OWNER REVIEW - Golite Feather-lite Sleeping Bag

Discussion:

OWNER REVIEW - Golite Feather-lite Sleeping Bag - Andy Rad

Andy Rad

2005-03-14 20:59:28 UTC

Photos and comparison table on test site:

http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/test/TESTS/OR%20Golite%
20Feather-Lite-%20Andy%20Rad/

Owner Review: Golite Feather-Lite Down Sleeping Bag

Date: March 13, 2005
Manufacturer Name: Golite
Website: http://www.golite.com
Product Information
Manufacturer: Golite
Model: Feather-Lite Down Sleeping Bag
Year of Manufacture: 2003/2004 Special Run
Color: Sea
Size: Medium
Dimensions: 6 ft (168 cm)
MSRP: $250 (US)

Listed Weight: N/A

Measured Weight: 1 lb 9.3oz (717 g)

Field Test Results

This review has two objectives; first being to educate the reader on
three different models of Feather-Lite sleeping systems that Golite
offered from 2003 to 2005, and second to discuss the performance of
the bag.

First the changes and confusion Golite has introduced while revising
their sleeping systems and retaining the same product name can
mislead an uninformed internet purchaser. Prior to 2004 the Feather-
Lite was filled with 700 down and in 2004 they narrowed the foot and
increased the fill to 800. During the transition there appears to be
a special run of new dimensioned bags filled with older 700 fill
down. The later bag is the one I purchased in spring 2004, had the
opportunity to use for 19 nights in 2004, and on which this review is
written.

The table below is populated with specifications from Golite's Winter
03, Spring 04, Winter 04, Spring 05 printed catalogs. The 2003/04
Special Run row are my interpolated/measured values.

According to their catalogs, all models are listed as having a denier
Pertex®/Quantum® nylon shell with DWR and polyester lining, max user
height of 6 ft (168 cm), 40 F (4 C) temperature rating, and 3 in (7.5
cm) loft. Spring 2004 they introduced the Footvent

TABLE INSERTED - have to go to test site to view

http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/test/TESTS/OR%20Golite%
20Feather-Lite-%20Andy%20Rad/

The model I purchased appears to be special 2003/2004 transition
run. It was not listed in either the winter 2003 or spring 2004
catalog. I purchased off the internet and was listed as a Special
Buy and available in sea or plum color. The dimensions are that of
the current 2004/2005 models, with the down fill being that of the
older 2003 model (700 down). Nevertheless, it has performed
admirably and has a free loft of 3.25+ in (8.25+ cm). I feel free
loft is hard to judge, because it depends on how the bag was shaken
and laid out for measurement. I generally measure my bags after
compression, which I do by placing under a heavy 6 ft (182 cm)
folding table for 30 minutes and let the bag regain loft without
being disturbed. In this case, the bag lofted back to 2.25 in ( 5.7
cm) after 15 minutes.

I had some reservations about purchasing a zip-less bag, but the sale
price was too good to pass up. There are times when it would have
been nice to have the option of venting the bag, and I suspect that
is why Golite introduced the Footvent. Those times were few and by
placing my arms outside the bag I cooled off.

I especially like the hood-less design and see little reason to have
a hooded summer bag. The opening is large enough to climb in and
secures with an elastic draw cord, thus when I get cool I put on a
hat and cinch the draw cord snuggly around my neck. The advantage of
an elastic draw cord over a hood, is the freedom to stick my hand or
arm out of the bag without unzipping or readjusting the draw cord.
Works great for adjusting my hat or rearranging the pillow.

I don't consider myself a warm sleeper, but I remained comfortable on
my coldest test night of 27 F (-3 C). I was on a 1.5 in (3.75 cm)
Therm-A-Rest®, wearing a fleece hat, down vest, nylon shell, pants,
and fingerless gloves. During the summer I had several nights of near
freezing and found that a fleece hat and down vest kept me
comfortable. The nice thing about this bag is how roomy it is and
not having to fight a zipper during entry or for pillow adjustment.
I also have another leading competitor's ultra-light summer sleeping
bag and I'm hard pressed to zip it up while wearing a down vest. My
philosophy is that if your not wearing all your clothing to bed on
cool nights, too much gear was carried in.

