New Berghaus Kit In The Flesh

Gorgeous pouting Yorkshireman Alan Hinkes likes nothing better than getting his kit off, and here he is reaching into his bag of seductive tricks for your entertainment.

Alan - vital statistics, 12 of 14 8,000-meter peaks climbed, two to go. Favourite food: lightly floured chapati - was, along with a still recuperating Leo Houlding and Sir Chris Bonington - adding the dusting of glamour to a Berghaus press launch in the northern Lakes.

The launch, in this case a real one on Bassenthwaite Lake, was to unveil Extrem Light - thankfully not 'Lite' - a new for 2003 11-piece range of lightweight clothing, packs and footwear aimed not just at adventure-racing freaks, but at normal hill and mountain walkers.

To illustrate the weight savings you can make, the Berghaus guys cut a series of standard items in half and binned them and stuff like the PacLite smock and pants are improbably light and small packing.

Some of the kit is already part of the Berghaus range - the 64zer0 sac for example - but other items are all new for next year including a 270-gramme PacLite 3 smock, which we've already featured, matching overtrousers, which we haven't (185 grammes!), shoes, boots and interestingly a Berghaus take on an ultralight backpacking sac.

The last is an interesting halfway house between the uncompromising lightness of GoLite and similar purist kit and heavier, more supportive conventional packs. We reckon it could do well.

More detailed information in the next couple of days, with full pictures - though not of Hinkesy.