Dang, I should have ordered that Medium-Long! Sounds like it would have fit.

Ended up getting only the Large-Long and had to return it to the local Eddie Bauer store because the sleeves looked like accordions on my arms and the bottom hem of the jacket fell way over my back pockets, almost past my inseam.

The jacket looked really good and the red was true to the photos. Oh well, I'll keep an eye out for Mont-bell stuff now and start the Fall season with my down vest instead.

Edit: James, those measurements are spot-on for me - thanks! I just reordered the jacket in Slate Med-Long and saved $40 over last week's purchase!

Edited by Village on 08/05/2010 08:24:45 MDT.

Just got myself a down sweater for $70 shipped. I hope the small is not too small, I am 5'7"/145 lbs and I wear small with North Face but medium with Mtn Hardwear. Any input?

Does Eddie Bauer have the same return policy as REI? Lifetime satisfaction?


http://www.eddiebauer.com/custserv/custserv.jsp?sectionId=296

I'm 5'8"/155 and went with a medium. It's not "too big", but there's definitely room underneath for a few layers even. I could probably zip into a small but not be very comfortable or have an easy range of motion. If I had to guess I'd say the SM will work for you, but maybe only light layers will fit underneath.

And their return policy is good.

I was at an Eddie Bauer store here in Seattle looking at a jacket and the sales woman told me you can bring anything back....regardless.....just like REI she said.

Noel,
I wear the small downlight sweater and i'm 5'6" 135 lbs. There's plenty of room underneath for additional layers. I think the small would fit you great.

Also, mine came in at 11.1 oz on my scale, a little under the spec'd weight. Thanks for heads up again Dale.

Edited by gnawd87 on 08/05/2010 13:13:01 MDT.

EB has a dropdown sizing chart (in kinda fine print) by each pop-up item.

Looks like 'Tall' adds 2 inches to a shirt ( & jacket I assume) + 1 inch or so to the sleeves. FWIW I always go Tall when a mfr offers a choice.

Thanks guys,
I wonder how it compares to Patagonia or MontBell's down sweater in terms of warmth and compressibility.

Edited by akatsuki_the_devil on 08/05/2010 21:15:34 MDT.

From what I've seen in stores, Patagonia's down gear tends to cut toward the 'generous' big-boy waistline. I have not seen a Patagonia down product that was anything but Regular, IE no 'Tall', 'Long' etc.

EB's size chart for the First Ascents says they are cut to be trim and snug. A lot of us are about to find out, including me.

> Thanks guys,
> I wonder how it compares to Patagonia or MontBell's down sweater in terms of warmth and >compressibility.

BPL's State of the Market Report for lightweight down jackets (just recently published) reviews this jacket. It's a great article worth the $8 or whatever they charge for a single article, or $25/year (IIRC) subscription if you're looking for a down jacket.

One of my favorite features of this jacket is that it stuffs into its own pocket. So many manufacturers don't do this, sometimes giving you a stuff sac (extra weight) and other times not at all.

Edited by StephanCal on 08/05/2010 21:26:42 MDT.

erased

Edited by eahoppe on 12/11/2012 21:53:06 MST.

I just ordered and received the Downlight Sweater in an XL Tall, but it's a little big on me. They are out of L Tall so I thought I'd see if anyone bought and L Tall that they would either want to trade from an XL Tall or sell. Great jacket. Bought the vest also, L tall is perfect on me. First time I've had a vest that comes down to my hips.

I went into the EB in Tysons Corner last night to order an XXL Tall. They dropped the price again to $49.99. The woman on the phone matched the price AND gave me an additional 20% off as part of some promotion they were running that day if you ordered via phone through a store.

All in all, an 800-fill down sweater that was normally $169 for $39.99 and shipped free to my house. Even if it leaks a little bit of down you can't go wrong at that price.

Just got my XL Tall jacket and L Tall vest. I'd say these run at least one size Large. The EB sizing chart says they run 'snug'; but I'd say just the opposite.

For anyone looking to order in future, I'm 6' and 185 and the XL Tall jacket swallows me up like Jonah and the whale. I have 35/36 sleeves and the XL Tall jacket sleeves can come down to my fingertips if I loosen the elastic wristband to let 'em fall. The bottom hem comes way below my jeans back pocket bottom seam. And it's cut really roomy in the waist/torso; I could fit a big fleece jacket, a hydration pack, a couple of fanny packs and about thirty-forty more pounds under the XL jacket easily...no exaggeration.
I'm going to try and swap the XL Tall jacket for a L Regular and the L Tall vest for a L Regular.
Workmanship on these is great and they're superlight. Good product, worth buying. But sized really Large when most down manufacturers seem (to me) to size small, especially on length. I'd say no need to 'size up' with Bauer's First Ascent stuff like some of the other makers, and for me at 6' and 35 sleeves, 'Tall' was overkill.

I just received my jacket in Medium-Tall after returning a size Large-Tall. The Large-Tall was huge, draping much like you described the XL-Tall. The Medium-Tall however fits almost perfectly. There's a big difference in size between the two. I'm 6ft even, 175-180lbs, and 42in chest. The only problem is when I cross my arms, the armpit seams are snug against my lat muscles (and I'm thin up top!). The point of my post is that the EB sizes seem to vary greatly from industry comps. I really like the jacket though! Can't wait for cooler weather.

My experience is a bit different. I'm 5'-10", 38 chest, 33 waist, 155-160 lb. My Downlight vest in medium fits very well except that it's a bit snug in the upper chest. It's OK over a T-shirt and a flannel shirt, but I wouldn't want to wear much more under it. Length is great - same as a parka.

I'm 6'3" 210lbs. Found the xl tall too tight in the chest. Got an xxl, much better but not perfect, the arms seem huge. But for the money...

Mine was snug in the chest as well. The XXL regular fit really well except for the snugness in the chest which is why I am trying out the XXL Tall. Hopefully it will provide just a little more breathing room (literally) in the chest. Otherwise the XXL is tolerable for what it will be used for, primarily around camp and for sleeping.

Edited by mak52580 on 08/13/2010 13:59:02 MDT.

Called Bauer's 800# today about exchanging down to smaller sizes. Helpful rep confirmed website is correct & most sizes except XXL are sold out.

BUT, she told me the website & her inventory screens only reflect Bauer's central warehouse, not inventory in local stores, which she can't see. So, call around your local stores & see what they have. After Marc's tip I called around & found a smaller vest for even exchange. (Going from Tall down to Regular makes a big diff).

Store manager says the closeout sale is because the First Ascent line is being slightly redesigned for the Fall. Also says Labor Day will mean bigger sales than usual because it's been a rough recession summer season.

I've got one for sale that is new with tags. It's a mens size small and blue in color.

Jimmie, I might be interested in that. You don't have PM setup though.


email me javan.dempsey at gmail.com