Timberland Cadion Hiking Boot Wins Backpacker Editors' Choice Award

Backpacker Editor-In-Chief Jonathan Dorn and his staff of editors and testers presented the Timberland Outdoor Performance team with the award at the annual Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Salt Lake City, Utah on January 28th.

The Backpacker Editors’ Choice Awards, bestowed 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.

The Timberland Cadion Mid with Gore-Tex XCR® membrane boot was one of only 15 innovative products, and the only footwear, honored with a 2005 Backpacker Editors’ Choice Award.

Ed Viesturs, one of the world’s most renowned high-altitude adventurers, collaborated with Timberland to develop the Cadion, an ultra-lightweight hiker designed to perform on multi-day adventures. Innovative use of materials including Schoeller® textile in the upper, Pebax® resins in the plate, a Gore-Tex XCR® membrane and an exclusive Vibram® outsole allows for maximum protection and support at significantly reduced weights.

“This year’s Editors’ Choice Award winners have emerged out of the most rigorous testing process in our space,” said Editor-In-Chief Jonathan Dorn. “Our test team looked at more than 50 new products this year, and spent hundreds of days evaluating the gear on trails from Alaska to the Alps. After many miles of testing by six different editors, it was clear: The Cadion sets a new standard for ankle support and rough-trail stability in a lightweight boot.”

“We’re proud and honored that Backpacker’s editors have chosen the Cadion hiker as one of the best products this year,” said Jay Steere, Global Vice President of Product, Timberland Outdoor Performance. “Timberland has always been known for innovation and craftsmanship. Our collaboration with Ed has taken that innovation to the next level and produced a boot that meets the strenuous demands of the pros, and enables outdoor recreationalists of all levels to take on their outdoor pursuits with confidence.”

The complete list of Backpacker 2006 Editors’ Choice Award winners appears in the magazine’s April issue, which hit newsstands March 10.

About Timberland:
Timberland (NYSE: TBL) is a global leader in the design, engineering and marketing of premium-quality footwear, apparel and accessories for consumers who value the outdoors and their time in it. Timberland® products are sold worldwide through leading department and specialty stores as well as Timberland® retail stores. Timberland’s dedication to making quality products is matched by the company’s commitment to “doing well and doing good” — forging powerful partnerships among employees, consumers and service partners to transform the communities in which they live and work. To learn more about Timberland, please visit www.timberland.com.


About Backpacker:
Backpacker brings the outdoors straight to the reader’s doorstep, inspiring and enabling them to go more places and enjoy nature more often. The authority on active adventure, Backpacker is the world’s first GPS-enabled magazine, and it’s the only magazine whose editors personally test the hiking trails, camping gear, and survival tips they publish. Backpacker’s six regional editions offer accessible, close-to-home getaways with detailed, tear-out maps to dozens of nearby hikes, as well as practical tips on day hikes, camping and the best gear information available. This combination provides outdoors enthusiasts with the tools they need to make active outdoor travel and backcountry experiences an everyday reality. Backpacker’s Editors’ Choice Awards, an industry honor recognizing design, feature and product innovation has become the gold standard against which all other outdoor-industry awards are measured. Published by Rodale Inc., Backpacker has a circulation of 325,000 and is published 9 times a year. Backpacker’s companion web site, www.backpacker.com, is updated daily and features more than 30,000 hikes, a searchable and comprehensive database of outdoor gear with reviews (www.gearfinder.com), a special section for female hikers, and an all-new map and GPS center.