Tuesday 23 March 2010

Golite Adrenaline 0°



Only recently I mentioned that everyone seemed to be getting ready to pack away the heavy winter gear in anticipation of spring and yet I find myself writing about the Golite Adrenaline 0° sleeping bag. It's a full winter bag with 880g of 800 Fill Power down so what has prompted me to write about it.

Well I looked at this bag on different occasions but for a variety of reason, not least the price I didn't buy it. It was originally selling at £325 but the last time I added it to a shortlist it was around £250 (currently £229) from Ultralight Outdoor Gear. Again I decided against it even though I felt it would be ideal for my needs. I'd read that it was a fairly narrow sleeping bag and while most considered that a disadvantage I felt that for me it would be a benefit, I also liked the idea of the center zip and the Pertex Endurance on the hood and foot would be a benefit if using a single skin tent.

I just happened to be checking out the Outdoors Magic forums and clicked on the Bargain Alert thread where someone had posted that The Outdoors Warehouse were having a sale with up to 50% off Golite gear including sleeping bags. I went to the website immediately and to my surprise the Golite Adrenaline was listed at £150. I thought about it for approximately 10 seconds and decided to order one knowing that I'd be unlikely to ever get a better opportunity.



The bag arrived within 2 days and I have to say it's very impressive, it's amazingly soft, lofts well and feels very thick and comfy. I tried it for size and yes it is quite narrow compared to my PHD Minim 500 but it wasn't at all uncomfortable even allowing for the fact that I was fully clothed.

The center zip works as well as expected (I had an army issue sleeping bag with a center zip so knew what to expect) and when fully zipped the hood is almost like that on a jacket and although there are draw-cords to tighten it further I doubt they'll be necessary.





The bag has a Trapezoidal box foot to allow plenty of room for your feet and the Pertex Endurance extends up to about mid calf height, from there up to just below chest level the down baffles run horizontally but change to vertical baffles over the chest. The hood, like the foot uses Pertex Endurance for water-resistance and breathability. The center zip has a baffles both inside and outside the zip and there's also a neck baffle.

It is as you'd expect quite bulky compared to my other bags, the heaviest of which is the PHD Minim 500 at 850g but then the Adrenaline has significantly more down. The stated weight was 1250g but mine weighs 1320g which isn't too far off the mark. It'll fit into a Sea to Summit 13L dry bag with room to spare although it does take some effort/time to expel all the air.

The only problem I can see is that I won't be able to try it properly for another 10 months or so as it's much too warm for temperatures above -5. I very much doubt if I'll get another bargain like that again but you never can tell, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time as they only had 2 in stock when I placed my order.



The technical specification of the bag is as follows;

6" baffles, differentially cut with 7" loft

Waterproof and Breathable Pertex Endurance at head and foot

Trapezoidal box foot

Baffled hood with drawcord

Insulated draft-tube in hood & zipper

50/50 distribution of insulation

Durable zippers with snag-proof draft tube stiffeners

Internal, insulated neck collar with elastic drawcord

880g of 800 fill power down

Rating, -18° (EN 13537 -12°)

The Adrenaline range has been updated for 2010 and are now named as Adrenaline 3 Season, Adrenaline 4 season etc rather than named/classed by temperature rating in °F. The equivalent bag is now known as the Adrenaline 4 Season with the same quantity/Fill Power of down (880g/800 FP) with a stated weight of 1350g now using Pertex Shield rather than Endurance and retails at around £300.

9 comments:

  1. an opportunistic bargain purchase, the finest kind of purchase in my opinion. What benefits does the central zip bring though? Ive never owned a central zip bag

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  2. I find the central zip easier to operate and being a side sleeper who changes sides it means I'm never lying on the zip, I also think on a winter bag it makes for a better hood.

    The downside is that it isn't as easy to vent if you're too warm but on a full winter bag that isn't so much of an issue.

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  3. Im a restless side sleeper myself, thats a great point, i friggin' hate lying on the zip. Food for thought, thanks for that.

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  4. Cairngorms next winter for you then. Good bargain and from the speck a good bag. This idea that a narrow bag is wrong baffles me. I just used a claimed narrow bag wildcamping and I am tall and broad shouldered and was fine. Nice kit for the collection Robert.

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  5. Unless we get another winter like this one it'll have to be the Cairngorms to test it properly :-)

    The spec certainly ticks all the boxes, even at 800 cuin US it's up there as it has almost 900g of down.

    I'll have to pack up a full winter set-up just to see what it comes in at.

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  6. You always are welcome to come test it in Finland, land of real minus degrees - also now, -12°C as I am writing!

    I got the 2010 Adrenaline 4 Season bag, and like you, I really like it. It is 1401 g, so a bit heavier, but the big plus for me is that it are all recycled materials! I had it out on the Repovesi trip, where I had temps of around -14°C and I was comfy warm in it. The center zip is excellent, I really love that, and I also love that it is very narrow cut. The narrower the cut, the less unused area you need to heat up with your body heat.

    Great bargain you made there, congrats!

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  7. Hendrik I agree with you that it's better to have no dead space to heat up, most people consider length when choosing a bag and maybe that it's wide enough but making sure that dead space is at a minimum (also allowing for comfort) isn't so often considered.

    There isn't much difference in weight from 2009-2010, only 80g difference between your bag and mine and worth it if the materials are recycled.

    A trip to Finland would be a treat and maybe not much more expensive than travelling to Scotland. I'll have to learn some more regarding travel to Finland in general and of course about the 'National Parks' and walking areas.

    Richard

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  8. Wow, that looks warm and toasty just from the pic's - you can see the loft from the quality down!! Never seen a centre-zip bag before but what a great idea - one of those "why didn't I think of that' ideas"! Bizarre that not more bags take a centre-zip approach. Shame it's not gonna see any use till next winter!

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  9. I also agree with the unused area point. That's one of the reasons I was not that happy with the Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32 so bought a Western Mountaineering Summerlite (first outing this weekend, although the forecast has it 10C at 750m in the Cumbrian Fells so not sure how much of a test that'll be). The Summerlite is slightly more snug and just feels so much better. Photos and full test coming up when I get back on Sunday...

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