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.
