Award : Bergans of Norway’s Glittertind Pack Wins Backpacker Magazine Editors’ Choice Award

LONGMONT, Colo. – October 15, 2013 – A couple months ago at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, Backpacker Magazine editors Kristin Hostetter and Dennis Lewon roamed the show floor handing out the publication’s 2013 Editors’ Choice Awards. Sworn to secrecy until the Editors’ Choice issue hit newsstands today, Bergans of Norway is excited to announce they are the recipients of the Editors’ Choice Award for its innovative new Glittertind backpack.

Rigorous field testing and Backpacker’s dedication to fair and impartial testing make the award one of the outdoor industry’s most prestigious and Bergans was one of 13 manufacturers honored this year in recognition of outstanding innovation in product design, materials and performance.

“Receiving the Backpacker Editors’ Choice award is a great honor,” said Keith Patterson, Bergans USA’s vice president of sales and marketing. “We’ve experienced significant growth both in sales and new dealers since re-launching the brand two years ago, and this award speaks to our heritage of innovation and design.”

Bergans’ rich history of pack development was sparked in 1908 when Ole F. Bergan cut and shaped a juniper branch to match the curve of his back and attached it to his heavy, loose-fitting rucksack, a design now mirrored in every anatomical backpack produced today.

Launched a year ago at OR Summer Market for the 2013 selling season, the Glittertind packs features the SPINE carrying system, a double helix-shaped spring steel frame attached to the pack’s back panel that allows the shoulders and hips to move freely while still offering load support. The double-helix shape also acts as a shock absorber.

“I’ve tested a lot of packs in the past decade, and the Bergans Glittertind stands out for its versatility, comfort and organization,” said Backpacker’s Pack Test Manager Nancy Prichard Bouchard. “The flexible SPINE frame sheet let me tote heavy, 30-pound plus loads with no discomfort. The packbag moved with my body, all-the-while keeping the weight over my hips where it belongs.”

Designed predominately as a spring/summer pack, Backpacker’s editors also liked the Glittertind because it can be used for winter excursions with features such as loops to pull a sled, side compression straps that can be used for skis, a front pocket that can also be used to hold a shovel, side pockets to hold pickets or wands for marking mountaineering routes, stowable ice-axe loops, and lash points on the lid for crampons.

The Glittertind is available in 70 and 55-liter versions and in small, medium and large sizes to fit a broad range of torso lengths. MSRP is $259.00 and $239.00 respectively.

For more information about Bergans of Norway and its products, go to www.bergans.com. For North
American sales questions, contact Keith Patterson at keith.patterson@bergans.com.

About Bergans of Norway

Bergans was established in 1908, when Ole Ferdinand Bergan invented the first anatomical backpack. Today backpacks, functional outdoor clothing and tents are part of the portfolio of Bergans of Norway, as well as the ALLY brand of packable canoes. Adventurers such as South Pole conqueror Roald Amundsen, Mount Everest pioneer Sir Edmund Hillary, and heroes of our time such as Polar explorers Rune Gjeldnes or Cecilie Skog trust Bergans equipment on their expeditions.
The headquarter of Bergans Fritid AS is situated in Hokksund, Norway, 60 km southwest of Oslo, where 90-plus employees work in development, research, design and sales. Bergans is a market leader in Norway and steadily growing in several export markets in Europe and North America (www.bergans.com).

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Bergans USA, LLC
Chip Smith, o: 801.656.0472 x1, c: 801.597.7515, csmith@soarcomm.com
Beth Cochran, c: 406.579.7909, cochran@whatsuppr.com 
Bergans of Norway

Christoph Centmayer, o: +47-40 62 40 99,  christoph.centmayer@bergans.no

By press release