Karrimor 2007 - Sneak Peek

We told you about Karrimor's new range of lightweight packs for 2007 just a week or so back, but we've now had the chance to see them in the flesh, or um, nylon, so we thought we'd let you know a bit more about the company's 2007 range, which is due out early next year.

Right at the top of the new range is the Ether 50, a £120 alpine pack with super-strong Dyneema fabric on the sides of the pack, a detachable lid, stretch stow pockets, compression system and a closed cell foam back system that won't soak up water.

It's also strippable, so you can lose between 300 and 400 grammes of weight by taking off the hip-belt, lid and so on. In the flesh it felt very light - weight is a claimed 1500 grammes in normal use down to 740 grammes stripped - and has a neat, classic look to it.

Alongside it is the Vapour 45, a detuned version of the Ether with a non-removable lid and a normal / stripped weight of 1220 and 760 grammes respectively. It's aimed more at lightweight backpackers than the Ether with its proposed clientele of lightweight alpinists. Again it has a nice look and feel to it.

Elsewhere in the pack range, there are plenty of revisions, most notably, the weight of the classic Jaguar which has been on a crash diet losing a massive 700 grammes in the process, which means that while the classic load-lugger isn't exaclty featherweight, it is at least a little more competitive at 2900 grammes for the 70-95 version and 2800 grammes for the 55-75.

Finally, the brand continues with a small range of Karrimor clothing mostly of a lightweight bent.