New MH ghost whisperer down jacket, 7oz

there is no unobtainium here …

the warmth of the a down jacket is simply a function of the quality of down, the amount, the fit and perhaps the baffles, though in this case with this little down im not sure that matters as much

a jacket with 2.8 oz of down wont be any warmer than one with 4 oz of roughly the same fill power all other things being equal … despite any price or name ..

for the weight it does contain a large % of down at 40% … whether thats worth the price is up to you

my $50 eb down vest is my most used piece of gear and its still in perfect condition despite wearing it every day ;)

Taylor- I'd also echo the thanks for clearing this up :)

I've been looking at a WM Flash jacket for a couple of years, something w/ a little more "oomph" than my Ex-Lite and a hood, I can never find one on sale- the Whisperer looks like it specs out very close (even a little lighter) and I'm sure there will be some sales here and there- MSRP they come out the same, but it's very tough to find WM on sale, no so w/ MH

Mike

Compared to the Patagonia UL down hoody its way way way more lofty (850 vs 800 fill?). Its actually more puffy than I was thinking, but not super puffy obv. The Fit is a little more relaxed, so dont size up.

One thing I like is the simplicity of the hem cinch around the waist, on the right its a single pull and its shockcorded so it stretches. Also I like the baffles, they seem to work well. Now I just need to go camping at high elevation where its actually cold!

After I trimmed of the tags (.08oz?) my medium stuffed into its own pocket weighs 7.2oz.

If that has more loft than the Patagonia, then the Patagonia must be completely flat.

would you mind commenting on the fit of the hood? does it have any adj? also any inside storage pockets?

thanks

I am not here to try and sell it to you, if you dont like it then good for you.

The fit of the hood is pretty tight once zipped up I think, it has elastic and I think it will stay on prettygood. Just 2 hand pockets.

Post purchase rationalization?

Seriously though, there is hardly any loft. Since you say the Patagonia has much less loft could you post a picture of your Patagonia? The BPL Cocoon Hoody at 9.9 oz in XL has more visible loft and it has synthetic insulation. I wonder if that is why the MH is so light, apart from the wafer thin fabric…it has very littl fill.

thanks

it has about the same fill as the WM Flash, a jacket that has received numerous high marks from many of the reviewers from this site (and other sites)

I don't think this is intended as a "winter" jacket, like the MB Ex-Lite and UL Parka, WM Flash (others)- rather a light, compact insulating layer for "summer"- w/ near 3 oz of 850 fill- it should fill that niche quite well

I looked at the hooded flash this is what I got.
Also the MB UL parka,

Average Total Weight 9 oz.
Average Fill Weight 3 oz.

The MH ghost has like .25 less fill.

Heres more specs:

Montbell UL Down Parka (2.5 / 9.5 / 26%)
Western Mountaineering Hooded Flash (3 / 9 / 33%)
Montbell Alpine Light Parka (4.3 / 15 / 29%)
Marmot Ama Dablam (4.4 / 19 / 23%)
Rab Microlite Alpine (5 / 14 / 36%)
Golite Bitterroot (5.3 / 13 / 41%)
Golite Roan Plateau (5.8 / 19 / 31%)
Western Mountaineering Meltdown (6.5 / 17 / 38%)
Rab Neutrino Endurance (8 / 22 / 36%)
Rab Infinity (7 / 16 / 44%)

So the Ghost for its class (UL) prettymuch crushes everything else in weight vs fill weight.

2.8 / 7.2 = %39

Are you going to post a pic of your Patagonia or not?

I had one for a few hours and returned it.

I know you were asking Michael but if you really are interested, this is what the Patagonia down sweater hoodie looks like for thickness. It is rather flat- I measured it's loft at 1" on average across the jacket when laid out as seen here. The bottom of the jacket puffs up a lot- that's not where I was measuring. I was measuring various spots across the body and sleeves. This is brand new and only worn once so far so it hasn't lost any loft.

So very similar based on the pics and the MH is not considerably more lofty. Actually looks the same. Same price?

Keep in mind the orange jacket weighs 15.2 oz.

"So very similar based on the pics and the MH is not considerably more lofty. Actually looks the same. Same price?"

Different jackets, but FWIW:

Patagonia Down Sweater hoodie, men's: 98 grams (3.46 oz) of 800 fill down. 15.2 oz overall weight of jacket. Retails about $50 cheaper than the MH. Depending on size/color, you can find it for $175. Yesterday you could have bought the MH for just over $200. Now the cheapest I'm seeing it, depending on size/color, is $250.

Looks great for a 7 ounce jacket. I'm not as worried about loft as long as it has as much down as MH says it has.

Aha, so the pics of this Patagonia is not the same that Michael had been comparing. At 15 oz it is no comparison in any event.

"Looks great for a 7 ounce jacket. I'm not as worried about loft as long as it has as much down as MH says it has."

Okee dokee.

3.0 oz of 900 fill down, average weight of 9.2 ounces. $275.

"If that has more loft than the Patagonia, then the Patagonia must be completely flat."

"Are you going to post a pic of your Patagonia or not?"

"Post purchase rationalization?"

"Okee dokee."

David, have you added anything to this conversation by assigning yourself the role of thread curmudgeon? Have you gained anything? Seriously.

From what I've observed lately, that's Dave's MO. Frankly, I like the idea of a hooded jacket that should be warmer than an R1 hoodie. It may not take sweat like a fleece, but if that's what you're looking for, then you'd be looking in the wrong place. There may be an exception that already been mentioned–hydrophobic down. I can't wait to see what comes next season. MEC already has a light Downtek jacket, but it's not a hoodie.

"David, have you added anything to this conversation by assigning yourself the role of thread curmudgeon? Have you gained anything? Seriously"

I didn't want to get into a discussion with Eugene as to his comment that had no merit.

To wit, he said that as long as MH says that their jacket has 2.7oz of down, he could care less about the loft. Because he is ignoring the basis for warmth, differential cut, size of jacket, baffle design, etc, I simply said okee dokee.

Now, regarding the post by Michael indicating that the MH had way more loft. I quote, "Compared to the Patagonia UL down hoody its way way way more lofty (850 vs 800 fill?)." This simply needs to be backed up. My comment regarding the picture of the MH having little loft is true. And my connection to the Patagonia being almost completely flat is also true. It would have to if the MH had 'way, way way' more loft.

I don't have a problem with people posting generalizations, but some 'back up' would be nice. Without being able to compare BOTH jackets side by side, how can such comments be made?

I have been ignoring your needles towards me but you are obviously a troll that won't quit. I reported you to a moderator.

The fact is I had the pata UL hoody and comparing the two I based my opinion off that. What have you contributed? Don't answer that actually just stay away.

Please, report away. I have done nothing here that is wrong except to state my view on the jacket and ask you to provide back up to your claims.