Marmot Helium v. Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15*

These are both nice bags. But also think about the Western Mountaineering Versalight Super.
Ph15 / He / VLS
Loft: 6″/ 6″ / 6″
Fabric: Proprietary/ Pertex/ Pretex
Down : 20oz/ 19oz / 20oz
Zip: Half / Half / Full
Girth : 60″ / 62″ / 62″
Collar: none / top / full
Wgt: 31 / 29 / 32
Baffles: Blocked / 50/50 / Unblocked
Price : $330 / $359 / $390

I went with the Western but I carefully considered all three. I think the Phantom 15 it probably warmer than the Helium. However, I like my Hydrogen better than Phanton 45; the fabric feels nicer to the skin.

I don’t like MH’s Phantom fabric. It’s feels kind of clammy and doesn’t seem to breathe very well. I’d go with the WM or Marmot.
-Mark

> However, I like my Hydrogen better than Phanton 45; the fabric feels nicer to the skin.

> I don’t like MH’s Phantom fabric. It’s feels kind of clammy and doesn’t seem to breathe very well. I’d go with the WM or Marmot.

I completely agree. The Phantom fabric is acrylic coated, which makes it clammy, non-breathable, and stiff/crinkly. Pertex Quantum is uncoated and only half-calendared on the next-to-skin side. It’s luxuriously silky and highly breathable. The “drape” is so much better that an equal weight of down actually lofts higher too. A WM rep pointed out to me that this is why their “Extremelite” (aka Pertex Quantum) series has about a 5 degree better rating for a given fill weight of down than their Micro Fiber equivalent. (For example, compare the Versalite to the Antelope, or the Ultralite to the Apache.)

BTW, I asked the rep what was Super Micro Fiber (SMF) and he said that is a mistaken acronym. The Super refers to the full collar not the fabric; all their Micro Fiber bags use the same 1.15 oz polyester ripstop on the outside and Pertex Quantum on the inside. The Extremelite series is Pertex Quantum inside and out.