Mountain hardwear Phantom parka?

Anyone use this parka?   Anyone know how much down fill this jacket has?  Impressed?  I bought the new Patagonia fitz Roy and returned it immediately (in case anyone is looking at getting one of those)    Unlike the previous version-the new Fitzroy isn’t baffled and seems very much like a sweater....

regardless-would appreciate any info on the phantom.  Thanks!! 

198g

Have one on the shelf but haven't used yet. Looks good. 

The fit may be a little wonky if you're not tall/skinny. 

I have one and will second jdejace’s observation that it’s cut pretty slim. In my quiver of thicker parkas it would be the lowest volume cut.

Good warmth, very minimal down shifting, good hood and nice cuffs.

zimick wrote:

I have one and will second jdejace’s observation that it’s cut pretty slim. In my quiver of thicker parkas it would be the lowest volume cut.

Good warmth, very minimal down shifting, good hood and nice cuffs.

Can I swap my tranny for one? My shifting sucks 

I think the body is reasonably cut width wise (pretty much what I would expect in a midweight belay jacket, I wear my usual size and can fit typical winter layers). Length is good, covers your butt even if you're tall...hard to be too long. But the arms are on the slim/long side relative to the rest. We're all different so it'll work great for some people. 

Otherwise it's box baffled and the basic features are on point IMO. Don't know a better mid-priced/midweight down belay parka. I think last year's Fitz Roy Parka was great too before they morphed it into the Fitz Roy Hoody. 

jdejace wrote:

I think the body is reasonably cut width wise (pretty much what I would expect in a midweight belay jacket, I wear my usual size and can fit typical winter layers). Length is good, covers your butt even if you're tall...hard to be too long. But the arms are on the slim/long side relative to the rest. We're all different so it'll work great for some people. 

Otherwise it's box baffled and the basic features are on point IMO. Don't know a better mid-priced/midweight down belay parka. I think last year's Fitz Roy Parka was great too before they morphed it into the Fitz Roy Hoody. 

What colored did you go with? 2/3 of the color options are, IMHO, atrocious, haha. Is the red color option more on the red side or orange?

I had one, maybe I still have it...lol

It's a fairly good belay-style parka.  I never put that many miles on it because I felt that the other material was a little too dainty.  In the Mountain Hardwear realm, I feel like the Nilas is a more practical piece of clothing that works in more settings. Cut wise, it is pretty standard sizing for a parka.

2021 edit: the updated outer material feels much more practical and robust. I ended up buying one of these. The fit around the neck is a little tighter than I’d like in this model, but not a dealbreaker. Overall nice jacket!

AlpineIce wrote:

What colored did you go with? 2/3 of the color options are, IMHO, atrocious, haha. Is the red color option more on the red side or orange?

Oh man, you and your reds :-) Like me and my blues. The outer shell has a bit of orange in it for sure but nowhere near the traffic safety end of the spectrum. The inner is deep blood red. 

Phantom. Alpha FL Magma. Squamish Flare. Proton LT Aruna. R1 Techface Fire. 

I wasn’t impressed with my initial nilas-so I picked up a Patagonia grade vll. And I ruined my fitz Roy parka after repeated abuse.   So I need a mid weight jacket.   Phantom or Nilas for 0 degree cragging and overnight camping?

Didn't you have an issue with noncoated shell fabrics not blocking enough wind for you in our prior discussion? Did you come around to like the FitzRoy despite this? The Phantom is Pertex Quantum so if you want coated it isn't it. 

I find the Nilas a bit short personally. And at 0F I'd probably be reaching for a warmer parka myself so I'm not much help. 

akafaultline wrote:

And I ruined my fitz Roy parka after repeated abuse.   So I need a mid weight jacket.   Phantom or Nilas for 0 degree cragging and overnight camping?

If you wrecked a fitz roy from use I don't either of these jackets are great ideas for crafting or overnight camping.  

Pretty flimsy face fabrics.  I have a nilas and while it's a fine jacket it doesn't seem particularly durable. I also don't think it's worth close to it's retail pricing. 

Mountain equipment has some burlier jackets.   

Well, I mostly agree with that. I won't be bringing the Phantom anyplace too cold or committing, but it's light and packable! My main complaint with down jackets is they're all too fragile. The primary "feature" of my custom expedition parka is 70d face fabric. I don't worry much about that one. 

I have a Phantom and I like it a lot, it's warm, light, and packable.  Mine has been to 6,000m in Peru and on plenty of winter climbs in the lower 48, it's my go-to jacket for climbs that are "cold and committing" as well as ice cragging in cold temperatures.

I think that there is not much differentiation between various jackets in this category, they are just some Pertex filled with feathers after all.  Just get anything with the amount of fill you prefer and box wall construction if that's your thing (or more fill and sewn through) and don't sweat it too much.

jdejace wrote:

I find the Nilas a bit short personally. And at 0F I'd probably be reaching for a warmer parka myself so I'm not much help. 

0ºF is exactly what the Grade VII was designed for.  It's just as light, if not lighter, than most, if not all, mid-weight belay parkas available.

AlpineIce wrote:

0ºF is exactly what the Grade VII was designed for.  It's just as light, if not lighter, than most, if not all, mid-weight belay parkas available.

As an additional benefit, it reduces your weight twice, because after you buy one your bank account and wallet become empty.

There are a ton of jackets in the same approximate market space with similar or lighter weight that are probably fine for most people at 0 deg F; Phantom, Neutrino Pro, Vega, Lightline, Positron Pro, etc.  Except you could buy 2 of any other jacket for the price of one Grade VII.  I don't understand the value proposition, 50-100g savings isn't worth $500 unless you're climbing a new technical route at 8,000m or something, and it's certainly not worth it for belaying your buddy at the ice crag.

jdejace wrote:

Oh man, you and your reds :-) Like me and my blues. The outer shell has a bit of orange in it for sure but nowhere near the traffic safety end of the spectrum. The inner is deep blood red. 

Phantom. Alpha FL Magma. Squamish Flare. Proton LT Aruna. R1 Techface Fire. 

Dude, you know my aversion to red when a traffic safety orange can be had! Thank you for taking the time on this photo. Anything with "Belay Parka" always peaks my interest. I also have a flare Squamish - I wish "Flare" was a constant color way every year like black usually is.

Kyle Tarry wrote:

As an additional benefit, it reduces your weight twice, because after you buy one your bank account and wallet become empty.

Retail price is ridiculous, agreed. The predictable Spring 50% off is a fair price. It's a good jacket. 

If you don't need that level of warmth though the Phantom is more packable. 

I don't know where Alpine Ascents received their information but they claim the MH Phantom Belay Parka has 235g (8.25 oz) of down and total weight of 763g (10.9 oz).   alpineascents.com/product/p…

If burly is your goal the mountain equipment trango is quite beefy, 40d face fabric. Lots of down as-well 269g. they come on sale often, I payed $150 for my jacket.