The jacket itself fits wonderful and kept me warm through many a snow-filled day hike or multi-day, freezing night mountaineering trip. However, shortly after purchasing it, the seams inside the jacket started coming apart and the zipper ceased to work. The stress put on the jacket was nothing out of the ordinary and certainly wasn't enough to disturb the stitching/zipper. If the jacket was $50, I would say go for it. Otherwise pick something else. If this is the quality that the FirstAscent line has to offer, I would recommend looking for another product line altogether.

I own the original teal Igniter Jacket in medium and I liked it so much that I ordered the new black version of the same size. There have been a few design changes from the old jacket. Size is the most significant. I had to send the new jacket back to Eddie Bauer because it was too tight in the chest/armpits. They no longer had large in stock but luckily Whittaker Mountaineering did, and they had it for much cheaper! The new large is only marginally bigger than the old medium, and it's a much better fit for my frame. I'm 5'9", around 180 lb. with a broad chest/back/shoulders. I can fit a thick fleece and a First Ascent Downlight Vest underneath without the jacket feeling too tight. This combo keeps me warm when temperatures hit -45C (-49F) with the wind. The jacket alone is good for around -15C (5F). The best thing about this jacket is the hood. It's big! You can really avoid the wind when you turtle into it. You can also tighten it from the back which allows the hood to turn with your head and let you see better. Very handy. There are some minor changes in the new design. The stitching at the chest is different. The hood no longer has a "beak". You can now tighten the waist from the pockets. There's a logo on the back of the hood. The cuffs look nicer and have logos, and the new outer material feels more rigid and is less shiny. Overall it's very similar to the old jacket, but it looks better and it comes in black! Just remember that sizing is different. Be sure to get a size bigger if you generally have a wider frame than most people.

I took the Igniter on a 4 day snowshoe backpacking trip in the sierra nevada mountains the jacket performed great. I never had to put a shell over it as it blocks wind very well.The Igniter kept me warm at night sitting around camp and breathed well enough so I didn't over heat while snowshoeing. I will be buying one for my wife.the shipping was super fast and the price was great .thanks alot whittaker!

Just sitting down to write this review and noticed the Igniter is now on sale! All I have to say is grab this puffy now while it's on sale. Bomber puffy overall. Ok: Just returned from Mt. Whitney and while NOAA's weather report said we were in for great weather, the mountain had other ideas. Needless to say, about four hours into the mountain it started to snow. And snow, and snow. Snowed for 24 hours. Then, the wind started and it gusted at upper boyscout 50+ mph with sustained winds in the 40's. Temps dropped fast as well. That's when the Igniter came in handy. This was my first trip with the puffy and it was my only real warm piece of gear (besides my sleeping bag). I wore a power stretch base layer, the Igniter and my Cloudveil shell and I was toasty warm. I loved the tortise shell thingy where I could get my face down into the puffy during a really hard wind to keep out the spindrift. Up high at Iceberg before the assault, I threw it over my shell and waited for the rest of my crew in 60 mph wind and stayed warm. There is a treatment on the puffy and i noticed snow build up, slide off and the outside didn't soak in the snow. Happy thus far, and hope it's going to be enough in Ecuador when I book the volcano trip for November. Who's with me? But don't ask to borrow my Ignitor--get your own. It's on sale for Pete's sake!

I bought this one as a replacement. The first one I had I left with a porter after climbing Kilimanjaro. The performance was flawless. We had high winds and snow and I was very warm with this on. Can't beat it around camp either. I also used the Downlight Sweater with it on summit day and it was too hot. This newer model fits slightly more snug than the older one. Buy this jacket.

Size runs a bit small, but other than that an excellent jacket, very warm, excellent for winter belaying. Fits nicely under a shell.

Great piece of equipment. Retire your old fleece, save weight and space in your pack, and get a more versatile garment. High quality fabric and workmanship. I compared to many others before buying; couldn't beat the value. Well thought out hood adjustment. Zippers very smooth, no snagging. Included stuff sack is a little oversized, could easily go another 20% smaller! Primaloft is perfect for mixed conditions. Stays warm if wet. Based on the Igniter, expect nothing but the best from First Ascent / Eddie Bauer combo. Keep up the good work Whittaker.

bought this coat for Mt Rainier this July,ive used it on Mt Si several times,kept me warm and is a very good wind breaker.its light weight and very compactable.overall a great midweight layer

I'm not sure where this fits in the quiver of jackets. When I'm cold at the crag belaying I'm gonna want more windproofness and insulation. If it's for underneath as insulation, why the hood? Maybe a mildly cool day at the crags but this isn't gonna see much use from me. Marmot Dryclime windshirt seems more logical.... Wild Things belay Jacket sets the standard, IMHO. Others tried:various Marmot synthetic jackets, a North face one and two generations of Patagonia Das Parka, the older one being better than the thinner newer.

I like this jacket a lot. Exchanged my downlight sweater for this coat. Packed it up Mount Si, to my surprise winds were 80-90 miles per hour at the top. i stayed toasty and warm while I sat and ate some energy bars. My girlfriend hates the teal color, I like it though. My only complaint is that with my Arcteryx shell the igniter hangs out, but it can be shoved up into the coat but makes me look chubby. Also, I wish a light DWR would have been added, the jacket easily gets wet, but it also dries quickly. Not absolutely necessary, but would be nice. Keeps me warm in the cascades.

Great Jacket. Works great as a layering piece between climbs and is a great belay jacket for cold days. It also makes a good pillow when winter camping in 0 degree weather. The compression sack is a great feature and the fleece lined pockets and a hand warmer make a nice combo.

Let me start off by saying that I work at Eddie Bauer, so take that as you will. However, I have been wearing technical outerwear for a long time and have no particular brand loyalties--I wear what works for me. I love this jacket. The fit is perfect--very sleek, very fitted. However, it still accommodates anything that I feel like putting under it, from the Cloud Layer fleece to a bulky woolly pully sweater. The length in the front, rear, and on the sleeves is just right. The hood is wonderful: it has two cinch ties to adjust to your head; the end result is that it doesn't obstruct your field of view, moves with you, and is still excellent shelter. The turtling collar is useful, too. It's not waterproof, but I don't really need it to be. It fits just fine under a waterproof shell if I need it. However, it has worked just fine the times I've worn it in the rain and snow (water beads up). I'm not worried about it getting wet, though; in fact, that's the reason I chose a Primaloft piece over down, because I'm expecting it to get wet. I live in the Mid-Atlantic region, and it doesn't really get too cold or snowy here. If there's any weather, it's usually rain. I haven't had a chance to really test this out hiking or backpacking yet, but I think it will work just fine for my needs. Extremely light, too.