Ghost Whisperer Jacket , does it live up to the hype ?

Maybe look at a Montbell Ex Light Anorak?  Analysis here. You could have something custom made by Nunatak or Goosefeet Gear.

With the Ghost Whisperer , I mean warm at 38 on a still night with the layers. On it’s on , with a shirt, maybe 43 degrees ?

The ghost whisperer and every jacket like it, with many lines of sewn through construction and little minature baffles are NOT that warm, relative to offerings from Montbell, Nunatak, Goosefeet Gear and Borah. Each one of the sew lines represents a cool spot and if you look at the baffles, none of them get much height (or thickness) so the air churn within each baffle is much faster. That means it’s a less warm jacket than it could be relative to jackets of similar weight

Simply put, I don’t think Ghost Whisperers are that good.

What matthew K, Justin and Matthew S said.  With sewn-through constructions, the fewer the sew lines the better…but there are diminishing returns as cells can become too large and allow the down to settle.  IMO, Montbell seems to have found the sweet spot in sewn-through cells size per fill power.

The Nunatak and Goosefeet products look very nice but I have no direct experience with them.

No one has yet mentioned fit. I got a Ghost Whisperer last year and couldn’t wear it, the cut across the chest, armpits and upper arms is too tight for me. My build is a little on the muscular side, but I usually can wear an off-the-rack men’s M no problem. I got rid of the GW and ordered a custom jacked from GFG. It is custom built to my exact measurements and has more fill weight, higher fill power, and overall weighs less so is definitely warmer. But with 3 oz of fill this jacket also has sewn-through baffles, as does any down jacket I know of with 3 oz or less of insulation.

There is definitely warmer but part of the Ghost Whisperers appeal is the low weight combined with a full zip and hood.  Especially modern thru hikers can wear it to visit restaurants and bars, easily taking it off.  Also most go to sleep pretty early (8-ish).

On regular backpacking trips where everyone may stay up for awhile (especially deeper in the shoulder season) I’d want something warmer.

I’ve never understood the rationale of getting a skimpy down jacket to save weight and then carrying another piece to supplement it. Down is the lightest insulation there is. Why not get a six or seven ounce down jacket and leave behind the 9 or 10 ounce supplemental kit?

skimpy down jacket + supplement is greater weight than one several ounces heavier down jacket sans supplement.

I’ve never understood the rationale of getting a skimpy down jacket to save weight and then carrying another piece to supplement it.

Amen!  I live in FL and the lowest temps I see on the trips I make are ~10 deg F.  Many years ago I bought the Montbell UL Parka and l-o-v-e-d it. But eventually realized that when the temps dropped below freezing, I was packing and “extra layer…or 2” for around camp.  Combine that with the fact that as we age we don’t stay as warm as we used to, and I started to find the UL Parka lacking.

2 years ago, I sprung for the Montbell Plasma 1000 parka. The first week I had it I walked the dog for an hour in 28 deg F weather with a 7 mph wind wearing just the Plasma and a cotton SS T-shirt…was warm as toast.  Around camp, with a simple cap4 baselayer, I have yet to be cold in the Plasma.  I can only imagine how warm a fully boxed, 5+ oz fill jacket like the Mirage must be.

But eventually realized that when the temps dropped below freezing, I was packing and “extra layer…or 2” for around camp.

And there’s the rub.

If you are hanging around camp vs hiking and then sleeping, you’ll want a better weight-to-warmth ratio single jacket.

If you are hiking all day and then going to bed, the 100 wt fleece plus light down puffy is a more versatile system for varied conditions while hiking, on quick breaks, and sleeping as an adjunct to a quilt system.

I don’t think it is any surprise that many experienced long-distance hikers gravitate towards a similar light down + light fleece system.  I would not want to hike in any puffy despite whatever claims manufacturers make. :)

OTOH, I take a heavier jacket if there is more camp time.  Or I am hiking outside of typical three-season conditions.

As a tradesperson will tell you, different jobs require different tools.

As a tradesperson will tell you, different jobs require different tools.

And THERES the rub :)  No single piece of gear works for every trip.  Sadly, my days of mega-mile per day trips is over…I’m now perfectly content with 10-12 mile days and time relaxing in the quiet of camp, thus the Plasma.  Dif’rent strokes.

I have a Ghost Whisperer. It’s really not much of a jacket. Here in Montana, in the highcountry, it’s a July/August jacket only.

The thing about a jacket is no matter the fill weight, the shell is (or can be) essentially the same weight. So, the difference is in down fill weight and/or loft.

For anything outside the small window I use the GW I’d rather haul around a few ounces more down and have an actual 2-3 season piece that offers a bigger window of warmth and safety.

And I never hike in a down insulated garment… not even below zero.

I’m dittoing Brad.

But I understand Paul’s reasoning as well. We have different hiking styles and possibly hike in different climates.

Agree with the above. Last year I picked up a baffled GFG down parka that clocks in at 11oz. Its so close in weight to the 7-8oz UL down jackets that it eliminated my need for one. Anything above ~40F gets a fleece, anything below gets the parka.

There are pros/cons to almost any approach. Gotta find what works in your environment.

Ryan

As a previous MHGW owner, I’ll chime in quick. I got mine dirt cheap at the MH employee store outside San Fran. Was super excited about it at first! As I wore it (mostly around my house/town), I realized I liked the weight & warmth as a super light puffy, but there were two things I really didn’t like. First was the length… it came well down my butt, prob 2-3” further than I like for a fairly athletic fit jacket. The arms were pretty long too but I liked that.

second was an odd issue… I’m curious if anyone else experiences(d) this. Basically, if the hand pockets were zipped open, the stitches on the inner side of the arms would catch on the pocket zipper. They never tore out, but it was like rubbing across the hooks of Velcro… VERY annoying. I ended up zipping the pockets closed all the time, unless it was cold enough (and I was sedentary) to have my hands in them.

eventually I sold it and got an ArcTeryx Cerium LT. Slightly warmer, slightly heavier (11oz I believe), but fits me PERFECTLY and no annoying zipper issues. YMMV