Backpacking Light Magazine announced the winners of the first annual 2005 Lightitude Awards at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2005 in Salt Lake City, Utah on August 12. For the complete list of award winners, please see the table below.

“Above all, this new award recognizes superior innovation and performance in product design for lightweight gear,” said Ryan Jordan, co-founder and publisher of Backpacking Light Magazine. “Lightweight backpackers have significant influence in shaping the industry as they continue to push the envelope of what humans can do on the trail. Not only do they spend more money on gear, but they use it, abuse it, and talk about it.” And talk about gear they did: a public community forum was opened at BackpackingLight.com for discussing all 174 pieces of gear nominated for the 2005 Lightitude Awards.

In response to the rapidly growing trend towards lighter gear and apparel in all outdoor sports, not just hiking and backpacking, Backpacking Light created the Lightitude Award to recognize those very few, but exceptional, pieces of gear that met the strictest criteria of maximum performance at minimum weight. “We are very excited to recognize these seven companies and their commitment to not only to designing and manufacturing high quality products, but to commend them on their commitment to the lightweight trend,” said Jordan.

Lightweight backpacking is a healthy and growing trend. Backpacking Light Magazine's demographic research indicates that of the approximately two million backpacking “enthusiasts” (those who spend more than 10 days per year backpacking, according to the Outdoor Industry Association), 360,000 – or more – are actively practicing a holistic approach to lightweight backpacking, regularly carrying less than 20 pounds of gear (less food and water) into the backcountry. The top 10 percent of this group spends an average of $1,000 on lightweight backpacking gear, translating to $36 million in generated revenue for the lightweight gear industry. As more outdoor enthusiasts discover the benefits, comfort, and safety of going lighter and faster, Backpacking Light expects this number to grow significantly in the coming years.

Backpacking Light received 174 nominations from qualified outdoor professionals and backcountry core users. Unlike other magazine awards which seek out “cool new gear,” the Lightitude Awards committee would only accept nominations for products that had previously been on the market for a significant period of time and available to the public.

The nominations were then subjected to the court of public opinion in an open community forum at BackpackingLight.com, where users and industry professionals gave critical feedback about each product. “A magazine's editorial staff can only test so much gear,” said Jordan. “Input from the public, industry equipment designers, and outdoor professionals was absolutely critical to bringing integrity and authenticity to the award.” Following the public comment period, an award committee (consisting entirely of individuals who hold engineering degrees) individually and blindly rated each product. Only those products that received the very highest rating from each member of the committee were considered for a Lightitude Award. “The bottom line,” Jordan says, “is that by the time a product is honored with a Lightitude Award, it has stood up to the most rigorous review process in the industry today.”

“This award simply recognizes the best gear in the industry,” said Jordan. Of the 174 nominations, only eighteen were unanimously chosen to be worthy of the title, “Lightitude Award.” Seven gear manufacturers received the award and eleven others received honorable mentions for their products


2005 Lightitude Award Winners:

 


Company


Product


Category


Winning
Solution


TarpTent


Squall 2


 

Best Single Wall Shelter

 

At 35 oz (including floor)
for a two-person shelter that provides full weather and insect protection,
wind stability, ventilation, easy setup, good views, plenty of room for two
people – and their gear – with the ability for both to sit up, combined with
beautiful aesthetics in design, the TarpTent Squall has set the standard for
two person ultralight shelters for the past several years.


Six Moon Designs


Lunar Solo e


 

Best Solo Tent

 

The Six Moon Designs Lunar
Solo e requires only a single trekking pole for setup, with good
ventilation, insect protection, exceptional views, room to stretch out – and
sit up – and a cavernous vestibule for storing gear or cooking a meal, all
in a 23-ounce package unmatched by any solo tent on the market.


GoLite


Momentum Jacket


 

Best Soft Shell Apparel

Exceptional fit, a highly
weather resistant – and breathable – fabric, and aesthetics that reflect
simplicity and elegance of design, make the 13-oz GoLite Momentum Jacket the
most functional lightweight soft shell on the market.


Western Mountaineering


Flight Vest


 

Best Insulating Apparel

 

At only 5.5 ounces, the
Western Mountaineering Flight Vest offers two inches of loft with the
market’s highest quality down, a weather resistant microfiber shell that
doesn’t leak plumes, and design purity that reflects the garment’s ability
to perform a core function that no other piece of apparel can claim: maximum
warmth-to-weight ratio.


Cascade Designs


Platypus Bottles


 

Best Hydration Accessory

 

Eliminating extraneous
features that add unnecessary weight is the strength of Cascade Designs’
Platypus Bottle line: they perform the simple task of holding water at less
weight than any other product on the market, collapse to pocketable sizes,
and remain durable enough for a thru-hike.


McNett


Aqua Mira


 

Best Water Treatment
Technology

 

 

The new gold standard in
ultralight chemical water treatment technologies, McNett Aqua Mira is backed
by sound science, is utterly simple to use, remains pocketable for easy
access while on the trail, provides safe drinking water in a matter of
minutes, and best of all, creates drinking water untainted by the foul
tastes of other chemical methods.


Garmin


Geko 301


 

Best Navigation Device

 

No other GPS is as small,
or as light, and offers so many of the essential features required of a
hiking and backpacking GPS, as the Garmin Geko 301: magnetic compass
integrated with GPS electronics, barometric altimeter, PC interface,
one-handed use requiring minimal button pushing to perform necessary
functions, customizable displays, and a truly pocketable form factor.

Honorable mentions include: Pentax Optio WP Digital Camera, Komperdell Carbon Tour Duolock Trekking Poles, Photon Freedom LED Microlight, SnowClaw Backcountry Snow Shovel, Ushba Altai Titanium Ice Axe, Integral Designs South Col Bivy Sack, Gossamer Gear NightLight Torso Pad (Torso length), Big Sky Products Evolution 2P Shelter, Grivel Air Tech Light Crampons, Northern Lites Backcountry Snowshoes, Suunto X6 Altimeter Watch.

Award winners were presented with personalized plaques etched with the Backpacking Light Lightitude Award logo as well as the winner's company logo and product name. Transparent plaques were suspended from a carbon fiber frame with Spectra cord and mounted on Pennsylvania Blue Sandstone, the characteristic rock of the Appalachian Trail's most difficult state.