Summary

Pros:
*Roomy
*Large entry top
*Hoodless elastic draw cord
*Relatively light weight

Cons:
*My model is a few ounces heavier than 2004 model

Tester Information & Background

Name: Andy Rad
Gender: Male
Age: 47
Height: 6 ft (1.83 m)
Weight: 165 lb (75 kg)
Email: aisrad-***@public.gmane.org

I started backpacking 21 years ago, mostly 3 day trips with at least
one 7 day trip per year. By backpacking, I'm referring to summer,
winter camping, and fall hunting. About half my trips are light
weight solo and the other half with my family. I own a llama that
was purchased when my 3rd child was 2, some 10 years ago. This
allowed me to continue backpacking as a family activity. When I'm
not with the family/llama I tend to take less-traveled trails or
bushwhack the hard mountainous terrain in and around Idaho. In
recent years I've begun substituting a collie for the llama. The
majority of my trips are in central Idaho, with a few into northern
Idaho, eastern Idaho, and eastern Oregon.

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
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--------------------------------------------------------------------~->

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Yahoo! Groups Links

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Rick Allnutt

2005-03-14 21:56:03 UTC

Permalink

Andy,

Even with my very wide screen, your table is throwing the text off the
right side of the screen. You will need to work out the html so that it
can be viewed on the website with a browser set for 800 pixels wide.
That means the table can not be much wider than 650 pixels wide.

Rick
Ass't Website Moderator.

Post by Andy Rad
http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/test/TESTS/OR%20Golite%
20Feather-Lite-%20Andy%20Rad/
Owner Review: Golite Feather-Lite Down Sleeping Bag
Date: March 13, 2005
Manufacturer Name: Golite
Website: http://www.golite.com
Product Information
Manufacturer: Golite
Model: Feather-Lite Down Sleeping Bag
Year of Manufacture: 2003/2004 Special Run
Color: Sea
Size: Medium
Dimensions: 6 ft (168 cm)
MSRP: $250 (US)
Listed Weight: N/A
Measured Weight: 1 lb 9.3oz (717 g)
Field Test Results
This review has two objectives; first being to educate the reader on
three different models of Feather-Lite sleeping systems that Golite
offered from 2003 to 2005, and second to discuss the performance of
the bag.
First the changes and confusion Golite has introduced while revising
their sleeping systems and retaining the same product name can
mislead an uninformed internet purchaser. Prior to 2004 the Feather-
Lite was filled with 700 down and in 2004 they narrowed the foot and
increased the fill to 800. During the transition there appears to be
a special run of new dimensioned bags filled with older 700 fill
down. The later bag is the one I purchased in spring 2004, had the
opportunity to use for 19 nights in 2004, and on which this review is
written.
The table below is populated with specifications from Golite's Winter
03, Spring 04, Winter 04, Spring 05 printed catalogs. The 2003/04
Special Run row are my interpolated/measured values.
According to their catalogs, all models are listed as having a denier
Pertex®/Quantum® nylon shell with DWR and polyester lining, max user
height of 6 ft (168 cm), 40 F (4 C) temperature rating, and 3 in (7.5
cm) loft. Spring 2004 they introduced the Footvent^(TM)
TABLE INSERTED - have to go to test site to view
http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/test/TESTS/OR%20Golite%
20Feather-Lite-%20Andy%20Rad/
The model I purchased appears to be special 2003/2004 transition
run. It was not listed in either the winter 2003 or spring 2004
catalog. I purchased off the internet and was listed as a Special
Buy and available in sea or plum color. The dimensions are that of
the current 2004/2005 models, with the down fill being that of the
older 2003 model (700 down). Nevertheless, it has performed
admirably and has a free loft of 3.25+ in (8.25+ cm). I feel free
loft is hard to judge, because it depends on how the bag was shaken
and laid out for measurement. I generally measure my bags after
compression, which I do by placing under a heavy 6 ft (182 cm)
folding table for 30 minutes and let the bag regain loft without
being disturbed. In this case, the bag lofted back to 2.25 in ( 5.7
cm) after 15 minutes.
I had some reservations about purchasing a zip-less bag, but the sale
price was too good to pass up. There are times when it would have
been nice to have the option of venting the bag, and I suspect that
is why Golite introduced the Footvent^(TM). Those times were few and by
placing my arms outside the bag I cooled off.
I especially like the hood-less design and see little reason to have
a hooded summer bag. The opening is large enough to climb in and
secures with an elastic draw cord, thus when I get cool I put on a
hat and cinch the draw cord snuggly around my neck. The advantage of
an elastic draw cord over a hood, is the freedom to stick my hand or
arm out of the bag without unzipping or readjusting the draw cord.
Works great for adjusting my hat or rearranging the pillow.
I don't consider myself a warm sleeper, but I remained comfortable on
my coldest test night of 27 F (-3 C). I was on a 1.5 in (3.75 cm)
Therm-A-Rest®, wearing a fleece hat, down vest, nylon shell, pants,
and fingerless gloves. During the summer I had several nights of near
freezing and found that a fleece hat and down vest kept me
comfortable. The nice thing about this bag is how roomy it is and
not having to fight a zipper during entry or for pillow adjustment.
I also have another leading competitor's ultra-light summer sleeping
bag and I'm hard pressed to zip it up while wearing a down vest. My
philosophy is that if your not wearing all your clothing to bed on
cool nights, too much gear was carried in.
Summary
*Roomy
*Large entry top
*Hoodless elastic draw cord
*Relatively light weight
*My model is a few ounces heavier than 2004 model
Tester Information & Background
Name: Andy Rad
Gender: Male
Age: 47
Height: 6 ft (1.83 m)
Weight: 165 lb (75 kg)
I started backpacking 21 years ago, mostly 3 day trips with at least
one 7 day trip per year. By backpacking, I'm referring to summer,
winter camping, and fall hunting. About half my trips are light
weight solo and the other half with my family. I own a llama that
was purchased when my 3rd child was 2, some 10 years ago. This
allowed me to continue backpacking as a family activity. When I'm
not with the family/llama I tend to take less-traveled trails or
bushwhack the hard mountainous terrain in and around Idaho. In
recent years I've begun substituting a collie for the llama. The
majority of my trips are in central Idaho, with a few into northern
Idaho, eastern Idaho, and eastern Oregon.
To read our reviews, please visit http://www.backpackgeartest.org/
Yahoo! Groups Links

