Bit of a curio this as we can’t find anything quite like it in our fairly extensive collection of early equipment catalogues. The closest we can get is a Whillan’s Alpiniste, an advert for which you will see opposite, dating from 1965. We therefore assume we have an early version of that here in the collection and reckon it dates from the early 1960’s; a time when there was much experimenting with rucksacks as they changed from the old ‘A’ frame style to something much more user friendly. Karrimor were at the forefront of this innovative period and this sack would appear to be one of the earliest frameless versions. It’s beautifully made of heavy canvas and leather, with the classic ‘pull out’ inner which was an emergency measure in the event of a forced bivouac. Basically, you put your duvet on, sat down with your legs in the sack and waited for the storm to pass. This one was kindly donated by Irish Mountain Guide, Sam Crymble, when he retired and headed off back to the Emerald Isle in 2018 – cheers Sam!