VISTA -- Eagle Creek's backpacking gear is made for those who like the great outdoors. And according to a magazine catering to such travelers, the company's work environment makes it a great place to be indoors.

Outside Magazine has selected Eagle Creek as the 20th best workplace in the country for the adventurous. Its report, released last month, praised the privately held company for enlightened work policies, including an on-site gym, yoga instruction, along with payments for continuing education and incentives to volunteer in the community.

Eagle Creek and 29 other companies were selected based both on their reported benefits and policies, and responses from a confidential employee survey, said Outside's executive editor, Michael Roberts. An independent firm was used for the report to make sure the information is meaningful and not subjective, Roberts said.

"We did some very hard-core research and then we brought in a company to help evaluate by our criteria," Roberts said. "We considered things like insurance coverage and salary, but at Outside, equally important to use is a balanced lifestyle. Are these companies really letting you live an active life, as well as treating you well?"

By a "balanced lifestyle," Roberts said, Outside means that employees have the freedom, in work hours and vacation, to enjoy the kind of adventuring that the magazine celebrates.

The report was presented as a kind of job guide for the magazine's readers, with the premise that if you're going job-seeking during a recession, you might as well look for a job that lets you enjoy the outdoors.

One benefit of getting the award, beyond the recognition, is that it's an excellent recruitment tool, Roberts said.

"Last year, some of the companies were saying they were flooded with resumes," Roberts said. "I can only imagine that will increase this year."

Eagle Creek employs just under 100 people, about 85 of them in Vista. The others are mostly sales representatives stationed elsewhere in the United States and other countries.

The company's travel gear includes personal items, such as cloth wallets, along with camping gear such as toiletry kits, carry-on and wheeled luggage, and backpacks. It manufactures in Vietnam.

Inside the company

Eagle Creek's open, airy offices and corridors are bedecked with reminders of the company's outdoorsy appeal, art from around the world and inspirational posters. Conference rooms are decorated with world themes designed by employees; one is "Morocco."

Among the items in Adam Ziegelman's office are a painted boomerang and a bicycle. The boomerang is a memento from a sales motivation contest. The bike carries Ziegelman between the office and his home in Poway.

Eagle Creek's corporate culture that encourages fun as a part of work is the main attraction, said Ziegelman, director of business development.

"It's a bunch of little things. I don't think it's any one thing," said Ziegelman, who has been with the company about six years.

There's the perks, such as a shower used after the bike ride by Ziegelman, hair still wet during a Tuesday morning interview. There's also the upcoming Cinco de Mayo salsa contest, and a regular horseshoe tournament that gets employees from all departments together.

And the actual products, something tangible that lasts for a long time, interested Ziegelman.

"I used to say if I could explain to my grandmother what I did for a living, then it'd be easier for me to get by. And her response was, 'What? You make luggage?' "

Establishing priorities

Deborah Becher had a different priority when she heard of an opening at Eagle Creek for executive assistant to the president, Steve Barker.

"The first I asked is, What I want to know about him is, is he a screamer? Because I will not work for screamers," Becher said of her conversation with the company's human resources director.

"She said no, he's a wonderful guy. So I came here, interviewed, got the job, and have been here ever since, because I love it," Becher said, stressing the last four words.

That was nearly 15 years ago.

Becher's duties are more far-reaching than her title would imply. She handles travel and scheduling for the company, and administers the company's trademarks. Need a document notarized? She's also a notary public. Need to know how to get something done? She'll find out.

Unofficially, Becher has become one of the leaders of the company's morale-building communal events, a group she calls the "Fun Hogs."

"We plan events for the year, and each time we try to change it up," Becher said. "We do something for Easter every year, as an example. We've had Easter egg hunts, we've had egg fights … but with the economy we've decided that's really frivolous."

Passion for products

Top executives share the adventurous lifestyle their products promote, with their wanderlust prominent in the biographies on the Web site.

The company was founded in 1975 by Steve and Nona Barker, themselves then adventurous backpackers, who set up headquarters in Solana Beach. In 1999, the company moved to a 92,000-square-foot headquarters in Vista.

The Barkers are active in their community. They've been longtime volunteer firefighters with the Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove Fire Department and board members of other local organizations.

In 1980, the Barkers brought on board Ricky Schlesinger, Eagle Creek's executive vice president. Among the items in his biography: He drove a cab in Washington, D.C., played string bass in a bluegrass band, and studied photography.

"We're pretty passionate about the products we make and the activities we're involved in," Schlesinger said. "We have a tendency to attract people who also share that passion. Our employees do not exclusively, but predominantly, like the concept of world travel."

Contact staff writer Bradley J. Fikes at (760) 739-6641 or bfikes@nctimes.com. Read his blogs at bizblogs.nctimes.com.