In this paper combined algorithms for the control of nontriangular nonlinear systems with unmatched uncertainties will be presented. The controllers consist of a combination of Dynamical Adaptive Backstepping (DAB) and Sliding Mode Control (SMC) of first and second order. In order to solve a tracking problem, the DAB algorithm (a generalization of the backstepping technique) makes use of virtual functions as well as tuning functions to construct a transformed system for which a regulation problem has to be solved. The new state is extended by an n−ρth order subsystem in canonical form where n is the order of the original system and ρ is the relative degree. The role of the sliding mode control is to replace the last step of the design of the control law to obtain more robustness toward disturbances and unmodeled dynamics. The main advantages of the second-order sliding mode algorithm are the prevention of chattering, higher accuracy, and a significant simplification of the control law. A comparative study of these first and second order sliding controllers will be presented. [S002-0434(00)02604]