Insulated Jackets
Product 2020
Woman, Man

Mountain Hardwear Phantom Hoody

Weighing in at 271g in size M, the Mountain Hardwear jacket is even lighter than advertised by the brand (281 grams). For several years, Mountain Hardwear (Columbia group) has developed a genuine expertise in insulation jackets, including those with natural down (800-fill).

 

We have been using the Ghost Whisperer for a long time, which is also an ultra-lightweight insulation jacket. This time we tested the new Phantom Hoody. The latter remains a jacket with the down inflating yet without it being too thick. As a result, the Mountain Hardwear Phantom Hoody can easily be worn under other layers, as a protective jacket or like a polar fleece. The other two important advantages are: its compressibility and ultra-light weight.

 

The Mountain Hardwear Phantom Hoody raises the question of the use of synthetic materials (some from recycling): Primaloft®, Coreloft®, Polartec Power Fill® … to name but a few … Synthetic versus down? Synthetic is not sensitive to moisture, less subject to bad smells. Its compressibility is not always as good as down and its insulation slightly lower than down (dry). Down is much more comfortable to wear, it has the softness, comfort, flexibility that synthetic fibers don’t have. The main concern with down is its ability to retain moisture. Brands have therefore treated the down so that it becomes hydrophobic and less subject to odors when wet. These treatments work to a certain extent, but when the jacket really takes in rain, treatment or not, the down flattens, gets into a ball at the bottom of the boxes and insulation is immediately lost. The drying time is significantly longer than synthetic. Even though the Mountain Hardwear Phantom Hoody is water repellent, it is better to preserve it from light rain, keep it for dry conditions (or worn under a protective jacket when the weather is bad).

 

The Mountain Hardwear Phantom Hoody Jacket features (when dry) excellent lightness/warmth ratio. There’s no doubt, the down quality is present, we should say down ‘flake’ and not feather (the less “refined” part of the down). We noticed one or two places where the down poked through the fabric but it is really an exception: the insulation is firmly held captive in the boxes. These provide continuity in thermal insulation. Just put the jacket against a window against the light to see that the distribution of the down is uniform on all parts of the body: hood, neck and sleeves included. As a result, the Mountain Hardwear Phantom Hoody is the extra garment or emergency item when you become colder and colder. Always in the bag (271g), it provides significant comfort and even can even save a dodgy situation in terms of safety.

 

We loved the volume and hood protection that surrounds the head and stays in place. Beware, there’s no adjustment, when you turn your face it is automatically adjusted with an elastic. You keep the side view and the hood sits in place instantly. You immediately feel the warmth on your head (one of the main areas of losing heat…). The neck is ideally protected with the correct height. The comfort is indisputable (be careful though if you wear a big fleece underneath with a thick collar …).

 

You tighten the Mountain Hardwear Phantom Hoody’s waist with an elastic adjustment on the right. The jacket covers your lower back. Your wrists are also very well protected: you lose a little precision in your hands but you gain insulation. A big GPS watch is easy to look at.

 

The zips slide well and the tips of zips are equipped with thin cords you can use when wearing gloves. The pockets are positioned high enough to be out of the way of any climbing harness. We would have liked tougher cloth on the inside pockets, because when you slide aggressive metal objects in (keys, carabiners, etc.) they get damaged. The other minor downfall concerns the jacket storage. We compressed it into a side pocket, a solution that has the advantage of gaining a few grams (no need to add a removable pouch that often tends to get lost) but the pocket is very small and squishing it in is not easy (how long will the zip hold out?).

 

The last point concerns all down jackets and to a lesser extent other insulated jackets filled with synthetic fibers: pay attention when carrying skis on your shoulder and other snags which can happen from the sharp ski edges or if you rub up against rocks. The outer fabric of the Mountain Hardwear Phantom Hoody is quite resistant but it has its limits.

We really appreciated this Mountain Hardwear Phantom Hoody insulation jacket, which combines many qualities: very well-designed snug fit, very pleasant thermal insulation, comfort, and compressibility. With its remarkable lightness, we no longer wonder whether we should put it in the bag or not … A high priced product, but very efficient.

 

"We really appreciated this Mountain Hardwear Phantom Hoody insulation jacket, which combines many qualities: very well-designed snug fit, very pleasant thermal insulation, comfort, and compressibility. With its remarkable lightness, we no longer wonder whether we should put it in the bag or not ... A high priced product, but very efficient."

Rating

  • 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  • WARMTH
    8
  • HOOD PROTECTION
    9
  • WATERPROOFNESS
    6
  • BREATHABILITY
    7
  • ZIP QUALITY
    8
  • DRYING SPEED
    7

Price : 375

Weight

271

Overall Rating

7.50

LONG TERM TEST

We used this equipment over a long period of time
These are our thoughts after intensive use:

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