GoLite sleeping bag lets you go light on the trail

A good night's sleep in camp requires the right sleeping bag. Of course, a comfortable night's sleep comes easier if you were comfortable on the hike in.

With that in mind, the ideal backpacking bag would be light and compact in your backpack, but roomy and warm in camp. These traits aren't so easy to merge, but during testing in the Hoh rain forest, Entiat country and the lower valleys of Mount Rainier, we've found one bag that proved it could be done.

The GoLite Adrenaline 20 weighs a mere 1 pound, 14 ounces and compresses to the size of a head of lettuce. A water-resistant Pertex shell keeps moisture out of the bag, which is important since wet down doesn't work. This 20-degree bag uses 800-fill down as insulation, and a soft nylon liner cradles your body. I found the cut of the bag a little tight around my 48-inch chest, but other, more reasonably-sized, testers deemed the cut comfortably snug without being constricting.

The trim cut and the ultralight fill help keep the weight down, and GoLite further trims weight out of the Adrenaline by using a half-length zipper — positioned on top of your chest as you lay on your back.

The bag proved to be accurately rated at 20oF for most of us, thanks to a broad zipper draft tube and a comfortable hood that draws close around your head and moves with you as you roll and stretch in your sleep.

As a back sleeper, I appreciated the convenience of the top-mounted zipper, which allowed easy access to the bag. I also was surprised to find I loved the unique trapezoid-shaped foot box. Basically, the foot of the bag is tapered in at the heel (or extended out at the toe, if you'd rather look at it that way). This lets you have room to naturally stretch your toes, without having a large cold-air void under your feet.

As with most gear, the less it weighs, the more you pay. The Adrenaline 20 carries a hefty price of $325, but if you spend long days on the trail and want comfortable nights in camp, it's worth the investment.

More information: www.golite.com.