REASONS TO BUY
One of the warmest bags in the test
Lightweight
Compression sack included
REASONS TO AVOID
Lack of hydrophobic down
Missing top hood cinch
Snug fit not everyone's favorite
Mountain Hardwear Phantom 0 Review
A truly supreme sleeping bag that stands out for impressive weight savings without missing out on warmth
Credit: Backcountry
RELATED: Best Winter Sleeping Bags
Our Verdict
The Mountain Hardwear Phantom 0 is an excellent choice for any serious mountaineer or winter camper. It is made of high-end materials and delivers warmth that matches its 0F claims, in our experience, with a pretty snug fit. It's also impressively very light and cinches down very small in its included compression sack. Mountain Hardwear makes two versions of this bag, the Gore-Tex Windstopper version, and the Pertex version. We tested the Pertex version. Mountain Hardwear also got rid of the hydrophobic down that was in the older version of these bags. All added up, this bag ranks as one of the best 0F bags on the market today in its price range. We strongly recommend this model for those who frequently cover winter terrain and want the warmth of a 0F bag at the smallest weight and packed size, with only a minor reduction in comfort. See it rated versus top competitors in our review of winter sleeping bags.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Mountain Hardwear Phantom 0 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best for Fast and Light Winter Camping |  Best Overall Winter Sleeping Bag | Best Simple Design with Weather-Resistance | Most Comfortable Design |  Best Bang for Your Buck |
| Price | $680 List $669.99 at Backcountry | $835 List $730.00 at Backcountry | $600 List | $549.99 at Public Lands Compare at 3 sellers | $325.00 at REI Compare at 2 sellers |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | Excellent for moving in the mountains in cold weather, this model is lightweight, packs small, and stays true to its temperature rating | This bag is the cream of the crop when it comes to loft and comfort | This lightweight sleeping bag comfortably cradles you with warm, lofty down | Loaded with features, this bag is great for those looking for a little luxury in the backcountry | This budget bag offers protection from the elements via a large draft tube and plush draft collar |
| Rating Categories | Mountain Hardwear P... | Western Mountaineer... | The North Face Infe... | NEMO Sonic 0 | Mountain Hardwear B... |
| Warmth (20%) | |||||
| Weight (20%) | |||||
| Comfort (20%) | |||||
| Packed Size (15%) | |||||
| Weather Resistance (15%) | |||||
| Features (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Mountain Hardwear P... | Western Mountaineer... | The North Face Infe... | NEMO Sonic 0 | Mountain Hardwear B... |
| Measured Weight (size Regular) | 2.68 lbs | 2.85 lbs | 2.68 lbs | 2.95 lbs | 3.13 lbs |
| Fill Weight | 29.6 oz | 30.0 oz | 29 oz | 24.0 oz | 35.0 oz |
| Type of Down Fill | Goose Down RDS Cert/Fluorine Free | Goose Down | Down RDS Certified | Down RDS Certified | Down |
| Fill Power | 850 | 850 | 800 | 800 | 650 |
| Material Weight (excludes down filling) | 13.3 oz | 15.7 oz | 13.9 oz | 23.3 oz | 15.1 oz |
| Temperature Rating | 0°F | 0°F | 0°F | 0°F | 0°F |
| Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Shoulder Girth | 58" | 66" | 64" | 61" | 62" |
| Hip Girth | 52" | 57" | 60" | 58" | 53" |
| Foot Girth | Not listed | 41" | 44" | 53" | Not listed |
| Shell Material | 10D Nylon Ghost ripstop, DWR finish | MicroLite XP | 15D recycled nylon, 30D nylon taffeta | 20D nylon ripstop, DWR treatment | 20-Denier ripstop nylon |
| Continuous Baffle | No | Yes | Not listed | Yes | Yes |
Show full specification details ▼Hide full specification details ▲
Our Analysis and Test Results
Mountain Hardwear is one of the premier manufacturers of outdoor equipment for athletes pushing the limits of what's possible. Their gear has been to the top of the world and to the ends of the earth on a variety of expeditions. Represented here is their flagship 0F sleeping bag, the Phantom 0. It is a bag designed for frequent trips to the alpine, where weight and warmth are crucial to success, and the cut of the bag maximizes this philosophy of use as much as possible while remaining a fully protective and warm sleeping bag. Read below to find out more about what makes this bag one of the best.
Performance Comparison
One of the best bags in the test, the Phantom 0F.
