Reading up on the latest MH Women's Phantom 15 bag the specs state that:
it weighs in at 2.1 pounds
has 800 rated down
is EN rated down to 14 degrees for men and 25 for women

That is about as warm a bag you can get for 2 pounds of nylon and feathers.
Can they have changed it that significantly in recent years?

Don't replace it right away with one of those other bags, because according to the specs they are both going to be very comparable to your Phantom.

Instead examine the bag that you have. Does it have areas where it seems to be under-filled? Has it been used for several years without a wash? A small additional fill or a freshly laundered bag is a lot cheaper then purchasing a new bag.

Think of other causes for being cold.
The pad seems like the obvious one. Get that leak fixed. Again no need to go out and buy a new one, the one you've got is good. Instead for a $10 upgrade buy a Gossamer Gear 2.5 ounce thinlight 1/8 inch foam pad that you put on top of your inflatable mattress for some nice additional warmth.

In addition there is all the regular good advice such as:
Wear a warm hat, plus snug up the hood on cold nights.
Sleep in dry clothing such as loose fitting warm socks, the aformentioned hat and long underwear.
Eat a good dinner. Drink some hot chocolate and maybe eat a cookie as well before bed. Burning calories is your bodies way of generating heat.
Use your platy as a hot water bottle.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Her's might be a 3/4 zip. I know it's from 2007 (maybe 2006). Blueish top and looks like a black bottom from my photo.

It's 35 oz (on my scale) and the tag states 22 oz fill.



Yeah, 2007 bag. Specs for her long (fits to 5'10) were 22 oz 800 fill, 58/58/38 circumference, 3/4 zip, 15D shell and 20D taffeta liner. The reg which fit to 5'5 had 20 oz fill and 56/56/36 circumference.

Edited by simplespirit on 03/12/2012 19:14:00 MDT.

Mine is a women's long, 76x29 overall specs, black bottom, kingfisher blue top, 3/4 zipper which is very very pesky, always catches on the draft tube (apparently well known for this issue), not sure of year, but 2006 or earlier.
It for sure has areas of very depleted fill. It needs a wash. Its been used on many many trips, both backpacking and car camping. Never got wet but has been compressed and uncompressed a lot. Stored hanging in a closet. But I want something different. Its amazing how frustrating that zipper can be...
Re what to do at night - The Syn7 has already been returned - bad valve. The night I was cold, I was wearing hat, fleece sleep sox, cap 3 long undies and top, R1 top, and put my MB down inner jacket around my back where it was cold feeling. Did the hot chocolate. Didnt do jumping jacks pre-bedtime. Didnt tend to the 2am call of nature, which was probably a mistake. It was a cold night but not windy (drafty) and anyway I was in a Fly Creek with high bathtub wall. Ive been at a colder temp, at 10,000 ft, where we had frost on our packs in the morning and ice in our water bottles, and i was fine, but there were three of us in a BD Skylight, so it was pretty warm in there.
Sorry, rambling. I think a women's speciifc bag is interesting.
Thanks everyone for a great discussion - please continue!

the old phantoms may not have been en-rated ... you can quickly tell if its comparable to the new ones by comparing the weight against a new one ... if its lighter then MH may have pulled an REI (REI increased the insulation in their bags when the went to en-ratings, same with the NF) ... which is one of the benefits of en-rating, you know how much insulation yr getting ...

unless you are young, superfit with high metabolism and don't feel the cold, I'd be rather surprised if you were comfortable in a WM ultralite at those temps in a tarptent. I find my limit in the same bag in a tarptent is a much warmer temp. much.

Pulled the trigger today - ordered a FF Egret (womens) with Pertex UL - apparently lighter and more water resistant than Nano. Should be here by May 8th...can't wait...I 'll be in touch. Hopefully with pics.