Michael Benanav is Asylum's Adventure Correspondent

Apparently, once upon a time, Eddie Bauer used to be more than just a company whose mission was to meet all of your flannel needs. The guy himself, E. Bauer, invented the quilted down jacket (who knew?), and his gear equipped the first American team to summit Everest back in 1963. Now, the company is launching what they're calling "a bold return to its heritage" -- with a line of technical mountaineering clothing and gear, called First Ascent, that looks ready to kick the ass of anything in that catalog you probably receive in the mail, quickly scan for shots of cute outdoorsy women in long johns, then toss in the trash.

Upon learning of my alter-ego as a veteran wilderness instructor, the folks at First Ascent sent me one of their rain shells to test out. The BC-100 jacket is simple, lightweight and, at $169, the least expensive jacket in their men's outerwear lineup. Despite looking like the designer chose the color immediately after seeing a performance of Blue Man Group, the build of the jacket is subtle and tight. Seams, zippers, Velcro -- all are pro-grade -- without being the least bit flashy. The small touches, such as the angle of the cuff-closure tabs and placement of the pockets, were clearly thought out by someone who knows what it's like to actually wear one of these things in real life.

I did have trouble with one thing. While hiking along a blustery ridge at about 12,000 feet above sea level, the hood, which is designed to be able to fit over a helmet, turned into a bright blue wind sock. Pulling the wrong end of the drawstring too hard, I broke a rubber piece off the end of it. Since I've been outsmarted by plenty of inanimate objects before, I'm not
necessarily blaming it on the jacket.

Touting the fabric's breathability, the company boasts, "In 24 hours it allows 10,000 grams of water vapor to escape per square meter." I'm not sure what that means, but if I've retained any accurate memories from my past experience converting between grams and ounces, I think they're saying the jacket can pass some 22 lbs. of perspiration through its membrane per day. I don't even want to imagine that. I can say it didn't turn into an instant sweatbag, as other shells I've worn do - but their human-steam-handling capacity is probably only 20 lbs. per day.

In all, the BC-100 successfully brings back a little of Eddie Bauer's old-school extreme credibility. It's well worth a look if you need to stay dry in the wilds, especially if you're the kind of guy -- or gal -- whose sweat glands create their own weather.