Credit: Jeff Rogers
Warmth
The Phantom 0 is filled with 30 ounces of 850 fill down. This model is the Pertex quantum shell version and not the Gore-Tex Windstopper version. However, when our testers used this bag on a windy summit bivy, they found that the Pertex fabric was plenty windproof and water-resistant while coming in at a lower weight. What this means is that the bag was plenty warm down to 0F and the lack of the Gore-Tex windproof membrane didn't seem to have much detriment on performance. Each tester felt this bag is warm. Being a warm sleeper and wearing a down parka, you could probably push this sleeping bag past its 0F rating.
Weight
2 pounds 10 ounces is an excellent weight for a true 0F bag. Anything in a sub 3-lb package will rank near the top of our scores, the difference in weight is usually found in the amount of down fill in this kind of class. Virtually all higher-end bags use excellent face fabric and trim weight where they can, both in size of the bag, size of the zipper, amount of stretch cord and toggles, etc. Considering this bag does a great job of allowing you to sleep at 0F, it ranks very high on our weight rating metric.
Comfort
Some users may feel as though the bag is too tight. However, it fit all of our testers who tend to be on the taller and lankier build well. Our lead tester has a wide chest still fit fine and slept quite warm, an advantage to having a tight cut for the bag. As far as the hood and its cinch design goes, we noticed a lack of an upper cinch cord, which made it more difficult to fully seal up the bag. The saving grace for this was the impressive neck baffle. Even though a little air was able to get in around our head (which is almost always in a wool beanie) it was unable to get past our insulated necks. With a slightly tighter fit than most 0F bags, we recommend you head over to a shop and lay in this bag before you buy it.
Testers Alex Calder and Tod Reardon enjoy the warmth of their sleeping bags (Western Mountaineering Kodiak MF and Mountain Hardwear Phantom 0F) as the sun rises.
Credit: Jeff Rogers
Packed Size
Another excellent score for the Phantom. Mountain Hardwear includes an excellent compression stuff sack. This is a real value to the customer as with any winter down bag, the key to maximizing packability is a high-end compression sack. As far as sleeping bags go, this is about as close as you can get to the smallest packing true 0F sleeping bag. We wish more sleeping bags came with a compression sack instead of simple stuff sacks.
The Phantom 0F in its included compression sack. Note that a lot of sleeping bags do not come with a compression sack. We feel a compression sack is a must if you intend to compress your big down sleeping bag into its smallest form factor.
Credit: Jeff Rogers
Features
An insulated small pocket is found on this bag that will allow the storage of small items like ear pods or a headlamp. The bag also has an excellent hood and draft collar, with the only downside being the lack of an upper drawcord. We found this odd as the previous iteration had both. It's likely an attempt to save weight. We found that the hood worked fine despite the lack of this cinch, and was likely due to a more contoured cut of the baffles by Mountain Hardwear.
Weather Resistance
The Phantom did quite well in our weather testing despite having the lighter of the two face fabrics available and no hydrophobic down. We think removing the water-resistant down this year was a misstep by Mountain Hardwear, and could make this bag really shine on a single night open bivouac. Despite this, we were able to sleep comfortably outside and brush off the frost that accumulated on the top of the bag from our body heat/moisture.
The Mountain Hardwear Phantom 0F catches its first light of the day to thaw out from a frozen night. Note the shaping of the baffles. Mountain Hardwear opted for vertical baffles over the chest to reduce downshifting in our most mobile part of the body during a night's sleep. The foot box, draft collar, and hood are also of excellent quality and very lofty. It's a shame it is no longer filled with Hydrophobic down.
Credit: Jeff Rogers
Value
We think this is a great value for a high-end winter bag that will see a lot of overnights in the alpine. If you are an occasional winter camper, this bag may be a little overkill. If you see yourself sleeping out on a variety of climbs, ski tours, and cold weather excursions, the high-end materials and construction make sense to spend the money on. After all, this option shaves up to a pound or more off of your back versus budget competitors.
Conclusion
The Phantom 0 is an extremely warm, snug-fitting, lightweight, and very portable down bag. Without water-resistant down and an upper head cinch, this bag has some minor drawbacks, but we don't hesitate to recommend it to winter mountain travelers. You can't go wrong with the Phantom 0 if you fit in this bag comfortably.
Mountain Hardwear Phantom 0F in its included storage sack
Credit: Jeff Rogers
—Jeff Rogers
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