Eastern Mountain Sports Ascent Sector Down Sweater Review

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This separate review provides additional descriptive and performance information on the Eastern Mountain Sports Ascent Sector Down Sweater. Read our article Ultralight Three-Season Down Jackets State of the Market Report 2010 for a state of the market analysis and comparative specifications and performance for a range of ultralight down jackets.

The EMS Ascent Sector Down Sweater did not stand out when I discovered it on their website. The photo of the jacket is unflattering, and the listed weight is 13.96 ounces (397 g) for size Medium, which barely squeaks under our weight limit. I opted to include it in our down jacket roundup because it meets our criteria. The jacket was a pleasant surprise when it arrived. It's attractive, full-featured, puffy and warm, a great value, and significantly lighter than specified.

ARTICLE OUTLINE

Introduction
Description
Performance
Comparisons
Assessment
Specifications and Features

# WORDS: 1060
# PHOTOS: 6

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Viewing 8 posts - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)

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Aug 17, 2010 at 2:56 pm #1262331

Addie Bedford
BPL Member

@addiebedford
Locale: Montana

Companion forum thread to:

Eastern Mountain Sports Ascent Sector Down Sweater Review

Aug 17, 2010 at 6:46 pm #1638222

James Patsalides
BPL Member

@jamespatsalides-com
Locale: New England

Excellent review, as usual! ;-)

I own this sweater and I love it. In fact it was an even better deal than listed, since I picked up the last one on the sidewalk rack, an XL, at my local EMS store in April at the very end of their winter sale – for $99 – an unbelievable deal. At the time I was thinking it was a bit big but I figured at the price I'd get it anyway. Turns out it is really nice to have it a little bigger, since I can throw it over anything I'm wearing.

Anyway, a great jacket and an even sweeter deal.

Aug 18, 2010 at 9:51 am #1638397

Paul Siegel
Spectator

@paulsiegel
Locale: Southern Appalachians

I just bought one of these, based on this review. They are currently on sale for $109 at EMS.

Aug 19, 2010 at 8:12 pm #1638891

Matthew DePan
Member

@jethro277
Locale: Upstate NY

Excellent review of an excellent jacket! One of my favorites! As an EMS employee it's good to see folks recognizing our products! EMS definitely has much to offer the lightweight hiker, especially for clothing.

Aug 24, 2010 at 7:13 pm #1640197

Ben R
BPL Member

@snowfiend131
Locale: Colorado

I just went to the EMS website to check out this jacket…and its not there. In fact, I don't see any down jackets at all on their site.

Aug 24, 2010 at 7:29 pm #1640199

Paul Siegel
Spectator

@paulsiegel
Locale: Southern Appalachians

Strange.

I can't find it either, and I bought one just a few days ago.

What's up with that?

Aug 25, 2010 at 5:12 am #1640257

Dan Montgomery
Member

@thedanarchist
Locale: Hampton Roads, VA

I think the unavailability of this item is just bad luck and bad timing. I think EMS had the clearing out these sweaters (for $99!) even before the BPL review was posted. The EMS employees I talked to said they assume the stores will get a new batch of Ascent Sector sweaters.

I got lucky. Lightweight insulation was a weak spot in my kit, so I read the review, searched EMS, saw the sale and tried to order a Large, but I got a message saying that size was "temporarily unavailable." That, of course, made me REALLY want one. I e-mailed EMS to ask if "temporarily unavailable" meant "sold out" or "try again in a few minutes." I got a prompt response the message means "sold out" and suggesting I call their customer service number to see if any of the brick and mortar stores still had my size. Which I did. A nice young lady thought she found one, but when she called the store — no luck. Oh well. Five minutes later, she called back. A store employee had found the sweater in the back room.
Buying from a store, I didn't get the web site's free-shipping deal, but hey, it's lightweight and pretty cheap to ship!
It arrived yesterday. Seems to fit well (I'm just under 6'3"). Like I said. I feel like I got lucky.

Nov 19, 2010 at 11:55 am #1666101

James Marco
BPL Member

@jamesdmarco
Locale: Finger Lakes

Sometimes EMS has been known to outdo itself. In the case of this sweater, that is certainly the case. Come Febuary 2010, I could not get a second one in my size (medium.) It is way under rated. And an excelent deal for the origonal price, in my book. Warmer and much more water resistant than I expected. The kittys backside for sleeping in or extending a lighter bag. If you can find one, get it.
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