Having hiked in some serious rain I’m growing to appreciate fleeces and synthetic.
Having hiked in some serious rain I’m growing to appreciate fleeces and synthetic.
I was getting ready to buy https://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?p_id=2301365 out of jealousy for my wife’s ghost whisperer when I spent too much time on the rain and using layers.
Learned a lot about myself though. Now I’m happy with what I have even with some real temperature drops, into the thirties.
With a a slightly warmer baselayer or a buff or a hat I think I’m ready into the twenties.
I picked the Enlightened Equipment Torrid jacket, Apex fill, 8.4oz in Medium over the Ghost Whisperer. Check youtube, Darwin does a nice comparison between them. Either seems like a good choice.
I like whatever's on REI clearance that fits. Just did a LDH with a $60 down jacket, was warm when I should have been. Happy with it. I think you get into a (very) diminishing return.
I chose the mountain hardware ghost whisperer hooded jacket.
Pros-
weight - 8 oz
water resistant material
color (black is what i chose)
MH customer service is a strong reputation which goes a long way in my book
con-
Sizing was difficult to pick it seemed like the sleeve lengths were all way too long
price - Its pricey thats for sure
Still a variable
Warmth - to be so light i am curious to know what its warmth is
Durability - with UL comes a sacrifice of durability so I am curious about this aspect
Size - I was on the fence, so I got the XL bc I am not a fan of garments "hugging" my body. If it is way too baggy I will just have to return and get the large.
I also chose a new rain jacket as I learned on trip 53 to PA that my OR Helium HD is no longer waterproof, and they have discontinued what I believe to be one of the best rain jackets every created for the backpacker.
I chose the Arcteryx Zeta SL jacket as it was the most comparable garment I could find in comparison to the OR Helium HD - in terms of which pros i liked about the helium HD for so long, I found several of those features in the Zeta SL.
I hope to be able to do a thread of kinda reviewing the 2 new garments, comparing them to what they replaced, and any post unboxing thoughts i have. Unfortunately I do not know how I could test the down out until I actually get to the whites to use it in September. I guess I could go to a walk in freezer somewhere and hangout inside. But I am pretty confident from all the reviews that it will be warm enough.
Trail Miles: 4,980.5
AT Map 1: Complete 2013-2021
Sheltowee Trace: Complete 2020-2023
Pinhoti Trail: Complete 2023-2024
Foothills Trail: 47.9
AT Map 2: 279.4
BMT: 52.7
CDT: 85.4
Zeta SL, huh? I'll be checking that out when my Helium HD gives up. I keep quiet about it, because it's been so great, and reviews of the regular Helium so poor, that I figured it must be some kind of fluke.
Edit: Ha! Never mind, no pitzips. Screw that...
Ghost Whisperer isn't very durable, I can tell you that. My buddy has one, and that's his only complaint.
What was the OR jacket you had before?
I've got an OR Filament pullover(run so hot its 1.76oz of 800 fill is enough for me into the 20s), though a full-zip hoodless Backcountry Hadron w/2oz of 850 fill gets the bulk of my use. Alpine Light Down Parka takes over below ~25 and gets me into negative single digits.
Guess it makes sense that I can't relate to people talking about hiking in a puffy, and give that no consideration.
Helium HD, Filament, Hadron..everything I buy gets discontinued
Last edited by OwenM; 06-28-2019 at 06:40.
Discontinued awesome gear is very disappointing. Unfortunately hiking gear has the "new fishing lure" syndrome. Every year new lures come out and the fisherman flock to them like the fish are bored with the old stuff. And just like fishing, the gear isnt always better.
Honestly I overlooked the lack of pitzips until you said that. I thought they had them for some reason. If I love the jacket besides pitzips and find I can live without them I have two options. return and continue to search for the new best rain jacket(doesnt exist) or send it to rainypass and let them add pitzips to it.
Trail Miles: 4,980.5
AT Map 1: Complete 2013-2021
Sheltowee Trace: Complete 2020-2023
Pinhoti Trail: Complete 2023-2024
Foothills Trail: 47.9
AT Map 2: 279.4
BMT: 52.7
CDT: 85.4
Well, turns out that through the smokies in the twenties, I was fine with my Packa as a wind shirt and not using the puffy, just the fleece.
I've been more than happy with the $49.00 REI down jacket I bought (they discount overstocked colors from time to time). Gave my down hood (detached) away. Usually hike with just the puffy or just the fleece.
A good wind shirt makes more of a difference than anything else. Even in the 20s, with blowing sleet and snow in the Smokies.
Just saying.
Everyone bundled up with all their gear, I quickly moved to less clothing as soon as I started hiking, sleet, snow and temps in the 20s.
Last edited by Elaikases; 07-02-2019 at 09:31. Reason: too terse