First Ascent Downlight Sweater

www.eddiebauer.com, 12.5 ounces
Some of us aren’t too crazy about the industry impulse of calling light down jackets sweaters, but we certainly love these ultra-light, ultra-warm items. And of the many on the market, we’ve become particularly fond of the Downlight Sweater. First Ascent, the alpine-specific line from Eddie Bauer, was developed with input from professional mountaineers like Ed Viesturs, and it shows. The 800-fill premium Euro goose down provides some of the warmest, lightest, most compressible insulation on the market, while the 200-denier ripstop nylon exterior boasts durable water repellency, with twin zipper hand pockets and a mock turtleneck-length collar. And yes, we know they’re called sweaters because they’re best-served as mid-layers (the Downlight’s water repellency isn’t waterproof, and down is notorious for taking forever to dry if it gets wet), but we’ve found that in all climates, save the very cold or the wet, this jacket provides enough warmth for hiking, cycling, and climbing in below-freezing temps.