New packs, sleeping bags and shelters from the specialist lightweight backpacking brand.
GoLite was
arguably the brand that started the mainstream lightweight revolution
rolling, since then its l
ightweight
clothing and equipment has become more sophisticated and
less minimalist, though still very light and that's a trend that
continues for
2010.
The
new collection, out early next year, includes a big revamp of tents,
packs and sleeping bags including a lot of new models and with an
overall ecological bent. There's a large increase in the use of
Environmentally Preferred Materials (EPM’s), which sees
materials such as recycled nylon, polyester and Dyneema.
More than 40% of the company's spring 2010 range uses EPMs compared to
20% of the 2009 product line.
Sleeping Bags - First
GoLite Synthetic Bags
The Adrenaline series with it unconventional central zips
continues, but it's joined by others including the
RS - it stands for
Recycled Synthetic -
range, which is the first time the company has produced a
synthetic-filled bag.
There are three different bags covering from one to three-season use
and they're completely constructed from recycled polyester fabrics and
insulation, which can in turn be recyled at the end of the bag's useful
life.
The 3-season RS mummy bag is comfortable down to -3˚C and has a new
trapezoidal and angled foot-box to boot.
Tents and Shelters - Two
New Tents
The minimalist Shangri La shelters carry on, but they're
joined by new
Arcadia
and
Eden
series tents.
The aim is to produce roomy, stable, but still lightweight shelters and
a new ultralight 15D nylon Silite, siliconised Nylon fabric is used,
which is claimed to be 25% lighter than GoLite's previous fabric, but
three times stronger than 'standard' tent fabrics.
The
Arcadia
tents use a full mesh inner plus fly, have continuous pole sleeves for
strength and are shaped for maximum space. Meanwhile the new
single-wall
Eden
tents - above - come in one and two-person versions complete with a
generous vestibule area and extensive ventilation options. Both Edens
use three poles and pitch using just two pegs, it says here and, like
the Arcadia tents, are designed for three-season use.
The Eden 1 weighs in at 1048 grammes and the Eden 2, 2295 grammes.
Packs
The Ultralite series gets a new addition for 2010 in the form of the
Peak, which joins
the Jam and the Pinnacle as lightweight backpacking option. The Peak
comes in S, M and L sizes with capacities of 36, 38 and 40 litres, so
enough for a lightweight weekend out.
Weight in an impressively feathery 765 grammes thanks partly to strong
but light Dyneema fabric and a roll-top opening. There are two side
stretch pockets for bottle or poles and the pack uses GoLite new
Convertabelt, an adjustable two-strap hip-belt system which optimises
fit for different hip shapes and can also be removed completely if you
choose.
All the above available early in 2010. Full details of the current
GoLite range at
www.golite.com.
