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2009 Winter Buyer's Guide
View the entire 300-plus collection of must-have gear items tailor-made for your adventurous lifestyle. PLUS: A special section on womens gear.
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Outside Online

Buyer's Guide 2003
Gear of the Year

Intro | Sunglasses, Electronics, and Optics | Cameras, Backpacks, and Hiking Boots | Tents, Sleeping Bags, and Stoves | Jackets, Shoes, and Bikes | Kayaks, Racks, and Luggage

























Equipment fanatics can talk specs for hours: How big is the vestibule? What's the fill power? But the truth is, you can't measure greatness. The proper response is to inhale and say, "Whoa." Take the 16 products honored here and on the pages that follow. Their seamless merger of design, functionality, and performance makes us swoon. To hikers, cyclists, paddlers, and other athletes, these products represent quantum leaps—that's why we're bestowing each with a Gear of the Year Award. Please join us in bowing before the altar of fine craftsmanship.

-The Editors


Next Page: Sunglasses, electronics, and optics

 
Intro | Sunglasses, Electronics, and Optics | Cameras, Backpacks, and Hiking Boots | Tents, Sleeping Bags, and Stoves | Jackets, Shoes, and Bikes | Kayaks, Racks, and Luggage