Field Report - Granite Gear Winterizer

Initial Report

Personal Biographical Information
Background
Product Information
Introduction
Field Information
Testing Impression & Considerations
Areas of improvement
Summary

Personal Biographical Information

Name	Pascal Deschênes
Age	30 years old
Gender	Male
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg)
Email	pasde at yahoo dot com
City, Province, Country	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Date	10 May 2005

Background

Long since I was young, I've always been an outdoor enthusiast: sea or white river kayaking, rock climbing, long and short distance hiking, classic and backcountry skiing, mountain biking.

I can describe myself as being a hiker with a paradoxical style. On one side I tend toward fast tracking while on the other I halt frequently, gazing at various points of interest, fauna and flora. I'm also geared toward lightweight backpacking but wouldn't let my solo percolator home.

Product Information

Manufacturer	Granite Gear (http://www.granitegear.com)
Manufacturing Country	n.a.
Product Category	Hydration System
Color	Black
Year of Manufacture	2004
Listed Weight	n.a.
Measured Weight:
Including the pouch	140 g (5 oz)
W/o the pouch	110 g (4 oz)
MSRP	$20.00 US
Material
External Envelope	Nylon (unknown type, probably light Cordura)
Insulation	Unknown
Sternum strap clip	Molded plastic

Introduction

The field test period has brought to light several details worth mentioning. Briefly speaking, the Winterizer does achieve its main goal, that is, insulation. However, some issues arose and this report attempts to bring them forth while constructively proposing some improvements.

Field Information

I have tested the Granite Gear Winterizer during several trips, which includes the Mont-Orford region, the Portneuf Reserve, as well as the Mont-Mégantic Provincial Park. The Winterizer has also been used in numerous cross-country skiing outings, mostly in the lower Appalachian or Laurentien range. Temperature ranged between -20 C (-5 F) and 5 C (40 F).

It is worth mentioning that the Portneuf Reserve was less forested than other locations and hence subject to significant temperature increase due to a higher windshield factor.

While the Portneuf Reserve remains mostly flat, other locations were more challenging in terms of elevation. However, such elevation is not notable in regard with temperature increase.

I have been using the Winterizer on my Platypus 3 L (100 oz) Bladder along with either my Platypus Roadrunner Hydration pack or my Gregory G-Pack.

Testing Impression & Considerations

First of all, I must confess that, at this point, I am quite ambivalent regarding the Winterizer's performances. On one side, Granite Gear has come up with a neat idea, which is, within some limits, actually performing well, while on the other hand, a few concerns are definitely noteworthy.

As mentioned in my Initial Report, although clever, the design is to some degree straightforward. I have pointed out that it was initially painful to get the hose into the insulator. During the test period, things did not get easier as I could have expected. In fact, I can recall a few bad words while trying to get the thing in.

One area in which I was a bit concerned was related to the fact that the Winterizer is about 5 inches (10 centimeters) shorter than my hydration tube. This happened to not be a problem while using my G-Pack, as the insulator covered the entire exposed part, with the remainder safely inside the pack. However, this has not been the case with my Roadrunner pack, where the tube is exposed all the way down (see picture). Fortunately, I was engaged in intense cross-country skiing, with my body radiating enough heat to keep the exposed part of the tube from freezing.

One of the major issues I happen to face was in regard with the size of the insulation pocket. Although I cannot clearly testify this fact, it seems that because of the limited pocket size and the way the Platypus Bite Valve functions (once the bite valve gets squeezed, water gets out), water droplets accumulate within the insulation fabric to the point where it gets drenched and ice tends to form within the valve when temperature is lower than -10 C (14 F).

The sternum clip barely stays in place: while removing my pack from my shoulders, the pocket would not stay clipped to my sternum strap two times out of three. Moreover, the clip is so tiny that it was pretty difficult to have it properly clipped to or unclipped from my sternum strap in order to have a sip on the trail (with mittens on or not).

Although quite difficult to open with mitts on during colder days, the urethane-coated zipper remains waterproof and keeps the water droplets from freezing out.

Areas of improvement

• Insulation Pocket: The pocket should provide a bit more space for a bigger bite-valve. Moreover, instead of providing a semi-circular closure, this closure should instead trace a diagonal, facilitating the zipper opening.
• Insulator: The insulation hosing should provide a Velcro-like closure all along the thread. This would not only allow me to wrap the insulator around various tubing diameters but also greatly facilitate the setup process.
• Sternum clip: A stiffer and larger clip should be provided.

Summary

Pro

• Top quality manufacturing
• Meets the manufacturer claim: "Getting a drink is quick and easy […]"

Con

• Too small insulation Pocket
• Difficulty with setup process
• Inefficient sternum clip