Eddie Bauer Downlight StormDown Vest

A good 800 fill goose down vest with DriDown DWR treatment.

I first bought an Eddie Bauer First Ascent light down jacket five years ago and have been very happy with it. I've used it for hunting, skiing (a lot), and winter backcountry hiking as well as around town (see my avatar).

I decided I needed a vest that would be warmer than my 300 weight fleece vest so I bought the EB First Ascent mainly because I wanted DWR on all my down garments going forward and I trust First Ascent quality.

This vest has DriDown DWR treatment on the down which is what I have been looking for. For me down DWR is an important feature. It gives down a water resistance approaching synthetics. Time will tell how long the various new down DWRs last.

The vest fits well and goes with a lot of my winter hunting, skiing, and camping clothing. Its compressibility and light weight are important for winter travel, whether backpack hunting or BC ski camping.

I got this on sale for about $75, a good price considering the prices for the competitions' vests.

I do wish EB would have "overfilled" the stand-up collar a bit to make it more robust.