GoLite Ultra 20 (brief review)

Kate,

I have a Golite Ultra 20 (as a side note, I love it – I'm sure there are better quilts, but this one works great for my camping in Michigan).

I use 2 pads: a Ridgerest which I cut the bottom corners off of to fit into the footbox, and a Z-Lite that I cut to end at my knees. Depending on the pack and other supplies, I will take either pad (the Ridgerest is rolled and stored on top of the pack, the Z-Lite is folded and placed inside my pack as support).

Hope this provides some insight.

Just my final update on the Ultra 20. I returned last month from an 11 day trip in the Winds with this quilt and was quite impressed with the comfort and performance. I slept on a Exped downmat 7 short in a single wall tent in long silk underwear, wool socks, and a fleece cap. The lowest temp experienced was 26 degrees Fahrenheit (in tent) with most nights in the mid to high 30's. In addition, I removed the factory straps and replaced them with DIY 3/8" elastic and velcro.

I really enjoyed the freedom of movement that the quilt offered over a slim bag, especially for my arms. Only on the coldest night did I snap the neck closure and use the drawcord. Overall I would say that I was warm enough to sleep but certainly not "cozy." In the early hours of the morning on the coldest night, I pulled my down vest (FF Hyperion @ 6.5oz) under the quilt and draped it over me and was then quite "cozy." However, I would typically deem myself a slightly warm sleeper and find this quilt to be more of a 30 degree quilt than the 20 Golite states. You will most likely survive at 20 degrees but there won't be much sleep unless you have on some additional insulation layers or a full stomach and the metabolism of a 16 year old. I will be the first to admit that the quilt/variable girth bag concept should include the clothing that you have with you, however manufacturers should not incorporate that into their temp ratings. I should point out that this trip was more strenuous than normal and I had only allocated 2,200 calories per day. I wasn't particularly hungry but did come back 5lbs lighter even after a HUGE steak dinner and nearly 6 quarts of POWERade on the ride home.

As a tossing and turning semi fetal position side sleeper, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't too drafty and after a few nights I was able to keep things closed while I turned, minimizing the drafts. It is definitely more drafty than a bag and I was much warmer when laying flat on my back with the quilt tucked and cinched up around me. Coverage was about perfect for my 5'9" 165 frame but if I was any taller I would opt for the long length version. My size 11.5 extra wide feet have something to do with this, but when laying on my back with the neck snugged up there isn't any extra room and I am beginning to compromise the loft by stretching the shell, particularly in the footbox.

As I have stated earlier, I am at a bit of a loss concerning this item. The Featherlite 40 zipperless Golite bag (discontinued but still available from some retailers) is a little over one ounce heavier but it much warmer with more loft and more room when compared to the cinched up Ultra 20. On the other hand I appreciated the Pertex Endurance footbox and top end of the bag and the higher shell quality.

The Ultra 20 is a keeper and will be my primary sleep system for temps from 30 and up. I will also be using it as either an overbag or liner bag for winter trips as well. At this point I don't think I will add more down to this bag or cut up the Featherlite and make a quilt out of it. With any luck quilts will gain market share and Western Mountaineering or others will take notice and make one that fits my need perfectly.

John,

You have done a very nice job of tracking your findings with the Ultra 20 and sharing them with us. I thank you heartily.

Your findings seem to match mine spot on. I have come to the same conclusion that you alluded to as far as the loft. (This after I got my Nunatak Arc Alpinist quilt to compare it with.) I think that the Ultra 20 does not have 800 fill down, or that it has too many feathers mixed in too.

I loved the comfort of mine and think if they would stay with it (which they are not as they have introduced new models) with better down it would be a major winner for them.

I sold mine and ordered two more Nunatak quilts. You may want to check them out.

"The Featherlite 40 zipperless Golite bag…is much warmer with more loft and more room when compared to the….Ultra 20"

Really? The Ultra 20 may not be a true 20 degree quilt but it's hard to believe that a 40 degree bag is "much warmer"….especially one that uses heavier face fabrics (20 denier vs. 15 denier). The Ultra 20 seems to be widely accepted as being warm to 30F, so are you suggesting the Featherlite 40 is actually good to well below this?

