High Peak is a German-born company that operates out of Seattle, Washington. Staying true to the Evergreen State’s thirst for adventure they are expanding their lightweight Alpinizmo line to include six new packs and 3 new sleeping bags.
The Rapid series bags are designed for high performance in cold conditions. The packs come in three sizes: 50, 40 and 35 liter, and all use tough 1,000D material for a bomber build. The Rapid 50 is specifically designed with ski touring in mind: a compression system holds your skis when not skinning or shredding. All three were good looking bags and the folks at High Peak even had test gear for me to try on. The fit was good, and though I couldn’t load them up with more than a few pounds I liked how they moved with my body.
If you are looking for a three season pack, High Peak offers the Lightning series. Again, there are three sizes (50, 40, 35 liter). This time, the packs are stripped down a bit to shed weight- all three come in at under 3 and 1/2 pounds. Each pack has some nice features by the 50 was my favorite in this series: the “vario” adjustment system will allow sizes small to large fit the same pack and 600D polyester material means it will take a beating in the backcountry.
What better to stuff your backpack with than one of the new Latitude sleeping bags. -5, 0 and 20 degree options are all lined with Cozy Therm, a lightweight memory fabric that reflects body heat to increase warmth. Each bag also has draft tubes and collars, drawstring closures and the ability to zipper two bags together.
The crew at the High Peak booth were very friendly and eager to have me try on as many of their new packs as possible. You could tell they really believed it their products and were proud of the new line…easy to come away with a good feeling. Best part about their products is the price point: not a single item in the new lineup costs $200. In fact, most of the bags cost about $150 MSRP. You can find High Peak products on the shelves of local retailers, and everything reviewed here is available in Fall 2011.
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