Hi all,
I recently purchased this Jacket and due to lacking reviews I thought this might help others who are interested in this product.
PRE-Purchase Thoughts:
A while back I started searching for a Jacket which could be used in multiple environments. I usually explore brands with technical gear since I feel they have more suitable products for me. Next I started looking which brand would fall into my budget and Eddie Bauer caught my attention. Surely Competitors have equal or better products but I did not wanted to loose too much time with my research.
A visit at the local Eddie Bauer store revealed that the regular light down jackets (even if chosen tall sizing) are quite short for me and the only one left as choices were their Versa Down Parka, the BC Igniter and BC Downlight Stormdown (lets call it "DSD") Jacket where length suited my body very well. Eventually it was a close decision between the BC Igniter and the BC DSD Jacket. The Igniter has a Primaloft Gold Insulation while the BC DSD has down.
Since I also use this jacket on relaxing town exploration and commutes I considered down giving me a little bit more warmth than Primaloft and so it ended up being the BC downlight stormdown.
Initial Impression:
The jacket was ordered online and arrived highly compressed to my home. It took a while to expand and create the insulation death space down offers.
It is not the warmest jacket around but seems to offer a nice sweet spot for average temperatures around winter time.
The outer shell is a 20k/20k breathability/water repellency layer which is a little bit noisy during movement but should hold up well.
It offers three outer pockets and three inner pockets.
Moreover two generous venting zippers offer a good temperature regulation.
Overall it is a light jacket with few bells and whistles. Imagine it being their regular downlight stormdown jacket, just quite a bit longer and a 20/20 shell put over it.
Compression and packability for spors activities are limited due to its bigger size.
Pricing:
I do not consider Eddie Bauer full retail prices being the one you purchase at any time of the year.
They just recently came out with their spring collection and immediately offered 20% and then 30% discount.
Due to their consistent "sale" I think the realistic sale price is 449$-30%=300$. I was fortunate to purchase the jacket for 250 which I think is a fair price. After detailed evaluation of features, quality, the amount of down used I would not pay more for this product. In addition the BC Igniter is 299-30%=210$ which is quite a big difference.
Bottom line, I do think the BC Igniter is the superior product if only used for sport activities like hiking, skiing,.....the down jacket might add slightly more warmth and has the edge if used for casual environment.
Eddie Bauer does not specify a lot of technical details on their website which I think is a big point they are lacking compared to the competition but even so, I am satisfied with my purchase. A nice bonus is EB life long warranty but then many other technical clothing companies offer similar warranty.
I hope I was able to help others making a decision & thx for reading
