Eddie Bauer Womens Microtherm 20 Stormdown Jacket Review
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The Eddie Bauer MicroTherm StormDown Jacket is a versatile lightweight downwards jacket that looks best after you lot've put a few miles on it. True, it'southward non the lightest jacket in this category, but it boasts a combination of features that make it a choice that wears well and looks surprisingly practiced.
The Eddie Bauer MicroTherm StormDown jacket caught my attention and made my personal shortlist because it is one of the few lightweight down jackets that come up in tall versions. For guys with long arms, at that place is zero more annoying than sleeves that are too short. The XL Tall version's sleeves are enough long, and I'm a fan because of it.
Moving on, what virtually the overall pattern and components?
Eddie Bauer MicroTherm StormDown Jacket Review: The Down
Eddie Bauer says its First Ascension guide team designed this jacket for tall climbing in cool to cold weather. The modest-channel baffles are filled with 800 make full down insulation that has a water-resistant hydrophobic handling. Eddie Bauer calls its version of treated down StormDown, and it's existent goose down. Initially, I was dubious equally to the corporeality of downward packed into each baffle — it simply didn't seem as packed as it could be.
Still, I decided to give the jacket a hazard. I wore information technology as a midlayer while downhill skiing on multiple bad-weather days, too as around town. The commencement affair I noticed is that it starts looking great equally the fabric wears in — most downward jackets have faint fold lines along the sleeves from the coat hangers when they're packed on a rack in the shop, or if you buy online, fold marks from how they were folded while waiting for shipment. The only manner to change these fold marks is to wear the down jacket. With the Eddie Bauer MicroTherm, the more I wore it, the more the down started filling out the baffles meliorate.
However, the amount of downward insulation still is not impressive on its ain if you're looking for a true lightweight "puffy" down jacket. Instead, the MicroTherm StormDown isn't really designed to be a lightweight puffy at all. What you get is a well-designed layer that has a fantastic feature: information technology's windproof. In my experience, what I lost in terms of down insulation puffiness, I gained back from the windproof crush.
In terms of warmth every bit a mid-layer, information technology competes with puffier lightweight down jackets . . . except when you're already wearing a windproof outer beat. When you article of clothing information technology with and without a trounce, for multiple purposes, the MicroTherm starts to shine with versatility.
MicroTherm StormDown Jacket Review: The Design
The 50% recycled 20D ripstop polyester shell seems more durable than many ultralight down jacket shells. I'1000 all right with that, fifty-fifty if it costs me an ounce or two of weight. The shell is covered with Eddie Bauer'southward StormRepel Super DWR finish, which is really just a fancy proper noun for the company's ain durable water-resistant chemical coating. It seems to shed water most as well as most every other DWR-covered jacket I've worn, but Eddie Bauer claims it is the longest-lasting and most durable water-repellent finish. (Ask me once again in a year or so.)
The Eddie Bauer MicroTherm StormDown Jacket has a few design features that give it some interesting visual lines, which work to upwards its overall mode value. The shoulders have channels angled against the horizontal chest baffles. Plus, the side channels are exactly half the width of the breast and back channels. I'chiliad non convinced there is whatever functional benefit here, but it looks great when you lot're wearing it.
Similarly, the shoulders in the dorsum accept slightly stretchy fleece panels. Eddie Bauer says they add range of motion. I'1000 not certain they increase my range of move — or if the jacket just fits me correctly to begin with — but the overall fit gives me all the range of motion I need.
Speaking of fit, a lot of down jackets aren't designed for slim, athletic builds — but the MicroTherm StormDown Jacket is really pretty trim. Eddie Bauer says it is the company's "active" fit way, which fits close to the trunk yet is designed to get over baselayers and lightweight midlayers. The 40 Tall fits true to size, and while I become but a bit more than fabric around the waist than I want when I'm wearing a t-shirt, I'm happy the space is at that place there when I'm skiing with a baselayer and fleece midlayer.
The MicroTherm cuffs, unproblematic and effective.
Interior stash pocket.
Dorsum stretch console.
Breast pocket and zippers.
The Eddie Bauer MicroTherm StormDown Jacket has an able-bodied fit and is windproof.
MicroTherm StormDown Jacket Review: Pockets
I'k non a minimalist — I like pockets. You get two hand nothing pockets too as two interior stash pockets. In improver, the roomy breast pocket acts every bit the jacket's stuff pocket for the unabridged jacket. It's handy when you want to throw the MicroTherm StormDown Jacket into a backpack or employ a carabiner to attach information technology to the outside of your pack while hiking in changing weather conditions.
The interior of the chest pocket as has a media port for headphones.
The merely minor quibble I have is with the zippers — they are typical high-end lightweight zippers. I prefer bigger, heavier zippers because I'thousand willing information technology surrender a few grams of weight in favor of zippers that always mistake on the side of robust circumspection. That said, I have not experienced any zipper problems and can't say that I'm worried about it. Just a personal preference here.
What about the weight? My XL Tall came in at 13.5 ounces. Eddie Bauer says the average size Regular comes in at 11.52 ounces. To put that in perspective, the more costly (merely also excellent) ultralight Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer weighs in at 8.75 ounces in the XL.
All-in-all, the Eddie Bauer MicroTherm StormDown Jacket isn't the lightest lightweight down jacket available, only it is versatile. First, the DWR cease, windproofing, and hydrophobic StormDown combine to create a functional backcountry layer that can handle a footling moisture. 2nd, Eddie Bauer offers the MicroTherm StormDown Jacket in a wide range of color combinations, including a sweet camo version. Third, the cut is athletic and comes in tall versions. Best yet, the Eddie Bauer MicroTherm StormDown Jacket is surprisingly fashionable, both on the mount and in town. If you're non completely sold on the full-on puffy look of most downward jackets, the MicroTherm StormDown Jacket might be your answer.
Get the Gear:
- Men's Eddie Bauer MicroTherm StormDown Jacket
- Men's Eddie Bauer MicroTherm StormDown Hooded Jacket
- Women's Eddie Bauer MicroTherm StormDown Jacket
- Women'due south Eddie Bauer MicroTherm StormDown Hooded Jacket
Notation: For a more than traditional puffy down jacket look, endeavor the Eddie Bauer Downlight StormDown Jacket.
Source: https://manmakesfire.com/eddie-bauer-microtherm-stormdown-jacket-review/
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