The North Face nabs two OutDoor Industry Awards at the OutDoor Tradeshow in Friedrichschafen, Germany

The North Face®, the world’s premier supplier of authentic, innovative and technically advanced outdoor apparel, equipment and footwear, today announced that the company received two OutDoor INDUSTRY AWARDS at the OutDoor Tradeshow in Friedrichschafen, Germany, held 17-20 July. Both The North Face® Reversible Mercurial Jacket and The North Face Minibus 23 tent garnered honors for their innovative technical features.

The latter, the new Minibus 23 two-person tent received critical praise for its intuitive set-up and spacious interior. When The North Face® design team first presented sketches for the Minibus, people said the unusual pole structure wouldn’t be possible. But by utilizing improved components and a DAC® Jake’s Foot anchor system, the team succeeded in building the Minibus as envisioned: a tent that takes up a small physical space, but that offers a remarkably commodious living environment.

The tent utilizes a unique pole construction that creates ample volume with roomy vestibules, while keeping the weight low enough for fast-and-light backpacking trips. What’s more, those lightweight poles are also color-coded to match the tent and the fly for a mindless set-up, made even easier by the intuitive ball cap clips on the pole ends. And, the functional features in the Minibus speak to its vagabond lifestyle inspiration of having easy access to all one’s possessions, while remaining infinitely portable.

The innovative new Men’s Reversible Mercurial Jacket adapts to changes in the weather using a revolutionary baffle system. Worn black side out, the jacket offers the warmth and protection of an insulated performance jacket. As the temperature climbs, the jacket can be reversed for a cooling effect; the aluminum-coated silver side reflects about 40% more of the sun’s rays than the black side. And, the baffles that trapped warm air when the black side was out, open for airflow when the jacket is reversed.

A pan-European judging panel comprised of professional adventurers, outdoor magazine editors, and seasoned industry executives evaluated the product entries based on 11 criteria:
• Degree of innovation
• Design quality
• Workmanship
• Choice of materials
• Environmental compatibility
• Sustainability
• Functionality
• Utility
• Safety
• Trendsetting character
• Brand value/branding

The 3rd Annual OutDoor INDUSTRY AWARDS were co-sponsored by International Forum Design (iF) and were presented as part of the annual OutDoor Tradeshow. Hosted by the European Outdoor Group, the July 17-20 event is Europe’s leading outdoor tradefair. The North Face® received its two awards at an official ceremony on July 17. Winning products, including the Minibus 23 and the Men’s Reversible Mercurial Jacket, are being displayed throughout the OutDoor Tradeshow on the ground level of the west foyer. For detailed information about the awards, visit: http://www.european-outdoor.de/html/en/supporting_programme/award/award.php.