For those who bought Eddie Bauer First Ascent down vests & jackets online at closeout prices recently but found that they came in much larger than expected, Eddie Bauer now has the 'new' First Ascent down line in. My local EB store just exchanged my online order for the new line as an even size exchange, with no additional charge.
Comparing the closeout First Ascent with the 'new' FA, the new fabric feels a little less 'satiny' and all the new FA jackets and vests at my location have discontinued the deep inside pockets that the closeout EB models had (new ones have no inner pockets at all, bummer). Otherwise they are styled the same, and the sizing of the ones I tried on seemed more 'true' and not oversized like the closeout's.
So if you have a really oversized EB down item from this summer's closeout sale, bring it in and try for a swap. My local EB store did not require a receipt (I still had the tags) & it was an easy exchange.
EB definitely stands behind their satisfaction guarantee.

Edited by Travelpro on 09/27/2010 16:38:56 MDT.

I saw the new Downlight sweaters and vests in a store yesterday myself. Fabric is definitely less less shiny, but still has a smooth satiny texture. The old fabric was so opalescent that black was the only color that didn't look a bit funky to me.

I gotta ask- what's the deal with the oversized items? Were the smaller sizes larger than expected, or do you just mean that if you ordered an XL but want a M or L that they did a swap for you? I tried on my size in store of the new vest and jacket and the fit was very similar- if anything, it was a little bigger in the chest. Which is a very good thing as far as I'm concerned- the old version was a bit tight across my pecs in a way that the loft seemed a bit smooshed.

As far as I can tell, the size and fit of the old and new ones are still 'athletic,' and are very similar to the Patagonia and Marmot vests/sweaters I've tried on. A lot smaller than the other down vest I got during the recent clearance in the same size (Yukon Classic Down Vest), which has a decidedly unathletic cut.

I've had a lots of down leaking from my vest, and asked about swapping it for one of the new models. Not only did they say that was fine, the two salespeople I spoke with knew of the problem and said to bring it in if I wasn't happy.

Edited by areichow on 09/27/2010 16:44:51 MDT.

Aaron, in my case I ordered online an L Tall vest and an XL Tall jacket (my normal sizes). They both were 'ginormous' when they arrived & I tried them on, but by then they were out of smaller sizes, both online & at local stores near me.
So it's good to now have the option of swapping for the new inventory as an even-exchange.
There was a long thread on EB, sizing & this down line. Lots of posts that people's items were coming in much larger than they expected. EB's size chart described the cut as 'athletic', but I could have fit a pregnant hippo into my 'athletic' XL jacket. YMMV.

I do miss the discontinued inside pockets, handy for gloves, caps, whatever. No inner pockets at all on the new line. Hopefully EB will correct that in future redesigns. Gotta admire their guarantee.

I was told both by phone customer service and in person at the store that they wouldn't swap the "old" version - even still in plastic from the factory - for the new one. They would credit me and let me pay the $100 difference, which is of course expected. While I understand it, the only reason I needed to swap was because their shipping facility packed the wrong size. By the time it got to me they were all gone so they couldn't exchange. I've been on a swap/BPL forum journey ever since to get the right size! Sounds like you got an extra nice salesperson!

My advice-don't use the phone except to call local stores which carry First Ascent-the EB website will show you which ones do. Then deal with LOCAL stores. Take a look at my prior postings on these upgrades. As far as I know I was one of the first to do so. EB cares about its image. Mentioning BPL helped. So I'd say don't just give up if the first contact says no. And Good Luck!

The other thing is that there's no reason you need to point out that you got the vest on clearance. By all means, bring your receipt, but frame it as a "I was shipped the wrong size- I got an XL when I ordered a M. Can I swap it for this fine M right here?" They might turn you down or make you pay the difference, but I wouldn't be surprised if they gave you the exchange.

Yeah and if needs be print out all the other stories at BPL where it has been done, put it together in Word and ask for another opinion-the manager or whatever. This is just their first response. They did the same thing to me. Tell them you are going to post to the website about the old sweater and the new. This is your right. EB even sent me a 10% off code for posting a review of the old style. I'd look at it this way. EB was sold to a Stylist company not so long ago and almost went under. They are trying to get back to the old core business. If we are not that core I don't know who is. I remember buying EB in the 70's . It was only them and Abercrombie and Fitch . I still have those ancient jackets. Keep us posted

Edited by Meander on 09/27/2010 18:47:14 MDT.

There are more overweight people nowadays, so companies are sizing up, at least for the American market.

@Ike That is the trend- but my First Ascent stuff had been true to size, not oversize, quite a bit smaller than standard Eddie Bauer, at least for the outerware I've purchased over the last year.

Did the OP mean size inflation, or just that he had been shipped the wrong larger size, as others have reported? In my experience, First Ascent sizing is pretty consistent with Marmot, Patagonia, North Face, Mountain Hardwear, etc, at least for L, XL, and XXL.

Just a quick follow up... I decided to go ahead and swap my 1G Downlight sweater for a 2G Downlight. Had it for the weekend and have noticed a few things:

1. Sizing seems to have inflated some- the XXL I got in the 2G is a fair bit larger than the XXL/XXLTs I've had of the 1G Downlight. Wouldn't say it runs large, though it does run larger than the 1G Downlight for mysize. After this, I find myself even more confused about what the OP meant about running large.

2. Weight seems to be up between 1.0 and 1.5 oz for the same size. My XXLT 1st Gen Downlight sweater was 15 oz, my XXL 2nd Gen is 15.5 oz. Curious what the weight difference is between 1st and 2nd Gen on a Medium or Large.

3. Seems like there's less loft compared to the 1G Downlight. I haven't tried to measure this, but noticed it on all of the Downlight sweaters and vests in the store. Perhaps they dropped some fill weight to make up for the heavier fabric?

4. The fabric is less prone to down leakage. Thumbs up on that.

5. Cosmetics and trim: zipper has caught fabric some, never did on the 1G- assuming fabric or small design changes at fault; colors are *much* less opalescent which is good IMHO;

Since it was on a bit of a whim, I didn't have my receipt with me. No problems processing the exchange. The sweater itself had been leaking down worse than my Downlight vest, so no plans to exchange it at this point.