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Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > GoLite Feather Sleeping Bag > Heather Oakes > Field ReportField Report GoLite Feather Sleeping Bag December 14, 2005 Tester Information:
Name: Heather Oakes Palmer Backpacking Background: I consider myself an intermediate hiker and beginning backpacker for over five years; my longest backpacking trip being only three nights. Day hiking and weekend backpacking comprise most of my weekend warrior experience averaging one backpacking trip per month and two day hikes per month averaging between 10-15 miles (16.1- 24.2 km) per day. I tend to backpack in warm, humid climates, with a good amount of hiking in the southern Appalachian Mountains and I have rarely hiked in below freezing or snowy conditions yet. I am a lightweight backpacker and buy my gear accordingly, often splitting various objects and amounts of weight with my husband. Product Information:
Manufacturer: GoLite
Field Conditions: In October, I spent three nights in Arizona both car-camping and backpacking. The kinds of environments varied from a riparian canyon, sub-alpine forests, and middle Sonoran desert. The altitudes ranged from about 2600 – 6200+ ft (792- 1890 m) with night temperatures from the mid 30’s- low 50’s F (2- 10 C). I tested the bag in my backyard overnight with a rainless temperature of 44F (7 C) and humidity at about 68% according to NOAA. I will continue to test the bag primarily on overnight car camping and backpacking trips in the Georgia and North Carolina Mountains. The average elevations I will be hiking in will range from 2000 – 5500 ft (610-1676 m); with winter temperatures dropping to the 20’s F (-6 C) overnight with day temperatures between 40- 70 F (4 - 21 C), and I could see rain, ice, and tiny snow flurries all in one day. Report: How will a person who can choke themselves with a sleeping bag and manage to wriggle half out of it during the night; find a short, front-zippered bag with a 5-piece hood easy to use and comfortable? Will I get claustrophobic when I can’t unzip the bag so one leg dangles out? Will I be able to easily get into the bag, or am I using a yoga posture? Not only did I enjoy the snug feeling of the shorter front zipper, its placement allowed me to zip it fully and wriggle around without the bag twisting around. Only partially zipping the bag did cause a little twisting and bunching when I moved around at night. I can imagine how the bag might be challenging to get into if I have a very small or short tent, or hammock. Overall, I had no problem maneuvering into the bag and my only other comment will be to note that getting into this bag brought me closer to my smelly feet than I would have liked. The 5-piece ergonomic hood has not really been tested yet, so far it has not been cold enough for me to wrap my head up in the bag. I have never used down and wasn’t sure if I would like the feel of it or the Pertex nylon covering the bag. The fabric felt slinky, fluffy, and warm all at once. Sinking into the cocoon of the bag was like heaven after my 4 mile (6.4 km) afternoon hike slogging in and out of Aravaipa Creek, which I swear, is more tiring than it sounds because the creek IS the trail and the water can be up to your waist. Being a restless sleeper and liking my space I was glad I picked the bag of Regular girth, which allowed me wiggle onto my side and pull the bag up under my chin or wrap it around me like a blanket. In my other bag, moving around too much caused twisting and drafts in uncomfortable places. The height was also just right for me to fiddle with where I wanted my head to rest. I tend to look at bag ratings as a practical joke at my expense; so I add about 20 degrees to the rating to gauge at what temperature I’ll be breaking out the liner. While the temperature never got down to the bag rating of 20F (-7 C), it did get down to my comfort rating of 40F (4 C) for the bag. I did not need my bag liner at all, from 34F (1 C) to the low 50’sF (10 C). As the majority of my testing was done in Arizona in low humidity, my one night in Georgia was not enough for me to really decide whether or not humidity was a factor in how warm I felt as I felt warm in both Arizona and Georgia. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that there were no cold drafts from the foot vent, I even wore no socks one evening but I know there is not way I’ll sleep with my feet out of the vent until the summer. In the short time I have had with the bag, so far I find it well put together. The design is sound, my initial concerns about the zipper placement and foot vent allayed, and the construction seems solid. Barring a couple of feathers found in the morning (prompting me to show my ignorance as I exclaimed, “Wow, they really do use feathers!”); the seams look great, the zipper doesn’t give me grief even in cold weather, and I see no blemishes on the fabric. I have not yet washed the bag but it was not very stinky even after being stuffed in its sack for a week only coming out when I stunk it up some more. At home I sprayed it with a little water to see if it would bead up, which it did, but other than that the bag has not come in contact with much water. In Arizona the temperatures were mild enough that we did not use our rain-fly and had very little condensation in the tent. Even in Georgia due to the windy night, I did not get enough condensation in the tent to dampen the bag so far. GoLite is not kidding around when they make lightweight gear. This 29.2 oz (827.8 g) bag also packs down to a size that is just right for the bottom of my bag without compression. The silnylon stuff sack gives me a little fight when I putting it inside, but it is easier if I get out the excess air by flattening the bag then folding it in half down the length before putting it in the sack. The bag needs no further compression to pack down, and it is also pretty easy to fluff back out seemingly no different from a synthetic bag in that aspect. During the four nights I have tested this bag, I have fallen in love with its light weight, its fluffy warmth, and its bag design. While I have not been able to test as low as the bag’s 20F (-7 C) rating, or while it is damp or wet; during the long term phase of my testing I’m positive I will encounter wet and cold conditions to test in. Other than losing a couple of feathers, the bag seems very sturdy and the Pertex coating does help keep small amounts of water from seeping into the down.
Reviews > Sleep Gear > Sleeping Bags > GoLite Feather Sleeping Bag > Heather Oakes > Field Report | |||
