I've read on this forum that Golite's gear will be getting heavier for next year. Does anyone know if this includes the Ultra 20s? I'm planning to pick one up for 2010, but it's not really in my budget right now. Then again, if it's now or never to get a lighter weight one...maybe I should bust out the credit card?

The Ultra 20 is being revamped and will be a good bit heavier but probably more true to it's 20 degree rating. They are also adding an Ultra 40.

Honestly, I want more of a 30 degree bag than a 20 anyway, so the ultra 20 in its current state is probably best.

The stores that had them on sale early are out of everything but the short version so get ready for the stores that still have them full price to put them on sale and act early... unless you need a short because then you're in luck.

I can get one at campsaver right now for $179 w/ their 20% discount. Is that a good deal, or have you seen better?

And just in case anyone on this forum is looking to get rid of one...I'm 6'2 so need a size long. Thanks! ;)

Nate, The answer is yes 20% off is a good deal. Sometimes you see them for a little less, but not too often. I would recommend you get this years model as next years is indeed heavier. IIRC the 40 degree quilt will be as heavy as the current ultra 20. Its a good quilt.

Jamie

Time to bring all of my research to the wife...

Quick question before I take this $360 plunge (have to buy one for the wife as well):

I've never had a down bag before. How do they hold up in 3 season New England? It can be pretty humid here.

We use a Tarptent Cloudburst 2, if that makes a difference.

I definitely want to go with a quilt and I definitely want to keep things lightweight. I've been looking at the BPL 90 quilt but it seems like it might not be warm enough. We've done several nights below freezing this year and can't afford multiple bags at this point.

Thanks!

Down holds up just fine in New England. Just don't go swimming in it.

Glad to hear from you Ryan, as I've seen a few posts that show you hike a lot of the same places I do. My last trip was from the Westfield River to the CT River on the M&M trail.

I've got one the the current ultra 20's, picked up at a killer sale GoLite had earlier this year for $135. I'm happy with this item down to maybe the mid 30's. Any lower than that, I would go to my No Sniveler from Jacks 'R Better. One ounce heavier, but you get a LOT more loft and much more versatility, such as the neck hole that allows you to use as down serape, getting multiple use out of it.

Right now cost is pretty prohibitive when it comes to picking up a Jacks R Better quilt.

Based on the reports I've read, the Ultra 20 should be much warmer than my cheap Slumberjack 30 degree bag. I've slept in temperatures as cold as 18 in that one and survived (but was FREEZING). From about 25-35 in that bag I'm somewhat chilled but can still sleep pretty well.

Anyway, if the Ultra 20 can beat my current bag in warmth - which I'm sure it can - it'll do the trick for me. I don't expect to get into temperatures much colder than the teens.

It'll also be cutting 19 oz from my baseweight and 36 from my wife's, so that's pretty huge.

Nate, Not sure if this helps or hurts, but the JRB Hudson River Quilt (no sniveller without head hole) is on sale for $210.

To further complicate or justify going golite. Both the golite ultra and the JRB Hudson/No Sniveller report 2.5" of loft. The ultra 20 I had did loft to 2.5". So I am curious about Andrews comments about significant loft difference between the two quilts. Maybe the difference is in more variation from one run to the next for the ultra 20's...maybe I got a good one? But it should also be noted that the ultra 20 uses 9.5 oz of down compared to 11 oz for the JRB quilts. This would support Andrew over me if both quilts use similar lofting down (800 fill) and have similar surface area. Both quilts have 2" inch baffles.

To give you a comparison. I own or have owned a Golite Ultra 20, A Nunatak Ghost (custom sized and overstuffed), a JRB Stealth (40 degree version of the no sniveller), and a MYOG Thru-hiker Quilt (21 oz, 20 degree).

My assessment is...
* The Ghost outperforms all with respect to warmth to weight but is the most confining, it costs alot and the wait is long, mine is 50" wide
* The JRB is most versatile (as Andrew points out) and a good value for price, but it is a bit narrow, 48" wide
* The Ultra 20 is best mix for the money, it is nice and wide and the longest, at 19 oz is nice on weight, 55" wide
* The MYOG is the most personally satisfying, havent used it yet but indications are it will be the warmest of the lot and versatile as it lies flat, 52" wide

If you are just trying out quilts for the first time, the extra width of the Ultra 20 will help make the transition much easier.

Jamie

Edited by jshortt on 11/07/2009 07:15:38 MST.

Oh yeah, speaking of backpacking in the same places....

On my trip last month I was using a Golite 20, and Gary was using a JRB Hudson River (I think... not sure exactly what model, but I think he said it was the 20 degree model). We both slept in several layers (Montbell UL thermawrap for me, Patagonia micropuff for him, both of us in long base layers, etc).

This was a first trip using quilts for both of us, and I think they worked very well for the most part. When the temps got as low as freezing, I'd say that was a little beyond the limit of the temperature rating. We managed three or four nights in a row of freezing temps (no accurate thermometer, but there was frost in the morning), but any more than that and I would have been searching for a real 20 degree bag.

I'd say give it a shot if you find one on sale (that's how I got my Ultra). Or if you can find someone who will let you borrow theirs...

BPL reported on the 2010 Golite quilts in their recent Outdoor Retailer Market coverage a couple months back. As I recall, the Ultra 20 is getting a bit more downn (11-12oz total I'd guess) and using slightly heavier fabrics so it now weighs about 25oz and should actually be good to about 20Fm instead of 30F. I'm guessing it's got 2-3oz more down and then 2-3oz of heavier face fabrics but I don't really know. The price is going up to $240 I think and they are changing the name to the 'Ultralite 3 Season quilt'.

There another 2010 quilt is basically the same quilt but with less down and it's rated to 40F. It weighs 19oz like the Ultra 20 but it has less down and heavier fabrics. The Ultra 20 has 9.5oz so the new 40F quilt probably has about 7oz I'm guessing. They are calling this quilt the 'Ultralight 1+'.

Edit: I checked the BPL article. The 20F quilt is 25oz, comes in three lengths and price ranges from $255 -$295.

The the other quilt is 20oz, comes in 3 lengths and price is $200-$240. Here's the article with pics if you are a BPL member:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/orsm2009_thursday_dispatch.html

Edited by dandydan on 11/07/2009 15:34:27 MST.

Golite is also going to have a synthetic quilt for 2010. This is a caption from their 2010 line overview pdf:

"The RS, or Recycled Synthetic, sleeping bag range is GoLite’s first ever synthetic offering and
features styles which can cater for 1-3 season use. All bags are constructed using recycled materials for the shell, lining and insulation. There are mummy, quilt and vario semi rectangular
profiles to choose from within the RS collection that suit a diverse range of environments and
preferences."

Edited by dandydan on 11/07/2009 19:24:33 MST.