free-standing tents with roomy interiors, two opposing doors and vestibules with D-shaped doors. The tent poles, DAC Featherlite NSLs, feature eco-friendly anodizing made using the latest technology in lightweight tent poles featuring improved durability. The Cyclone SL Chair Kit, weighing only 6oz, is made with a lightweight Cordura rip-stop fabric and aluminum tent pole stays. It comes in one size only which fits a 20” wide pad and works with up to 78” length pads in mummy or rectangular shapes.

The Backpacker Editors’ Choice Awards, given annually since 1993, honor the products that Backpacker editors have chosen as the best of the year based on months of trail testing by teams of highly experienced hikers and climbers. With no set categories for the awards and no set number of recipients, the products and the testing process drive the award categories.

“This year’s winners show that designers in our industry are really pushing the envelope in producing lighter, tougher, and smarter products,” says Backpacker editor-in-chief Jonathan Dorn. “As we found in field-testing, they’re making it easier and more comfortable for anyone to get involved in trail activities. Adds gear editor Kristin Hostetter, who has spearheaded Backpacker’s Editors’ Choice testing for more than a decade: “These outstanding products should enjoy the same sterling track record as our past winners. Readers and retailers trust Backpacker’s picks more than any other magazine’s because our testing is unrivaled in its duration and intensity.” The Copper Spur UL3 and Cyclone SL Chair Kit were two of only 17 innovative products that have been honored with a 2008 Backpacker Editors’ Choice Award.

Bill Gamber, Big Agnes co-founder and president, in reflecting over winning these two prestigious awards stated “Big Agnes is honored to be recognized by Backpacker magazine. To be surrounded by such great competition, particularly in the tent category, and come out on top as the ‘Best All-Around’ is something that makes everyone at Big Agnes feel extremely proud.”

Named for a peak in the nearby Mt. Zirkel Wilderness, Big Agnes®, Inc. is located in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and produces award-winning sleeping bags, pads and tents. For more information, visit www.bigagnes.com or call 1-877-554-8975.