Outdoor Gear Lab recently rated Mountain Hardwear’s new Ghost Whisperer 2 as their Editor’s Choice for down jackets. They give it a significantly higher warmth rating than they gave for the original Ghost Whisperer (9 for the new edition and, if I recall correctly, 6 for the original). I like the original, which I’ve had for a few years, and would consider upgrading if the difference in warmth is as significant as OGL indicates. But I’m skeptical of such a large jump in warmth. The only differences I have found in available descriptions are that face and trim fabrics are now recycled, and according to OGL, the DWR is improved. But OGL also says that the new edition uses untreated down, whereas Mountain Hardwear says they use hydrophobic down. One source said the new fabric is heavier (10D vs 7D). Has anyone done a comparison? Any opinions on the reliability of OGL reviews in general?
