New 2013 Golite Gear

The 2-season (30F) EN rated bag (1lb 8oz.) with Pertex Quantum GL and the arid foot/head zone feature looks good. Pricing on the Golite bag is comparable to a Western Mountaineering Summerlite or the Marmot Hydrogen, both highly reputable 2-3 season bags. Still a savings, but not as significant as they were early '12.

Did their quilt receive a redesign? Width? Length?

The SL2 is now listed under "Shelters" as a tarp, but out of stock until April. At 1lb 10oz it looks like they are no longer bundling it with the inner.

golite just plain sucks.

their stuff is mostly heavy.

when they do make something good, by pure accident i imagine, they immediately change it or discontinue it.

their stuff is never in stock.

Dave,
Thanks for the update. That Imogene tent offers huge mostly freestanding space for 2#6oz, which could easily be brought under 2# with carbon poles.

But it is orange (gah!), and marked out of stock. Old tent discontinued? (The discount would suggest this) Or new tent marketed before it is available? (Boy, I've had my fill of that) Who knows.

Think I have to agree with M B. This company is so oblivious to both service to and the needs of its customers that is is really not worth even looking at.

Samuel, no, this is a new model. I suspect by April it should be in stock but not sure. I wish the full dimensions were posted.

Eugene, I guess it might be the $700 MSRP that is throwing me off. Golite quality has never been close to WM!

That Imogene UL2 tent practically looks like an exact copy of the Mtn Harwear SuperMegaUL2 tent, down to the fabric specs. Not exactly innovative, but admittedly a lower price point. If it'll ever be in stock.

Seriously, why advertise spring-use items if you won't sell them until well into spring?

Re: quilts/bags, nothing I see would make me turn to Golite at THOSE prices instead of better quality manufacturers.

Because Golite has stopped separate retail sales and only sells direct the msrp is basically fictional. It's a marketing strategy where they look at "comparable" (what they consider comparable is up to them so therefore they can quote a price like a WM or feathered friends bag) gear and say "this is the msrp" but it's on "sale". Except it's nonsense, it's not on sale; nowhere will you ever see the bags sold for $700 or whatever. This is a common strategy in the luggage world as well (Victorinox loves to label bags with some made up MSRp and then the actual price to make it seem like you're getting a smoking deal). All games aside I am intrigued by some of the new tents and bags, particularly the -10 bag. seems like it could be a great value.

So are these the "lightest free-standing tents on the market" that Demetri Coupounas said would be here last year?

http://andrewskurka.com/2012/demetri-coupounas-golite/

I asked the question in live chat.

The response was:
We will not produce a true solo tent this year. The smallest lightest option will be the Imogene UL 2.

Golite's strategy seems to be targeting the mainstream hikers as apposed to the UL niche market. Some of their products fit this strategy some don't.

The tent looks cool. Its light for a tent and not too expensive as tents go. Looks like a solid lightweight option for hikers who aren't gear geeks.

The sleeping bags aren't super bargins but the look okay. Again not the lightest but not bad.

Apparently no new packs. That's disappointing. I think Golite should try to turn out a really light internal frame pack. In my opinion frameless packs are too finicky for beginners. Something in the 2-2.5 pound range with an internal frame would be a more user friendly option.

I don't really understand the hate on for golite. They've made good products like the jam and ultra quilt that people still seem pretty eager to buy. I'm don't know why anyone gets upset at the faux markdown marketing strategy they use. It's not like anyone here buys gear at full price anyways. You just wait until the price drops (which it always does) and then try to buy what you want before it runs out. Given that it does run out, obviously people are buying and their strategy is working. They offer pretty reasonable prices on products made with good quality materials if you are willing to wait for the 'real' sale to come around. Example, my girlfriend picked up a paclite shell for around 70 bucks.

Imogene UL2 lighter than a TT Double Rainbow..lol

Not exact copy of Mtn Hardwear. The Golite left out the footend 2nd hub and only has one hub.

The new stuff looks nice. The new quilt looks like a nice revision and should be a great all around quilt. It's reasonable at $250 and it'll surely go to "60%" off, which really means $200.

The Imogene tents look pretty good. I'm not a fan of end entry in general, but GoLite appears to have delivered a tent at a comparable weight to products like the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2, but with more real estate. I like how they lowered the cross strut to really hold the tent wide at the base. The vestibule looks well designed.

"why advertise spring-use items if you won't sell them until well into spring?
Because most of their old stuff is sold out, so it's either continue to advertise past gear, or try to get people excited for upcoming gear.

I think GoLite makes good products. 3 lbs for a -10 bag isn't bad, and neither is $400. I'm in the market for a new cold weather bag. I've been looking at used Western Mountaineering bags and they still cost more used than this bag does new.

"Imogene UL2 lighter than a TT Double Rainbow..lol"

And some are still not happy with the weight …

Still, put two packs in the vestibule then see how the one on that side of the tent manages to get out in and out of the shelter.. "lol"

Each design has plus and minuses, you pick the one that may work best for you.

Just a couple of things. If you look at the footprint of the 2 person, it is 83" long which implies a length inside the tent of only about 84", which is short. It has sq footage of 29, which won't be enough for 2 people.

