World's Lightest Framed Packs For 2004...

When GoLite first appeared in the UK a couple of years back, you could barely hear yourself think above the cacophany of raised eye brows and sceptical mutterings.

That early range was super-minimalist and ultra-lightweight, but a bit of a culture shock for an industry used to heavy kit with as many features as possible. Since then things have moved on. Not only is the current GoLite range far more aesthetically acceptable and close to the mainstream, but they've also succeeded in dragging the some of the rest of the industry down the path of lightness.

We met up with the company at Freidrichshafen a couple of weeks back for a look at what's in the GoLite pipeline for 2004.

GoLite's minimalist Gust has carved out a reputation as a light but durable climbing / backpacking sac, but come September - yes, next month - it gets a little brother in the form of the 620-gramme 'Jam Pack'.

It's a effectively a down-sized Gust with the same light but tough Dyneema Gridstop fabric, contoured foam padded back, minimalist hip belt, sternum strap, haul loop and side mesh pockets. It looks like a small Gust, but we forgot to take a piccy, okay?

Capacity is 38 + 3 litres back pocket and retail price in the UK will be around £69. The Gust, by the way, is a 59 + 17 litre pack.

New for 2004, so out next January/February is the Unlimited Series of packs. It's a departure for GoLite because they're using internal frames for the first time in three years, but being GoLite, these aren't just any old aluminium-staved get ups.

The sheet is incredibly light, so, for example, the 33+7 liter Continuum pack weighs in at just 990 grammes. The rest of the pack is similarly high tech with a breathable, non-crushable back foam made from fused polystyrene beads doing padding duty on the back system and some bonkers looking, super strong Japanese fabrics doing duty.

There also a lumbar pad covered with Schoeller Dryskin Extreme no less, a light but supportive thermo-formed hip-belt and moulded, ergonomic shoulder straps. The company says the packs will be up to carrying heavier loads than their previous, unframed offerings - making them ideal for carting around climbing hardware - and are producing variants in 42+8 liter, 33 + 7 liter and 30 liter sizes.

Prices range from £89 for the smallest version up to £139 for the biggy. So not cheap, but you're getting one of the lightest framed packs ever, made with incredible attention to detail. They look good too.

GoLite are extremely pleased with their new Polartec Powershield top, the Kinetic Jacket. The fabric they're using is the lightest Powershield on the market - Sprayway have the same fabric in Europe - and weighs just 166 grammes per square metre. To put that in context, the original Powershield weighed in at 360 grammes, and the variant used by Arc'teryx is 220 grammes per metre.

The fabric uses a PU membrane to block 98 per-cent of wind, but that two per-cent dramatically ups breathability, we've used it and we like it a lot.

The end result is a jacket that weighs just 400 grammes, has Powerstretch panels to aid mobility and neat zip-off sleeves so you can convert it into a gilet for enhanced cooling. Very nice and priced at £150.

The company also has new sleeping bags using 800 fill and 600 fill down, all available in two widths and three lengths, a 1270 gramme two-man shelter called the Trig 2 which is claimed to offer the comfort of a tent combined with the comfort of a tent and finally a new 24-hour adventure race pack.

More GoLite details on their web site.