Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer Down Vest

Sure, this vest only weighs 5 oz, but what are you really getting? I only paid 1/5 the price at a closeout sale, but it only weighs 4oz less than the down jacket I picked up at Walmart for $19.98 (1/12th the price)! Cut the sleeves out and there you are.

The quality of this vest isn't THAT much better than the cheap Walmart jacket either. And they are both made in China. Though the retail price on this vest is $245!! Ridiculous in my opinion.

I love my MH rain jacket, but I'm not very impressed with this vest at all. The insulation may be 850 goose down, but there isn't enough in the baffles to make a difference. It looks flat in comparison. 

Here are the Ghost Whisperer and the Walmart offering side by side.

You really can't tell much from this picture, other than the baffles on the Walmart jacket on the right look more filled out.

Here are two pics comparing the thickness using a quarter for reference.

Notice how much shorter the MH is compared with the cheapo Walmart.



I wore the MH around outside when the temps were in the 50s and I really couldn't tell a difference. The Royal Falcon from Walmart is way too hot for that.  

The Ghost Whisper fabric is just super thin, super delicate, nondurable, well, garbage. For less than an ounce more weight they could have went with a tougher outer fabric.  

So what is going on here? Is this simply another big company using what would've once been called a flimsy inferior product to create ultralight gear? And then marketing it as cutting edge? Or is Walmart just getting really good quality apparel for the price.

It's a rip-off however you choose to explain it. I love my MH rain jacket, but I would not recommend wasting your money on anything with Ghost Whisperer in the description. 

So it comes down to a 9oz jacket with more insulation for 20 bucks, or a 5oz vest with not nearly enough down for 225 more. Take your pick. The latter is for salesmen and posers in my opinion. Especially since they are both made in China....