Reader Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5

This is my three season bag that I am testing in winter, so long as it can be kept dry.

Weighs 1 lb. 5 oz. I have used it for two years or so and it hasn't got a problem.

Zipper is great and doesn't leak air in. Hood is comfortable and has enough down.

The shell is great, so far. I am not a fabric technician.

For me it has great size, not too big and stays warm when weather is cold, ventilates easily by zipper in the warmer weather.

I love using this bag, even if it has down on the bottom and not just on the top. Finally, it feels great inside and compresses down to a size that IMO is hard to believe. (It always irritates my partner when she is trying to fit her 20 F Sub-Kilo REI bag into her pack, with a compression bag to squish it down. The Phantom is way smaller without a compression bag (the sub-kilo is a great bag by the way, no slight on the bag, it just has a lot more mass).

So I always use this bag and I am working on the clothing to be able to use it as my winter bag in safe/non-heavy water weather. With a bivvy I think it is going to be insane to carry that much horse power in an 800 down bag and a 4-6 oz. bivvy. With an UL tarp my sleeping and shelter system would be under 2 lbs.

Edited by bdavis on 12/13/2006 19:41:33 MST.

Rating: 5 / 5

The phantom 32 was my first light-weight item, and is still my favorite. Loft is great, the hood fits great, and there is enough room for me to add a down jacket or vest.
The one downside is the .85 fabric, which is light and soft, but not water repelant at all as far as I can tell.
Otherwise, I love the bag.

Rating: 5 / 5

I've been using this bag for almost a year now. It has proven to be durable and with minimal loss of loft as far as I can tell. It comes with a stuff sack that allows you to compress down to an unbelievably small size, as other reviewers have commented. I use the included mesh storage bag when not backpacking. I guess I'm a cold sleeper, but I need to add some clothing layers to stay warm when temps get into the 30's. My only beef, which could definitely be pilot error, is I tend to get the zipper jammed into the fabric fairly easily. I'll still hand out a 5 rating because I really like the bag.

Rating: 5 / 5

I owned a M.H.Phantom 32 for 1 month and returned it to REI after seeing a Western Mountaineering Megalite bag, which has a similar weight and temperature rating but much more loft than the Phantom 32.
The Phantom 32 also had a 1/2 length zipper which did not permut me to vent it properly on a warm summer night. The W.M. Megalite had a full length zipper.

Otherwise the two bags were very similar in construction and materials.

Admittedly the Megalite was over $100. more than the Phantom 32 but I felt the added loft was worth it for the safety margin it provided.

Finally, I would recommend the Phantom 32 as a good 40F bag for the money and suggest Mountain hardwear market it at that rating instead of 32F.

Edited by Danepacker on 02/16/2007 00:42:41 MST.

Rating: 5 / 5

I've been on a few backpacking trips with this bag and it is by far the best bag I have ever owned.

Lightweight: This bag weighs in at 1lb 5oz and stuffs into a sack that is a little bit bigger than a 32oz Nalgene bottle. I have no problem carrying it in my Osprey Atmos 50 pack.

Comfort: For years I used a Kelty Lightyear 30F bag and I thought that bag was comfortable. I had no idea of what comfort was until I slept in the Phantom bag. The loft really made this bag the most comfortable night sleep I have had in a long time. It was a night and day difference between this bag and a synthetic.

Warmth: I have been down into the low 30's in this bag and did not feel the cold. I usually sleep with long underwear and Merino wool socks. My feet never got cold.

Construction: I haven't had any problems with the zipper and I have not lost any down from the bag. It appears to be well made.

Stuff Sack: You will spend about 5 minutes trying to get this bag in the stuff sack provided. It is a very tight fit and I really had to work at it. I was afraid at one point that I would rip the stuff sack, but I didn't.

Edited by azhiker on 05/30/2007 00:23:18 MDT.

Rating: 5 / 5

I have the women's phantom 32, used it outside in Alaska at 27 degrees & kept warm all night. The hood is a bit snug but I'll get used to that. I am so impressed with the pack size. However, I have up-sized to a bit larger stuff bag since I am concerned that long distance trips stuffed in that miniature stuff bag that came with it could compromise loft & lead to loss of feathers over time.

I was thrilled to get last year's model on a close out at REI Outlet for $179. Then I applied my 20% to it & got it for $143.

Rating: 5 / 5

Toasty warm, light and water repellent. I couldn't ask for more. The snug hood makes a world of difference in retaining body heat.

Rating: 3 / 5

I've owned a MH Phantom 32 for two years. I've used it in a variety of conditions from 12,000' to sea level and at temps ranging from 60 down to around 32.

Here's how I would rate it along several dimensions:

Rating...Description
5........Footprint (packs super small)
3........Warmth for Weight (this is a 40 degree bag IMO)
2........Accuracy of temp rating (again, for me, it's a 40 degree bag)
3........Value - I think there are several options in the $250 range for a 40 degree bag in the 24 oz range.
2........Breathability - if just slightly too warm out, I'm a sweat box.
3........Versatility - no footbox zipper, half zip, and lack of breathability make this something you don't want when the night is too warm. At the same time, I need more layers when it's colder than 40
2.......Water repellency of the shell. Just doesn't seem to be very repellent.

I know this bag gets rave reviews across the board, and there is something to be said about consensus in numbers. For me, this is a 40 degree bag that has limited upper range use. To that end, I find it a little over priced and under featured. I've been using it for 2 years because it gets the job done and it packs small. It's not my favorite item in my pack.

Rating: 4 / 5

I got this bag last year as an upgrade to a very old THF bag I had back in high school. I am very pleased with it so far. For me the tempature rating is fairly accurate. Ive taken it down to around 20 degrees with the proper amount of base layers on. The on thing that really irks me about this bag is the dang zipper. It seems like every time I get in and out of the bag the zipper get stuck and it takes me a second to get it unstuck. Other than the zipper ordeal this is a very nice sleeping bag, packs down nice and doesnt weigh that much.

Edited by Elgraves on 03/02/2013 01:10:08 MST.