Karrimor's pre-receivership highlights included the 'Alpiniste' backpack of the 1960s and purple 'Haston Alpiniste' pack of the 1970s – described as "dominating" the decade in terms of climbing packs – leading to Chris Bonington's team in their well-publicised 1975 ascent of Everest's south-west face using Karrimor equipment (Peter Habeler likewise used the same brand three years later for his oxygen-mask-free ascent, as did Junko Tabei, Everest's first female climber ); Ks-100e, a pioneering waterproof nylon-based fabric invented in 1973; a British Design Award in 1991 for the Condor backpack; the design of the ubiquitous 'SA' backpack support system; and pioneering development within lightweight fabric/suede footwear (the "footwear revolution" of the 1980s) with the KSB range. Backpacks at that time were often made from heavy fabrics or with a solid external frame; the Alpiniste and its relatives were was the first 'modern' non-frame backpack, in the sense of being lightweight with the weight transferred to an integrated hip belt via a close-fit back support system. This was the forerunner of all non-frame modern packs of this kind. During this period, Karrimor offered a lifetime warranty on its products, and was reputed for its in-house warranty and repairs service, often many years after the product purchase had taken place. These lifetime warranties are no longer honoured by the new owners of the Karrimor brand. Other highlights also included the introduction of closed cell foam mattresses (1965) known as the "Karrimat", and Karrimor's first exports and first experiments with nylon backpacks in 1967, leading also to the first marketed waterproof nylon cycle bags in the 1970s (Karrimor later switched all its cycle bag production from cotton to nylon in 1980), as well as the first mountain marathon (1968).