Advnture Verdict
The Columbia Titan Pass doesn’t have the smooth face fabric or some technical features that some other fleeces boast, but it performs highly when it comes to the basics. It offers excellent warmth and plenty of pockets at a wallet-friendly price point.
Pros
- +
Good warmth
- +
Value for money
- +
Versatile
- +
Made with recycled polyester
Cons
- -
Prone to bobbling
- -
No hood
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Meet the tester
Jack McKeown is a Scottish journalist, hiker, skier, runner and beach volleyball player. Having walked many of Scotland’s long distance trails, last year saw him tackle his first ultramarathon. He lives in Dundee and in his spare time Jack and his golden retriever Bracken are often to be found exploring the mountains, forests, lochs and rivers of Highland Perthshire.
Columbia Men’s Titan Pass: first impressions
Offering lightweight warmth and great value for money, the Columbia Men’s Titan Pass is at home on the mountains, under a ski jacket, or keeping you cozy round a campfire on a cool evening.
• List price: $90 (US) / £90 (UK) / €100 (EU)
• Fabric: Polartec 200 fleece
• Gender availability: Men’s and women’s versions available
• Sizes: XS-XXL
• Colors: Men’s: Spicy Light Raisin / Metal & Night Wave / Shasta & Collegiate Navy / Black / Dark Stone & Black / Mountain Red; Women’s: Dark Stone & Aqua Haze / Black / Dusty Pink & Beetroot
The Titan Pass is a lightweight yet warm mid layer that comes in at a price point well below many other best fleeces around. Made from Polartec 200, it’s stretchy and offers good warmth for a low weight penalty. Color-wise, you’ve got plain old black or a couple of nice bright options.
There are two zippered hand pockets, a zippered chest pocket and two large internal dump pockets that will easily swallow hats, sunglasses, hiking gloves or goggles.
There’s no hood on the Titan Pass 2.0, which might be a deal breaker for some. Not everyone wants a hooded fleece, however, and the high collar keeps wind away from your neck. Meanwhile, a drop hem offers additional coverage at the back.
Columbia Men’s Titan Pass: on the trails
I first put the Columbia Titan Pass fleece jacket to work on a trek of the White Mounth munro circuit in Aberdeenshire, Scotland in late September. While temperatures were still warm, and it lurked in my pack for much of the daylight hours of the hike, it came in very handy during the evenings.
While I was staying at the bothy on the shores of Loch Callater, in particular, the mercury began to plummet and I soon threw the Titan on and felt glad of it. The weather turned on the second day, and in cooler conditions I wore it while walking.
I found it reliably warm, but the lack of a brushed interior or smooth-faced exterior means it isn’t as buttery soft next to the skin as some, nor is it likely to be as hard wearing. I expect the fleece exterior to bobble after numerous washes.
However if you want a fleece mid layer that will keep you warm, has loads of pockets and isn’t too heavy on the wallet then the Columbia Titan Pass is definitely worth checking out.