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Help save the life of a child. Support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's
'Thanks & Giving.'
http://us.click.yahoo.com/6iY7fA/5WnJAA/Y3ZIAA/V4TolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->

To read our reviews, please visit http://www.backpackgeartest.org/
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BackpackGearTest/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
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Pascal Deschenes

2005-03-14 22:39:08 UTC

Permalink

Looks fine here on both Firefox and IE...

Post by Rick Allnutt
Andy,
Even with my very wide screen, your table is throwing the text off the
right side of the screen. You will need to work out the html so that it
can be viewed on the website with a browser set for 800 pixels wide.
That means the table can not be much wider than 650 pixels wide.
Rick
Ass't Website Moderator.

Feather-

Post by Andy Rad
Lite was filled with 700 down and in 2004 they narrowed the foot and
increased the fill to 800. During the transition there appears to

Post by Andy Rad
a special run of new dimensioned bags filled with older 700 fill
down. The later bag is the one I purchased in spring 2004, had the
opportunity to use for 19 nights in 2004, and on which this review

Post by Andy Rad
written.
The table below is populated with specifications from Golite's

Winter

Post by Andy Rad
03, Spring 04, Winter 04, Spring 05 printed catalogs. The 2003/04
Special Run row are my interpolated/measured values.
According to their catalogs, all models are listed as having a

denier

Post by Andy Rad
Pertex�/Quantum� nylon shell with DWR and polyester lining, max user
height of 6 ft (168 cm), 40 F (4 C) temperature rating, and 3 in

