The North Face Primero 60 Named Gear of the Year

SAN LEANDRO, CALIFORNIA—April 17, 2008—The North Face, the world’s premier supplier of authentic, innovative and technically advanced outdoor apparel, equipment and footwear, today announced The North Face Primero 60 has been awarded the prestigious Gear of the Year by Outside magazine. The Primero 60, a state-of-the-art multi-day pack for the serious outdoor enthusiast, features the new X-Radial suspension system which consists of a highly unique axis configuration that mimics the human body’s natural movement.

Outside’s Gear of the Year Awards are featured in the annual Outside Spring Buyer’s Guide, which presents critical reviews of the year’s best outdoor and adventure gear. Out of more than 400 outdoor items, including footwear, tents, sleeping bags and apparel, the top products are awarded Gear of the Year based on their features, technology, price, and overall performance.

“The Primero really is an innovative pack,” said Sam Moulton, editor of Outside magazine’s Buyer’s Guides.” The new X-Radial suspension pivots with your body and the fact that it’s virtually waterproof is a nice bonus.”

The Primero 60 boasts a distinctive dual-pivot hip-belt to evenly spread loads, adjustable torso length, E-Vap shoulder harness and contoured cranial cavity. The pack includes a removable floating lid with mesh pockets, hydration sleeve, side access to main body, trampoline sleeping bag divider, side and removable bottom compression and dual access stretch woven side water-bottle pockets. In addition, the bottom and hood of the Primero 60 are waterproof with welded construction, and the bag boasts a highly water resistant pack body. The North Face Primero collection features the Primero 85, Primero 70, Primero 60 and Women’s Primero 65.

“We are honored to receive this award from the gear experts at Outside. They really do put the gear through rigorous testing,” said Barry McGeough, Vice President of Hardgoods for The North Face. “The Primero collection of backpacks demonstrates the in-depth research and design that we pride ourselves on. With multiple stages of Primero prototypes in tow, The North Face athletes Kasha Rigby, Peter Croft and Jim Zellers, along with The North Face Equipment team, backpacked along the Pacific Ocean, down the Baja peninsula, to the Sea of Cortez, with the goal of creating the ultimate backpacking pack.”

For 40 years The North Face has teamed up with the world’s finest mountaineers, alpinists, climbers, skiers, snowboarders and endurance adventurers who have defined the limits of what is humanly possible. The North Face Athlete team works closely with Research, Design & Development, creating innovative designs that push new technologies and inspire cutting-edge products.

For more information on The North Face Primero 60 and X-Radial suspension system please visit www.thenorthface.com.

About The North Face®
The North Face, a division of VF Outdoor, Inc., was founded in 1968. Headquartered in San Leandro, California, the company offers the most technically advanced products in the market to accomplished climbers, mountaineers, snowsport athletes, endurance athletes, and explorers. The company’s products are sold in specialty mountaineering, backpacking, running, and snowsport retailers, premium-sporting goods retailers and major outdoor specialty retail chains.

Press Contacts:

Amy Goldhammer
The North Face
510.618.2815
amy_goldhammer@vfc.com

Pamela Bennett
The North Face
510.618.3654
pam_bennett@vfc.com