The Mountain Hardwear Men's Ghost Whisperer Down Jacket won a number of awards in the industry when it was first released back in 2012, and it has since become the gold standard in ultralight down jackets. Part of the allure of the Ghost Whisperer (besides its ridiculously lightweight design) was Mountain Hardwear's resolve to keep the jacket fully loaded with the proverbial bells and whistles, instead of just chopping features in an attempt to keep the jacket light.

The Ghost Whisperer is ideal for climbing in the alpine, long-haul backpacking trips, and peak-bagging bids where packing light and moving fast is key to reaching your objective. While you might typically reserve your down jacket for dry and mild climates, the Ghost Whisperer isn't afraid to get a little wet thanks to its nylon outer with DWR treatment that can easily fight off light weather. As an added bonus the nylon outer boasts impressive durability for climbing missions, and is made entirely of recycled materials.



Mountain Hardwear was able to keep the weight of this jacket down by making it out of its superlight Whisperer fabric and packing it full of top-shelf 800-fill down that's highly compressible and boasts a superior warmth-to-weight ratio. This goose down also boasts Q.shield which allows it to maintain its loft even when wet. The low-profile quilting pattern further reduces weight and materials while enhancing the jacket's insulating properties by creating heat-trapping down channels. This low-profile design and active fit allows the jacket to be worn comfortably as a midlayer and helps prevent that puffed-up look many down jackets have. The jacket stuffs into one of its zippered hand pockets where it can then be clipped to a harness or backpack for quick access when you need convenient access to warmth on a chilly belay or cold summit.