Q: Will a Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer puffy keep me warm down to 30F?

A: Yes. In fact, it will keep me warm down to 23F.

For an upcoming trip the expected lows are around 30F and I wanted to determine whether my current ensemble was warm enough or whether I should purchase a beefier hoodie (specifically I had my eyes on the Rab Proton since it’s the best puffy with around 5oz of down fill according to a puffy spreadsheet I put together). Based on the forecasted low being between 6 and 7AM I set my alarm ridiculously early for a Sunday morning and put on the following:

According to my Kestrel Drop D1 temperature logger the actual temperature outside was a frigid 23.2F, lower than I had bargained for. On the other hand this was a good opportunity to see just how low the Ghost Whisperer could go. With the hood up and hands in the puffy’s pockets I walked around the yard at a snail’s pace in order to generate a bit of heat in order to simulate a “camp chores” level of activity or 1.75 mets. After a half hour the only thing that felt chilly were my shoulders (most likely due to the cut of the jacket – could probably size up next time) and the tops of my toes due to the trail runner mesh – no surprise there. At this point I put my Sierra Designs Elite Cagoule on over the rest of my gear to see how much of a difference it made. I was noticeably warmer but my shoulders still felt cool and the jacket also made it harder to put my hands in the Ghost Whisperer’s pockets (which was essential for keeping them warm with just liner gloves on).

It’s worth noting that there was absolutely no wind.

Sadly, having accurate temperature data cheated me out of a puffy upgrade but on the other hand it’s money that didn’t need to be spent. For winter pursuits if it was in the low twenties outside I sure as heck wouldn’t be hanging around in camp in my puffy anyway, I’d be curled up under my quilt listening to an audiobook.