Golite seems to use about the same amount of down in their 40F bags as they do in their 20 degree quilts. The difference is that it's all on top of you with the quilt. So while the total loft of the bag might be similar (or even a bit more if they used to use better down as you theorize), when you look at how much down is on top of you the quilt should win by a large margin.

I sleep on my side, and move around a "medium" amount while sleeping. I find using my sleeping bag as a quilt makes it comfortable to about 15-20 degrees higher temps – even without trying to vent by sticking a knee out, etc. Or conversely, when I zip up the bag instead of using it as a quilt, it seems about 15-20 degrees warmer. The zipped bag is only 10 degrees warmer than the quilt-mode bag if I tuck the edges under me, and move around a lot less. (This only works for me until a little while after I fall asleep).

Still, I prefer the quilt. I find it hard to sleep in a confining mummy bag, and prefer to carry a little extra insulation weight.

The "draftiness" issue could be fixed with a bivy, but then I'd give up the easy entry / exit & ability to ventilate when needed.

there really is no benefit over a WM Ultralight wich weighs a tiny 29 oz. Unless of course you want the UL hiker credit :P

-Jace

The Ultra 20 weighs 19 oz, not 25 oz.

Probably referring to the new model.

I wish we had more info on the new Golite quilts. 6oz is a big jump given the explanation ('packed with a little more down'). The current Ultra 20 has 9.5oz of down. I highly doubt that it's been bumped all the way to 15.5oz. I wonder if they are using heavier face fabrics as well?

Sorry for the confusion. And ya 6 oz of down would definatly change the rating… a lot… it has to be new fabrics.

-Jace

I got an Ultra 20 in the summer and have really enjoyed it. I have been curious as to how low I can take it in the winter. From reading the charts provided by Richard Nisley, I'm confident I'll be OK down to 20 degrees with supplemental gear, but I would like to know for sure!

Last night I slept out on the sofa in the backyard with a low temp of 29 and I was fine. I wore a cotton t-shirt, sweat pants and cotton socks.

Given the thickness of the foam used in most sofa cushions, you'd probably have to stack a couple of down air mattresses to get something similar in the backcountry. I wouldn't consider that a fair test of warmth for anything unless you plan on carrying a sofa in to the woods with you.

I know, it's cheating a little bit!

I'm just trying to get a feel for the bag in different conditions so I can make sort of an informed decision later…..

I'm not a cold sleeper; I just wanted to get that out of the way since not everyone is the same. The loft does seem thin for a 20F bag. However, I just finished thru-hiking the PCT and used the 2008 version of the Ultra 20 quilt and had no issues with it including the last 4 days where I was hiking in snow.

The coldest weather that I encountered on the PCT was the last 1.5 weeks in Northern Washington (I finished on Oct.2) when I had several nights in the 20's (F). My quilt hadn't been washed the entire trip and after 5 months of daily use it had definitely lost some loft and my body had also lost alot of fat. Normally I would just wear lightweight thermal bottoms and top along with my balaclava. However, by the end of the trip in that weather, I had to wear my hiking pants to bed too and I was still slept warm. However, in all fairness, my quilt was in my MLD superlight bivysack which definitely helped, but I was either cowboy camping (sleeping out) or was under an opened tarp, not in a tent.

I'm personally quite happy with this quilt for 3 weather use and it did hold up well over my PCT trip. I'd use it again to do the PCT without a thought.

-Miner

I had my GoLite Ultra 20 out Saturday for a test run in the cold and came away very satisfied. My cheapie digital thermometer read 14 degrees at around 3am and I was very comfortable.

I had, from the bottom up, a 1/2" full-length Ridgerest CCF pad, full-length Neo-Air pad, Capilene 2 top, Capilene 3 equivalent bottom, REI down booties, Marmot Zeus jacket, fleece beanie and the Ultra 20. Also, I was in a tent.

My experience matches closely my expectations based on Richard Nisley's chart.

Cameron…..you want to weigh in?