Mountain Hardwear Hooded Ghost Whisperer Down Jacket – VIDEO REVIEW

It's hard to believe something that weighs less than the ratty cotton T-shirt I’m wearing right now is as warm as my duvet. The Ghost Whisperer Hooded Down Jacket by Mountain Hardwear is alarmingly light – when you first pick it up your immediate thought is “What’s missing?” – and it’s surprisingly warm. It tips the scales at a meager 212 grams (7.5 ounces) and on a recent overnight trip in the Selkirks I was comfortable hanging at the top of a blustery peak waiting for my snowshoeing, snowboarding companions. (Yes, my skis and I were up there in the –10°C conditions for a long time.) The Ghost Whisperer jacket is simplicity personified: only two hand pockets and one cinch tab at the hem. No hood drawstrings, no reinforced elbows and no internal pockets with Ipod compatibility, which might be a problem for some people. But when you consider the jacket packs up to the size of a soft ball and weighs less than one, suddenly the extras seem unimportant. And with it’s 850 fill down insulation, this is the great layer in any backcountry situation.

Read the complete review in our Gear Review section here.