Weird name, awesome company: Big Agnes is a small, independent US outdoor brand out of Steamboat Springs, Colorado – a small ski-town that we’ve never visited but which we like to imagine is full of mountain-loving, trail-hiking outdoorsy types. That would make sense, since the company makes some of the best ultralight backpacking gear around, including the award-winning Copper Spur, Tiger Wall and Fly Creek tents. It is kit that has clearly been designed by a gang of folks who love sleeping in the dirt just as much as we do here at WildBounds.

Oh, and if you’re still wondering where the heck that name Big Agnes comes from, we did try to find out. Depending on who you talk to, it’s either an affectionate tribute to a legendary truck drivin’ mountain mama, or a 12,000 foot peak in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness. We kinda like the first one better.