Owner Review

Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32 Sleeping Bag

Apr 18, 2006

 

Tester Information

 

Name: Greyson Howard

Age: 23

Height: 6' 3" (191 cm)

Weight: 155 lb (70 kg)

Email Address: greyson.howard at gmail dot com

City: Nevada City

State: California

Country: USA

Backpacking Background:

 

I have been backpacking since about the age of 10, mostly in California along the Coast and in the Sierra Nevada mountains and foothills. I am also a NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) graduate from a program in the Big Hole and Cascade ranges of Idaho and Wyoming. I have had experiences from tarp camping in the snow to sunny weeks of camping on the coast, and recent experiences with overly heavy group rental gear have made me interested in integrating some ultra-light and lightweight gear into my pack list. I started with weekend pack weights of about 35 lbs (16 kg), and have been working my way down into the 20-25 lbs range (9-11 kg)

 

Product Information

 

Manufacturer: Mountain Hardwear

Web site: www.mountainhardwear.com

Product: Phantom 32 F (0 C) down sleeping bag.

Size: Long

Year manufactured: 2004

MSRP: $ 260.00 (US).

Weight listed: 1 lb 7 oz (650 g) Actual weight 1 lb 9.5 oz (720 g)

Inside length listed: 6’6” in (198 cm) Verified accurate

Shoulder girth listed: 60 in (152 cm) Verified accurate

Loft listed: 4 in (10.2 cm) Actual loft  4.5 in (11.4 cm)

Insulation type: 800 fill goose down.

Fill weight: 11 oz ( 312 g)

Stuffed size listed: 10 x 7 in (25.4 x 17.8 cm) Actual size 11.25 x 6 in (28.6 x 15.2 cm)

Warranty: (from company web site), “Mountain Hardwear guarantees that the materials and workmanship in every product we make will stand up to the use for which it was designed. This warranty does not cover damages caused by improper care, accidents or the natural breakdown of materials over extended time and use.”

 

Product description

 

The Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32 is a mummy style baffled down bag rated at 32 degrees Fahrenheit/ 0 degrees Celsius by the manufacturer. The top panel of material is a maroon/ burgundy color that you can see the texture of the down through, the underside, hood, and inside (with the exception of a small section inside the hood which is also maroon), is black.

The material is a very thin, light, and soft nylon with a grid stop pattern in it that is, “Superlight 15D™Lining, Shell Fabric, 359 thread count, 66 high tenacity nylon. 300 mm waterproofness. DWR finish. Lightweight and tear resistant. 0.85 oz./sq. yd.”

Above the zipper (right hand on mine) near the head the Mountain Hardwear name, nut logo, and “800 fill down” are embroidered in on the maroon portion, and “Phantom 32”, “32˚ F/ 0˚C” are on the black portion on the same side near the foot of the bag. Information tags are on the left side (opposite zipper) near the foot as well.

The 48 in (122 cm) long zipper is generously described as ¾ length, and is two-way with fabric across the bottom keeping the zipper pull from coming off the track. A Velcro hook and loop tab for securing the zipper at the top can be secured to itself when not in use, and a draw string consisting of a black shock cord under the opening and a light grey ribbon over the top are pulled together through a toggle on the left (opposite zipper) side of the hood.

There is baffling throughout the bag and is well shaped particularly around the foot box and hood, and side stitching prevents down from shifting from top to bottom or vise versa.

The included stuff sack weighs .75 oz (21.3 g) and has an initial draw string with toggle at the opening, and another 2 in (5.1 cm) further down to allow more compression of the bag; an intelligent and lightweight method for a compression stuff sack. By closing the first draw string, pushing down on the bag, and then closing the second draw string over it, compression is accomplished.

The sleeping bag also comes with a synthetic black netting storage bag as well.

Field Conditions

I have lost track of the nights this bag has been used total (well over 50 nights of travel, camping, and backpacking), but I have used it for backpacking in Sierra high country (Tahoe National Forest: camping elevations 5,000-7,000 feet, 1520-2130 m), Sierra foot hills (Plumas National Forest: camping elevation 2,000 feet, 610 m), and on the California coast (Point Reyes National Sea Shore: camping elevations 50-1,400 feet 15-430 m). Temperatures from 35˚ F (2˚ C) to 65˚ F (18 ˚ C) in conditions from dry to humid/ raining and wind.

 

Field Use

 

I bought this bag because of a desire to get a lighter sleeping bag (previous bag 15˚ F -9˚ C synthetic, over 3 lbs), and generally feeling that bags in this range were too warm for my use. I often found myself overheating in my old bag, and decided to hazard a 32˚ F (0˚C) bag despite stern warnings.

So far I have been very happy with this bag, construction is great, it has little down leakage (two or three plumes each time I un-stuff it) that can normally be worked back into the bag, and has done well in cold and wet situations.

Most trips have been in warm conditions (unusually warm in Tahoe National Forest) and I have slept in it like a quilt, with my feet in the closed section and the upper portion spread out over me. This brings me to zipper length; if it were a few inches longer, I would be able to poke my knee out to cool my lower body, but in general it hasn’t been a major issue. There is no way to vent the foot box in warm temperatures such as a foot zipper or overlapping baffles as in other products with shorter zippers.

On a recent winter trip to Point Reyes National Sea Shore, strong storms with lots of rain and wind pounded my single wall tent, and temperatures reached 35˚ F (2˚ C). With light weight polypropylene long underwear tops and bottoms I was warm enough despite insufficient insulation from my un-insulated sleeping pad (Insul Mat Max Compact, an air mattress with no insulation). I believe as a warm sleeper that with an insulated pad and the right clothing I could use this bag below its temperature rating, although for cold sleepers this may not be the case. I have been in this bag without the hood on around others fully cinched down in their 0˚ F (-18˚ C) sleeping bags. As for moisture, I didn’t see much beading and rolling off, but moisture did not seem to penetrate the down either.

Fit is excellent (if not roomy) for me, but as my statistics list above, I am something of a walking stick, so I may not be the best gauge. The hood cinches perfectly around my face, and the hood fit is excellent. I would like to find a way to secure the draw strings from the hood so they don’t sit on my face, but I think with some creativity I can solve that problem on my own.

With usage and repeated stuffing and un-stuffing I believe it has lost a very small amount of loft, and takes slightly longer to loft, but that might be left over moisture issues from my most recent trip. Otherwise there have been absolutely no signs of wear, the zipper tracks smoothly and does not snag, and all the baffling still appears to be uniform in loft and fill.

 

Summary

 

I have spent a considerable amount of time in this bag traveling as well as backpacking, and it is currently my favorite piece of gear for its quality, versatility, and the amount I am able to use it.

 

Likes

 

Lightweight

Packing size

Fit (yes, I am easy to please in sleeping bag width)

Warmth

Comfort: soft fabric, light down, etc.

 

Dislikes

 

It would be nice to have zero down leakage, but this may be an impossibility with ultra-light fabrics.

A foot vent similar to that on a Golite sleeping bag would allow better temperature regulation without significant increase to the bag’s weight.