PERSONAL BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Rick Allnutt
52 Year old male
6' 0'' (183 cm) in height
163 lbs (74 kg) in weight
48 in (122 cm) girth (circumference around arms and chest)
Email address: rick (at) BackpackGearTest (dot) org
Personal Hiking Page: http://www.imrisk.com
Trail name: Risk
I live in Dayton, Ohio

BACKPACKING BACKGROUND
Over the last several years, I have become an ultralight camper with a three-season base pack weight of about 17 lb (8 kg) and skin out weight of 25 lb (11 kg). I have completed many section hikes on the Appalachian Trail (AT) in all four seasons, with a total mileage of about 1100 miles (1770 km). I am a gearhead, a hammock camper, and I make much of my own equipment.

PRODUCT INFORMATION
Manufacturer: GoLite
Year Manufactured: 2004
Manufacturer's Link: http://www.golite.com/
MSRP: US$300
Listed Weight: 1 lb 13 oz (820 g) for trim medium size
Measured Weight: 1 lb 13.2 oz (828 g) including stuff sack, trim medium size
    (stuff sack is 0.8 oz (23 g) of that weight)
Listed length and girth of bag (from product tag):  72 x 60 in (183 x 152 cm)
Measured length and girth of bag: 74 x 60 in (188 x 152 cm)
REVIEW
For a detailed description of the Golite Feather sleeping bag, please see my Initial Report.

I applied the sizing information as contained on the GoLite website to choose one of the six sizes available and the bag still feels like it fits me very nicely and comfortably after the full test series. 

During the Long Term testing period, I have mostly continued using the Feather as a hammock quilt for winter use.  When hammock camping, I have used the bag with the zipper open and below my back in the hammock.  My hips or bottom have been well within the bag and there has been no discomfort from the zipper head.   

From time to time, I have used the bag as a regular bag, zipped all the way up.  For very cold nights, using the hood of the bag to keep my head and ears warm is very nice and always helps me to sleep better.  I have sometimes used it in the hammock this way, but more often when sleeping on a platform or in a shelter.

In my field report I said:
"The temperature rating of the bag seems conservative.  I am neither a cold sleeper nor a warm sleeper.  Most sleeping bag temperature ratings have been accurate for my use in the past.  I have spent a number of warm nights in this bag, while the outside air temperature has dropped low.  The coldest night was a windless night when the temperature reached 12 F (-11 C). For that night, I was wearing a pair of thin wool pants, a sweater, wool socks, and a woolly hat.  I was sleeping in a bottom-insulated hammock with a wind blocking outer shell around the hammock and sleeping bag.  I was not chilly, cool, or uncomfortable."  
During the long term testing period, we had an unusually warm January.  The test night above ended up being the coldest night I slept outside.

After 4 months of use, I continue to be impressed with the high quality of the bag.  I have had no seams which have popped, no problems with the zipper, and no problem with the hood arrangement when I have used it.  I have had no feather leaks, and there has been no tendency for any of the ends of feathers to poke through the Pertex Quantum or polyester cloth.  

For several warmer nights in the bag, I slept with a foot, or even two feet extended through the bottom of the bag to let moisture from my socks evaporate outside the hammock.  This is a great way to dry socks and a good way to not get overheated in mild temperatures.  In cold temperatures, the opening at the bottom of the bag has not leaked cold air and I am able to keep my feet very warm.

I have not had any further problem with snagging the material in the zipper.  Learning to be careful with zippers is part of hiking and camping.  A small amount of care in using the zipper has avoided any jamming of the zipper in the thin cloth of the bag's textile envelope.

In my initial report I said I would be interested in the following:
- How much temperature differential does the bag offer from my skin to the temperature of the outside of the bag?  It kept me quite comfortable at 12F (-11C).
- What temperatures am I comfortable using the bag, from cool to cold? I have used the bag in warm 50 F (10 C) nights, cool/windy 40 F (4 C) and down to very cold 12 F (-11 C) nights.  It has worked well in all these extremes.
- How well does the foot flap work to dry socks and make me comfortable? Works as advertised. My feet stay warm when I don't stick them out. There is no tendency of the foot to leak cold air into the bag.
- How well does the zipper work?  How can I best keep it from jamming? Care is enough.  It is well designed.
- How down proof is the fabric? In four months of use, completely down proof.

What I like so far:
- Soft
- Warm
- Lightweight
- Easy to pack
- Fits me perfectly

Dislikes:
none!

FIELD CONDITIONS 
For the four months of use, I used the Feather bag for about 15 overnight periods.  I have taken trips along the Mad River, and to Zaleski State Forest in Ohio.  In addition, I have used the bag in weather extremes on my farm.  I used the bag in my camping hammock as a quilt and on flat surfaces as a sleeping bag.  Temperatures ranged from mild nights to well below freezing, as detailed above. Altitudes ranged from river valleys to mountain tops.

My thanks to BackpackGearTest and GoLite for allowing me to sample the warm pleasure of a well constructed sleeping bag!