(7.5

Post by Andy Rad
cm) loft. Spring 2004 they introduced the Footvent^(TM)
TABLE INSERTED - have to go to test site to view
http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/test/TESTS/OR%20Golite%
20Feather-Lite-%20Andy%20Rad/
The model I purchased appears to be special 2003/2004 transition
run. It was not listed in either the winter 2003 or spring 2004
catalog. I purchased off the internet and was listed as a Special
Buy and available in sea or plum color. The dimensions are that of
the current 2004/2005 models, with the down fill being that of the
older 2003 model (700 down). Nevertheless, it has performed
admirably and has a free loft of 3.25+ in (8.25+ cm). I feel free
loft is hard to judge, because it depends on how the bag was shaken
and laid out for measurement. I generally measure my bags after
compression, which I do by placing under a heavy 6 ft (182 cm)
folding table for 30 minutes and let the bag regain loft without
being disturbed. In this case, the bag lofted back to 2.25 in ( 5.7
cm) after 15 minutes.
I had some reservations about purchasing a zip-less bag, but the

sale

Post by Andy Rad
price was too good to pass up. There are times when it would have
been nice to have the option of venting the bag, and I suspect that
is why Golite introduced the Footvent^(TM). Those times were few and

Post by Andy Rad
placing my arms outside the bag I cooled off.
I especially like the hood-less design and see little reason to have
a hooded summer bag. The opening is large enough to climb in and
secures with an elastic draw cord, thus when I get cool I put on a
hat and cinch the draw cord snuggly around my neck. The advantage

Post by Andy Rad
an elastic draw cord over a hood, is the freedom to stick my hand or
arm out of the bag without unzipping or readjusting the draw cord.
Works great for adjusting my hat or rearranging the pillow.
I don't consider myself a warm sleeper, but I remained comfortable

Post by Andy Rad
my coldest test night of 27 F (-3 C). I was on a 1.5 in (3.75 cm)
Therm-A-Rest�, wearing a fleece hat, down vest, nylon shell, pants,
and fingerless gloves. During the summer I had several nights of

near

Post by Andy Rad
freezing and found that a fleece hat and down vest kept me
comfortable. The nice thing about this bag is how roomy it is and
not having to fight a zipper during entry or for pillow adjustment.
I also have another leading competitor's ultra-light summer sleeping
bag and I'm hard pressed to zip it up while wearing a down vest. My
philosophy is that if your not wearing all your clothing to bed on
cool nights, too much gear was carried in.
Summary
*Roomy
*Large entry top
*Hoodless elastic draw cord
*Relatively light weight
*My model is a few ounces heavier than 2004 model
Tester Information & Background
Name: Andy Rad
Gender: Male
Age: 47
Height: 6 ft (1.83 m)
Weight: 165 lb (75 kg)
I started backpacking 21 years ago, mostly 3 day trips with at least
one 7 day trip per year. By backpacking, I'm referring to summer,
winter camping, and fall hunting. About half my trips are light
weight solo and the other half with my family. I own a llama that
was purchased when my 3rd child was 2, some 10 years ago. This
allowed me to continue backpacking as a family activity. When I'm
not with the family/llama I tend to take less-traveled trails or
bushwhack the hard mountainous terrain in and around Idaho. In
recent years I've begun substituting a collie for the llama. The
majority of my trips are in central Idaho, with a few into northern
Idaho, eastern Idaho, and eastern Oregon.
To read our reviews, please visit http://www.backpackgeartest.org/
Yahoo! Groups Links

--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
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Andrew Priest

2005-03-14 22:54:10 UTC

Permalink

Post by Pascal Deschenes
Looks fine here on both Firefox and IE...

And for me

Andrew

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Give the gift of life to a sick child.
Support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's 'Thanks & Giving.'
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To read our reviews, please visit http://www.backpackgeartest.org/
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
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Rick Allnutt

2005-03-15 01:15:26 UTC

Permalink

Andy,

I made the mistake of thinking the text was flowing outside the page
because of the vertical line and the text being right justified against
the line with no space. It is distracting to me, but is just style. I
have no official objection if that is the way you want it to look.

Thanks to Pascal and Andrew for taking a second look.

Rick

chcoa

2005-03-15 07:27:03 UTC

Permalink

PLEASE READ THIS EMAIL IN FULL. IT IS MOST IMPORTANT!

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