gbeane wrote:I have a MH Phantom and its shell is pretty thin. I've only worn it while stopped, but I would be worried about durability if I were climbing in it. Most of the time it is in my pack. I paid about $60 for it at an L.L. Bean outlet on Black Friday a couple years ago. They had one in the outlet (probably a return) and I had been eying it for a while, when they had a huge black friday sale on everything in the outlet and I couldn't pass it up at that price. I thought about turning around and ebaying it, but I ended up keeping it. I do wish it had a hood though. Anyone know how a Patagonia down sweater would compare in warmth? I'd be OK with losing some warmth, I'm just not sure how much cooler the down sweater will be.
I have the down sweater(w/out hood), as well as the Phantom. Both seem to have fairly thin fabric, but I've not tested either, really, in any trying conditions. I'd say the down sweater is definitely cooler than the Phantom, though it is pretty warm. But, the sweater is mostly an intermediary layer, though warmer than the comparable fleece. Phantom is thicker, more fill, etc. and a bit warmer, imo.