[Review] The Phantom 15° Sleeping Bag by Mountain Hardwear

The Phantom 15° Sleeping Bag by Mountain Hardwear is a premium sleeping bag for premium adventures. This lightweight sleeping bag is ideal for overnight trips and will keep you warm when the temp drops. The Phantom won’t take up much room and has ultimate warmth-to-weight ratio thanks to the 850-fill goose down insulation. Not only does the appropriately named Phantom not weight much, but it also compresses down very nicely so as not to take up precious pack space. I find all of these key benefits come into play whether I’m moto-touring or backpacking.

In my opinion, goose down is my favorite property for sleeping bags for a few reasons. First of all, it is extremely warm and it is warm without bulkiness. For how light this sleeping bag is, the amount of warmth it provides is incredible. Secondly, goose down can be compressed in ways that synthetic or alternative insulations cannot match. Even if I’m not concerned about weight, like when I’m traveling by motorcycle, space is a huge contributing factor to how and what I can pack. The Phantom, when packed in it’s included compression bag, is 7 in X 15in. I’ve been able to get it to compress more when packed but even still, that is relatively small for compression size. It only weighs 2 lb 1.2 oz (941g).

One downfall to down is that when it gets wet it loses loft, which in turn makes it lose warming properties. The Phantom’s 10D recycled shell has a durable water-repellant finish. While you wouldn’t want to sleep in a rainstorm or sleep out in the snow with no barrier between you and snow, if you’re transitioning camp or setting up in the rain, the down will not get wet thanks to the DWR.

Of course, this is a mummy-style bag and if you don’t like mummy bags, well I’m not sure why you’re here. I’ve found this to be a pretty roomy and comfortable mummy design and unlike other sleeping bags, I feel like I can easily sleep on my stomach, back, or side, without feeling too restricted. The foot box is designed to follow your natural foot position which I love because I hate when sleeping bags (or even sheets for that matter) are tight on my feet and restrict them from laying in their natural position. While the footbox is comfortable, it also should be noted that it’s not cold. I will say that I feel like I have shoulders that are a titch above-average broadness and I wish there was just a little bit more room in the shoulder/chest area. That is the only noticeable area for me that feels a little too restricting but surprisingly unnoticeable if I roll onto my side.

The Phantom is filled with useful draft collars and gaskets to ensure that no warm air will escape your bag. The draft collars around the head are superb and are hard to notice when you’re sleeping but don’t go unnoticed because of the effect they have on keeping warm air in the sleeping bag. You can certainly get yourself bundled into the Phantom and have little exposure to cold air.

If you run a little bit colder, it is definitely worth checking out the Phantom 0° bag and if you run hot or need something for milder temps, check out the Phantom 30° bag. The Phantom is also offered in a Gore-Tex version, which will really protect you from the elements. The Phantom is offered in Short, Regular, and Long options as well as left-handed or right-handed zippers.

If you’re looking for a sleeping bag that is not only extremely warm thanks to goose down, but also compresses and is lightweight, the Phantom 15° Sleeping Bag by Mountain Hardwear is an amazing option for any adventure. This is definitely a sleeping bag that you could use no matter what type of adventuring you’re doing. We’ve been using the Phantom, the Rook, and the Aspect 3 Tent and have been really happy with the kit. If you have any questions, drop them below!

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