Smith Optics' Slider series has earned the 2005 Backpacker Magazine Editors' Choice Gold Award. Among the annual Editors' Awards, the Gold Award is the most prestigious, only bestowed upon products that go the extra mile in delivering performance over the test of time. The honor
was presented to Smith Optics and announced within the industry at the January Outdoor Retailer tradeshow, and is broadcasted to consumers at large in its April issue of Backpacker Magazine.
The Smith Slider Sunglass(TM) was introduced ten years ago and is the
product that Smith Optics is renowned for world-wide. Currently
encompassing seven models in the Smith Optics line, the series was born
with the Slider 01 in 1995. The 01 has sold hundreds of thousands of
units to date globally, and continues to sell through strongly at
retail, far outpacing competitors comparable products.
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. The Editors' Choice Gold Award singles out products
that are proven, time-tested favorites. Each winner redefines its
product category through outstanding design and/or performance. Only two
Gold Awards are given out each year.
“We went to greater lengths, and greater distances, than ever before to
determine this year's Editors' Choice winners,” said Executive Editor
Jonathan Dorn, who led a team of editors on a 10-day expedition to New
Zealand as part of the testing criteria. “We did extensive field-testing
and put these products to the test in as many conditions as possible,
because backpackers rely on our authenticity and that of the information
we provide them.”
