Backpacker Editor's Choice Green Award

Marmot’s DriClime® Catalyst Windshirt Named Backpacker 2008 Editor’s Choice Green Award Winner.

This makes the third Editor's Choice Award that Marmot DriCime Jackets have won.

Marmot’s DriClime® Catalyst Windshirt & Ultra-light Sleeping Bag Series Named Backpacker 2008 Editor’s Choice Award Winners

Santa Rosa, CA – Marmot’s DriClime® Catalyst Windshirt and Marmot’s Ultra-light, Down Sleeping Bags have been honored as recipients of the 2008 Backpacker Magazine Editors’ Choice Award, one of the most prestigious awards in the outdoor industry. The award is given in recognition of outstanding innovation in product design, materials and/or performance.

The Backpacker Editors’ Choice Awards, given 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. Marmot was two of only 17 innovative products that have been honored with a 2008 Backpacker Editors’ Choice Award.

Marmot’s DriClime® Catalyst Windshirt – a versatile, athletic, wind and water resistant jacket – has received Backpacker’s Editor’s Choice “Green Award” this year. “This is an honor for our whole product team,” explains Greg Houser, Marmot’s Vice President of Design and Production. As the next step in the Marmot’s DriClime® evolution, the Catalyst uses UpCycle™ fabric in the bi-component lining (100%), a recycled polyester face fabric (88%) and a completely recycled zipper. “The Catalyst has set a new precedent for Marmot and shows us what is possible when using Marmot’s UpCycle™ technologies in our products,” adds Houser.

The Original DriClime® Windshirt won Backpacker’s Editor’s Choice Award in 1993 and then in 2002 it won the Editor’s Choice “Gold Award,” which recognized the garment as an industry standard. By winning this year’s “Green Award,” Marmot is the first company to capture Backpacker’s “Triple Crown” – honoring the garment separately three times!

Marmot’s Ultra-light 850 Fill bags, which include the Atom (40ºF); Hydrogen (30ºF); Helium (20ºF); Helium EQ (15ºF) and Lithium (0ºF), have all received Backpacker’s Editor’s Choice “Gold Award” for their time-tested excellence in the field. “These ultra-light 850 Fill bags are the perfect example of Marmot’s ongoing commitment to produce the highest quality gear,” explains Jeff Blakely, Director and Category Manager of Equipment. “This award celebrates Marmot’s leadership, tradition and heritage.”

Outside Magazine's 2008 "Gear of the Year" Award

Our DriClime Catalyst Jacket wins Outside Magazine's 2008 "Gear of the Year" Award.

Along with our Aura 2-person tent that also won in the 2008 Summer Buyer's Guide issue, this is the first time any company has won two awards in two separate categories in the same season, according to Outside Magazine.

Over the past year, the guide tested and reviewed 392 new, outdoor-related products. “The Buyer’s Guide has become a defining catalog of world-class clothing and equipment in recent years” explains Tom Fritz, Marmot’s Vice President of Marketing. “It is a big deal for Marmot to take two awards in this summer issue” adds Fritz.

The DriClime® Catalyst Windshirt is a versatile, athletic, wind and water resistant – and recycled – jacket. As the next step in the Marmot’s DriClime® evolution, the Catalyst uses UpCycle™ fabric in the bi-component lining (100%) and a recycled polyester face fabric (88%) with an additional Eco DWR. It also has a completely recycled zipper. Greg Houser, Marmot’s Vice President of Design and Production explains, “The Catalyst shows us what is possible when we integrate Marmot’s UpCycle™ technologies into our products.”