A sneak peek into the future with a scoop look at Karrimor's new range of ultra-lightweight X-Lite packs which won't be in the shops until early in 2007.
Here's a quick sneak peak into the future with scoop pics and
details of Karrimor's new lightweight X-Lite pack range
which will be in the shops early next year.
It's good to see the brand moving forward after a fraught couple
of years when at one point it seemed destined for oblivion and the
new range looks interesting.
It's aimed, says Karrimor, at lightweight mountaineers, but is
also 'relevant for backpackers'. They stress that the packs are
lightweight, but not at the expense of durability or of the sort of
features you'd expect from a Karrimor pack.
'Fabrics, webs, buckles, meshes and even cord thickness have been
considered to ensure X-Lite combines minimum weight with robustness,'
they stress.
Mostly Dyneema
The new X-Lite packs - that's a Vapour 45 pictured - are, it says
here, made predominately from Dyneema, 'the world's strongest
fabric' which is reckoned to be '15 times stronger than quality
steel'.
There's also a new lightweight moulded back system with the larger
capacity packs also using a single, hollow, malleable aluminium stave
for support which allows the hip-belt to pivot, when
walking or climbing. All very much in the modern idiom and modular,
so bits can be removed to save weight.
A new moulded shoulder harness system is claimed to be lightweight
and high wicking with a 'corrugated' shoulder harness eliminating
wrinkles and pressure points.
Last but not least, part of the range is a new G-Control
Pack designed to sit on the wearer's front and counterbalance the
backload encouraging more efficient posture and giving easy access to
frequently used items. Sounds interesting and reminiscent of an old
Craghoppers pack idea that worked reasonably well.
We'll be seeing the X-Lite range in the flesh at the Harrogate
trade show next week but we can tell you that capacities range from
25 to 50 litres wth a couple of women's specific models included.
More information when we have it; you can expect to see the
Karrimor X-Lite pack range in the shops early in 2007.
