Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32 Review

The New Version of the Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32 vs. The Older Version

The Phantom 32 has a new look! In addition to being available in Backcountry Green, the bag has 800-fill Q-Shield, which Mountain Hardwear says will maintain heat and maximum loft in damp conditions; the price has also increased from $290 to $380.

The newer version is on the left in the photos below.

Hands-On Review

Likes

The Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32 is the lightest of the company's Phantom series. The bag has the same 800-fill down, ultralight shell material, and a similar cut as the other bags. We love the very comfortable hood and the perfectly sized stuff sack that allow the bag to pack down super small (other companies send their bags with stuff sacks that don't compress the bags as much as they could.) Overall, the Phantom 32 is a high quality, comfortable summer bag.

Dislikes

Quilt style sleeping bags offer a tremendous performance advantage over summer weight traditional style sleeping bags (those with hoods and zippers). We urge to you to consider a quilt.

Other traditional style summer bags have high quality down and lighter and stronger shell materials that make them warmer for the weight, more compressible, and more durable. The difference is significant, but not worth upgrading if you already own a Phantom 32 that's in good condition. Many other bags are much warmer for their weight than this one.

Value