Cold weather season is quickly approaching, and for some places it is already a reality. Having warm clothing during these cold months is crucial to an enjoyable outdoor experience.

Patrick in the Downlight Sweater

I have been shopping around for a decent mid layer that could also stand alone as a jacket, recently I purchased the First Ascent Downlight Sweater. It is a lightweight, highly compressible down zip up that layers very well under my hardshell jacket. The Downlight Sweater is stuffed with Eddie Bauer EB800 fill down allowing for it to be light and warm.

The pockets of this jacket are lined with a micro fleece material that is extremely soft on the hands and keeps them extra warm on those chilly days. Besides being a great material to line the pockets with, it is also a soft material to sleep on, because if you pack the Downlight Sweater into the reverse side of one of these pockets, the jacket becomes a great backpacking pillow.

The First Ascent jacket packed up as a pillow

The baffles on this jacket are really packed tightly together which will help prevent the down from bunching up and allowing for cold spots in the jacket. Even the collar has super tight baffles.

As I mentioned earlier, this jacket is super light, It feels almost delicate as if it would rip easy if caught on something, but I have compared it to other down sweaters and It seemed to feel much more solid than the rest. These are just jackets you have to be careful with if you don’t want to cause a storm of feathers.

EB800 Label

The First Ascent Downlight Jacket is available in six colors from small to XXL with a Tall option for Medium and up. It retails for $169.99 and is available at the First Ascent Website and Moosejaw.

Everything about this piece of clothing screams quality, from the well thought out design to the elastic bindings at the hem and cuffs to help capture as much warmth as possible. As of this writing, I have not found a reason to be disappointed about this jacket at all, It fit is nearly perfect, and It provides excellent warmth while still looking great. If you are looking for an insulating mid layer, this may be worth a look for you.

-Patrick