Regarding Golite's marketing model, remember that Golite has NO resellers and was to provide wholesale pricing to the masses. The pricing for their sleeping bags is not wholesale. Comparable (and likely higher quality) bags can be had at a significant discount. Golite simply needs to reinvent itself again, like it does every 2 years or so (yawn).

While the dimensions for the new Imogene UL2 are not listed, the corresponding footprint reports the dimensions under the "technical specs" tab as "Area: 51" x 83" / 129.5 cm x 210.8 cm." This obviously doesn't account for the oblong shape though and really all just speculation, but it should be close.

***edit: Looks like Dave beat me to it.

Dave, you mentioned that "Golite quality has never been close to WM!" I respectfully disagree based on owning a WM summerlite, a golite ultra 20 and a adrenaline 40. I actually find them very very comparable after examining each company's choice of materials, construction methods, stitching consistency. I'm curious to know why you find WM so much superior (an honest question).

I agree, golite needs to drop this MSRP/50% off schtick. It's disingenuous and a little stupid in my opinion. It made sense when they first adopted the model (when the golite jams were under $100, clearly reflecting a passing on of savings by going direct manufacturing to consumer). They have since jacked up all the prices across the board, to the point where their "50% off" prices reflect true MSRP of their goods. Sorry, I just don't buy golite's proposal that the "MSRP" on a pack like the jam is over $200….what kind of pipe dream world do they live in where someone would pay that much money for a frameless pack??? Especially one that has gotten progressively worse with every reiteration (no I'm not strictly talking about "goingheavy," I'm referring to fit, choice of materials.)

It is very refreshing to see that they've essentially brought back the golite ultra 20 in the form of the z30 quilt. Considering that the golite ultra 20 was never really a true 20 degree bag (more like 25-28 degrees in my opinion), the z30 has upgraded materials and upgraded down fill power all at just 1oz heavier than the original ultra 20. I just wish they would publish the fill weights like they used to do. O yeah, suggested MSRP of $500? LOL LOL LOL

I'm disappointed they are not carrying their travelite carryon convertible backpack any longer.

Dave,
Thank you for the update and clarification.
There I went again, getting all judgmental like that.

A concern with these 10-20D tent fabrics is whether they will hold up very well.
There was a seemingly great Vango tent a couple years ago, but when BPL reviewed it, they found that the inner was prone to disintegration.

On the other hand, when Richard Nisley first started with his HH tester, as I recall it was a GoLite silnylon tent or tarp that that he stuck on the tester and found very waterproof compared to most else.

Was looking at that Imogene only from a solo plus dogs perspective, and for that it would be very roomy and a lot lighter than the 3# Wilderness Equipment Bug Dome with carbon poles I've been using because I love the space and awnings. Because the Imogene is wide for 2 persons at the front, it is plenty wide for entry and egress, albeit maybe not as much as a 'side-entry' tent. I like the forward cant of the front awning, that adds to both stability and rain management, plus the points made by Dan D. If the materials are reasonably durable, it could be a winner for solos and couples.

Some tents with similar frames are the EMP Kilo, Brooks Range Foray already reviewed on this site, and the Mtn HW mentioned above. Ordered and returned the MH last year. It just didn't look like it would stand up to the elements very well for a variety of reasons, including stability of the frame in high winds, and was cramped inside for even one person because of the 'pup-tent' cant of the inner sidewalls that the design allowed under most of the ridge pole. And a tent that sets up inner first is always a problem when needing to get into secure shelter in really foul weather. But an inner first tent can overcome this if the inner is high DWR fabric that will resist penetration during the setup until the fly is set. All things to think about with these and other tents.

Edited to correct Vaude to Vango – Sorry Vaude.

I'm pleasantly, if mildly, happy to see the Ultra 20 brought back in the form of the z30 (assuming the specs are similar). I enjoyed that quilt a lot.

Still, at that price, why not just go with an Enlightened Equipment quilt? My Revelation 20° is significantly warmer (in the 6' version, it has 30% more down than my Ultra 20 Long did) and less than an ounce heavier.

I suspect it will look better once the price inevitably drops, but then you have to wait for GoLite's new, unpredictable pricing model.

I've only ever had good experiences with GoLite gear. I own the Bitterroot Down Parka, various gloves and hats, and hard shells. All are excellent quality.

But the main reason I'm so enamored with GoLite is because I live only a few minutes from one of their brick and mortar stores here in Colorado. I know they aren't really considered a "cottage manufacturer" anymore (if they ever even were), but I really like being able to go to a specialty gear store and try on and handle gear before buying. Then I know exactly what I'm getting into (plus no shipping!). It's just peace of mind I can get that isn't available when I order from MLD or Gossamer or whoever. Having to rely on other peoples opinions, especially considering clothing fit, really sucks. My opinion may have been different not living close to a retail outlet, but it is what it is.

All that said, apparently in the last few days the Tumalo rain pants went up $10 and 2 ounces. BAH! Damn you, GoLite!

Just noted that GoLite has changed the availability date of the Imogene tent on their site from late this month to late April.

Sure, this kind of thing may be due to unforseen glitches in production and/or marketing. But it happens so often that one wonders if it is not really a game of tease. Maybe the best response, for all companies who do this regularly, not just GL, is to simply ingore them, as M B and I suggested at the outset of this thread.