What We're Testing Now: Mountain Hardwear Phantom Hoody
One of our favorite puffies gets a durability upgrade.
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Mountain Hardwear’s ultralight, ultrapackable Ghost Whisperer has been one of our favorite puffy jackets for years, but it does have one consistent weak point: durability. The Phantom, due this fall, is out to fix that. It has a beefier face fabric than the Ghost Whisperer, and so far has survived a full winter of hard use across Colorado. I’ve slung my skis over its shoulders, thrown it haphazardly into my pack, and bushwacked through conifers without seeing any rips to date. The Phantom’s 800-fill down means it packs down to the size of a 1-liter Nalgene, and it’s performed admirably as a standalone piece with temps in the 20s and as a layering option in colder conditions. Look for our full review of the Phantom Hoody in the upcoming Fall Gear Guide, out in October.