Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer UL Jacket

Description

Building on the success of the Ghost Whisperer legacy, the Ghost Whisperer UL Jacket is 25% lighter than the original, thanks to 1,000 fill power down and 5D nylon ripstop face fabric. And at $420, it’s also $60 more expensive than the base model, but that seems like a reasonable ask for a fairly significant uptick in performance. Price : $420 Weight: 6.7 oz Fabric: 5D Ripstop Nylon Fill Power : 1000 | Insulation Weight : 2.3 oz Percent Down Weight: 34% Uncompressed Down Volume : 2300 in3 Insulation Volume/Jacket Weight: 343 in3/oz Pros: Ultralight. 1000 fill power. Good warmth-to-weight. Cons: Delicate. Less warm than average down sweater. Construction & Features For starters, Ghost Whisper UL is pretty dang minimalist. 5D fabric is the thinnest we’ve ever seen in an ultralight down jacket, and we’ve used a lot of ultralight jackets. Treat it well and it will last, but this is not the kind of garment that takes abuse and we don’t recommend it to people who are prone to damaging their gear. Features are minimal. It has an adjustable hem and hand pockets. The hood and cuffs have elastic, but cannot be manually cinched down. This is the only jacket in our guide to use 1000 fill power down, and those plumes comprise 33% of the garment’s total weight which is on point, though there are only 2.3 oz of the stuff. As such, Ghost Whisperer UL delivers a pretty solid warmth-to-weight ratio, though it’s slightly underfilled and lacking total warmth. This is one of the least insulative jackets in our guide, and recommended for 2-season use – late spring through early fall. Verdict All said and done, we’re glad to see Hardwear innovating, as the standard issue Ghost Whisperer has begun to lag behind the competition in terms of performance. And while it doesn’t perform as well as our top pick, Ghost Whisperer UL is actually a pretty solid ultralight down jacket, and we’re pleased to include it in our guide.