Greatest Puffer Jacket (2026): Patagonia, Arc’teryx, REI

Mountain {Hardware}’s Ghost Whisperer UL hoodie has been a preferred choose amongst ultralight backpackers because it was launched a number of years in the past. It stays the very best puffer jacket for anybody attempting to shave each final ounce off their pack weight. It weighs simply 6.7 ounces for a males’s medium (7.3 ounces for the lads’s giant I examined), packs right down to a tiny little factor (stuffing into its personal pocket), and the 1,000-fill-power goose down gives probably the greatest warmth-to-weight ratios available on the market. The very light-weight shell materials is a mixture of 5D and 7D ripstop nylon, which is a little more fragile than heavier jackets, but it surely has held up nicely to date in my testing. I can safely say that the Ghost Whisper UL is the whole lot I ever needed in an ultralight down puffer after which some.

What units it aside from another very good puffers on the market are the little particulars. First there’s the 1.9 ounces of 1,000-fill-power down, which is as excessive a fill energy as you may discover in a jacket of this class, which means you are getting the utmost heat and loft that you would be able to for the least quantity of weight. My solely caveat for this jacket can be, if you’re the kind of one who will get chilly simply, you may want one thing with a bit extra fill. The basic Ghost Whisperer Down Hoody (not the ultralight) has 3 ounces of 800 fill energy and is barely hotter in most situations, the trade-off being it is heavier as nicely (about 9 ounces for a males’s medium). Additionally try the Katabatic Gear puffer under, which is significantly hotter. I don’t get chilly simply, and I’ve discovered the Ghost Whisperer UL works nicely for me as a heat layer to throw on in camp at excessive elevation is summer time, a mid-layer for mountain climbing in chilly situations, and a mid-layer below the Rab Glaceon Professional in excessive chilly.

Different particulars that make the Ghost Whisperer UL our prime choose for ultralight mountain climbing embrace two very good zippered hand pockets with quantity of area to stash little stuff like a three-season hat and a few gloves, together with an adjustable drawstring on the waist to maintain drafts out. I additionally love how small this factor packs down, nicely below the dimensions of a 1L bottle (see photograph). It packs into its personal left pocket with a reversible zipper, though it would stuff down even smaller should you get a separate stuff sack.

My solely gripe about this jacket is that there is no drawstrings. The hood, cuffs, and waist hem are all elastic. This works high-quality for the cuffs and hood, however I want there have been a drawstring for the waist. Because of this, if I’m anticipating temps under 40, I convey a heavier puffer. The remainder of the time, that is what you may discover in my backpack. Notice that I discovered the match to be just a little small. In response to the match information on the Mountain {Hardware} web site, I’m proper between medium and enormous. I attempted each and located the massive match significantly better.