REASONS TO BUY
Lightweight
High-quality materials
Comfortable
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Included compression sack is heavy
Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15 Review
This is a top of the line, lightweight unisex sleeping bag that comes in a size that fits women for anyone who can afford it
We think the Phantom is very cozy and comfortable, especially with a cushy sleeping pad and backpacking pillow!
Credit: Ian McEleney
RELATED: Best Sleeping Bags for Women of 2024
Our Verdict
We have been waiting for years for Mountain Hardwear to bring back the Phantom Series for women. While that hasn't exactly happened, Mountain Hardwear has made the new, high-end Phantom 15 in a size “Short” or right around 66 inches in length, perfect for an averaged height woman, of someone around 5'5. We love the Phantom's high quality 850 fill down and super lightweight, compressible shell materials and think this bag is a great choice for lightweight, 3 season backpacking. Its price tag, on the other hand, is a little heavy.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Overall Women's Sleeping Bag |  Most Comfortable Sleeping Bag |  Best Value for a Down Sleeping Bag | Best Value for a Synthetic Sleeping Bag | |
| Price | Check Price at REI Compare at 2 sellers | $589 List $529.00 at Feathered Friends | $320 List | $220 List $219.95 at Amazon | $169.00 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | This bag has high quality materials, is super light, and will fit most women | The highest three-season performance of any model in our bunch | This model is our testers go-to any time weight is less of a factor than having a comfortable nights sleep | "Get Down" with this extremely well priced sleeping bag that will work for short to medium length backpacking trips in the summer | This synthetic model offers snug fitting design that is surprisingly compressible and a good choice to keep you warm in wet conditions |
| Rating Categories | Mountain Hardwear P... | Feathered Friends E... | Sierra Designs Back... | Sierra Designs Get... | The North Face Cat'... |
| Warmth (25%) | |||||
| Weight (25%) | |||||
| Comfort (20%) | |||||
| Packed Size (15%) | |||||
| Features (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Mountain Hardwear P... | Feathered Friends E... | Sierra Designs Back... | Sierra Designs Get... | The North Face Cat'... |
| EN Temp Rating (Lower Limit) | 23°F | 20°F (not EN rated) | 20°F | 23°F | 20°F |
| Insulation | 850 FP Down | 950+ Goose Down | 650 FP 85/15 GDD DriDown | 550 FP DriDown RDS | Recycled synthetic |
| Measured Weight | 2.00 lbs | 1.72 lbs | 2.61 lbs | 2.36 lbs | 2.50 lbs |
| Female-Specific Features | Available in a "Short" length, which is a standard women's size | Extra fill in footbox and chest | Women's specific cut | Women's specific cut | Available in a "Short" length, which is a standard women's size |
| Fill Weight | 20.0 oz | 17.3 oz (medium) | 22.36 oz | 25.0 oz | 38.9 oz |
| Material | 10D nylon ripstop | Pertex Endurance UL | 20d polyester ripstop/tafeta | 20D polyester | 20D ripstop nylon, taffeta |
| Neck Baffle | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Small Organization Pocket | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Sleeping Pad Sleeve | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Zipper Length | 59 in | 62 in | N/A | 39.5 in | 34.5 in |
| Shoulder Girth | 58 in | 54 in | 59 in | 58 in | 60 in |
| Hip Girth | 52 in | 56 in | 58 in | 56 in | 55 in |
| Foot Girth | 44 in | 38 in | 40 in | 40 in | 41 in |
| Compression or Stuff Sack | Compression sack and storage bag | Stuff sack and storage bag | Stuff sack and storage bag | Stuff sack and storage bag | Compression sack and storage bag |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
This high quality, lightweight bag is what we ladies have been waiting for from Mountain Hardwear. It's cozy and lofty and is a great trail companion.
Performance Comparison
The Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15 in the short length is a great choice for a lightweight women's backpacking bag.
Credit: Ian McEleney
Warmth
Although the name of this bag is the Phantom “15,” there is no temperature rating associated with this number. The Phantom has an EN comfort rating of 23 degrees Fahrenheit. From our field testing, we will say we think this rating is pretty accurate in comparison to the other products in this test. The Phantom has a relatively svelte shape with not a lot of space around your body for “dead”, cold air to hang around. Because of this snug fit, we think this bag will keep you very warm on cool alpine evenings. We'd bring this bag with us on spring through fall mountain adventures.
Deceivingly, the Phantom's comfort temperature rating is actually 23F.
Credit: Ian McEleney
Weight
This bag is one of the top contenders in terms of its weight, sliding in right at 2 lbs. It's lightweight shell materials, high quality down and slimmed down shape, and features make sure this bag won't be a burden on your back. We did find the included compression sack a little hefty at 3.2 ounces. Know there are other much lighter products you could purchase to cut down your weight even more.
Comfort
With its “Performance mummy cut,” a tighter fit around the hips and shoulders, some may feel a little claustrophobic in this bag if they're not used to it. It is very roomy in the foot box, with plenty of room to move your feet around and stuff extra layers into. It is snug fitting around the hips, which is nice and may keep you warmer as that's a cold spot for many women, our testers included, get cold hips at night. The Phantom's hood feels a little claustrophobic because the inside baffle doesn't have a drawstring to cinch it down out of the way and the opening when zipped up all the way is quite small. Otherwise, this is a pretty cozy bag. It's high lofting down and soft sleek lining materials feel great and you'll feel bundled and cozy in this product.
We think the Phantom is very cozy and comfortable, especially with a cushy sleeping pad and backpacking pillow!
Credit: Ian McEleney
Packed Size
Because of its very compressible 850 fill down and thin, lightweight shell materials the Phantom can be packed down very small. It comes with an included compression sack to help squish it as small as possible.
The Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15 comes with an included compression sack and packs down small.
Credit: Ian McEleney
Features
As with many of the high-end bags we've tested, the main feature of the Phantom is its high-quality materials. We love its lofty 850 fill down material, although it does not appear to have been treated with any water repellent coating like the other bags of this class have been. We're not super concerned with the lack of hydrophobic down as we hope our bag never gets soaked out there, but it is one feature that is lacking compared to other high-end products. The Phantom also has a good, anti-snag zipper pull, and interesting vertical baffle construction at the head of the bag to help keep the down where you want it in that area. We love the flashy color combo the Phantom comes in as well.
We like the Phantom's anti-snag zipper pull and it's flashy colors!
Credit: Ian McEleney
Value
As with many Mountain Hardwear products, this premium bag comes with a premium price tag. If this bag were not so expensive, we would more readily recommend it. As it is, it's one of the highest-priced bags in this review and slightly below the curve in terms of value with the rest of the high-end products we tested. Other bags have higher fill power down that have hydrophobic treatments, and cost the same.
Conclusion
We love the Phantom 15 “Short” and are so grateful that Mountain Hardwear decided to make a high-end sleeping back that is the right size for shorter people - including most women! If it has a slightly lower price tag we would not hesitate to recommend it to all our friends. It is definitely a great choice for any backpacking adventure and will keep you warm on cool spring and fall evenings.
—
Jessica Haist
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