Just bought a Phantom Jacket!!

[Capt Chaos]

Hey guys. I just stopped by my local outfitter to look around and chat. Well I didnt need anything else for my hike but I did see the Mountain Hardware Phantom Jacket. Man this thing is awesome. I wont use it for my hike, but I will keep it on hand for my cold weather backpacking and for when I go out west to the higher peaks. But the coolest thing is, I didnt pay $230 for it, I paid $115. It was 50% off. A lot of their gear was. I am thoroughly impressed and plan to use it next week when I go on a trip to Mt. LeConte. I am hoping it gets down to some frigid temps.

[Mountain Dew]

That seems like it would be below cost. Where exactly did you purchase that jacket ?

[Capt Chaos]

In Maryville, Tennessee at Little River Trading Company. 865-681-4141. This is my local outfitter. A lot of there clothing items are marked 50% off. The sale ends today. I was really tempted to buy a bunch of other stuff but resisted. Tommarrow most of the stuff will go down to 40% off. These guys have been extra supportive of my upcoming thru-hike. They are great folks.

[Capt Chaos]

Oh yeah, the old Marmot Windshirts are now $50. You cant beat that. I paid $100 just a month ago. I wish I would have known.

[Capt Chaos]

I do disagree with you on the quality issue with the Phantom Jacket. You see, it has the squared quilted baffles in the lower torso which keeps the down in place a lot better. Not to mention the quality of down that is used in the jacket. I have looked at the stitching, it looks superb to me. Now agreed, this jacket is ment to be taken care of. It was not designed to wear around town. It is a technical piece of clothing. The durability is not as high due to the lightweight fabrics used. But, for the price, weight, and comfort, I cant give this jacket any less rating than a two thumbs up so far.

[Kerosene]

Too bad. Mountain hardwear's quality has REALLY gone down, after their sale to ma boyle and columbia.
I have noticed that mountain hardwear's quality control on their clothing to really decrease after the sale.
I have also seen a poorly stiched and constructed mtn hardwear sleeping bag.
It's a real shame, as they once were top-notch stuff.

Interesting assessment, although it might be a little too early to blame it entirely on Columbia. Business Week thought that Columbia's quality control processes might actually improve on Mountain Hardwear's quality while improving margins. That may eventually happen, but it's likely that there will be some inconsistency as new processes and sourcing is adopted. Plus, Columbia has to recognize that a niche supplier like MH requires differential assembly methods to service their niche, something that large companies looking to leverage have a hard time learning (I also speak from experience in the software industry).