REASONS TO BUY
Inexpensive
Warm
Comfortable
REASONS TO AVOID
Bulky
Hoodless
Poor layering
Columbia Steens Mountain 2.0 Full Zip Review
Affordable, comfortable, and functional, this fleece offers the no-frills basics that you'd want in a jacket
Credit: James Lucas
RELATED: Best Fleece Jackets of 2023
Our Verdict
The Columbia Steens Mountain 2.0 hits the basics of fleece without hurting the wallet. This jacket uses the generic MTR (Maximal Thermal Retention) Filament Fleece in a bare-bones model that's warm and comfortable. Though bulky and without thumbholes, a hood, much breathability, or many of the features of the high-performance jackets in this review, this piece did well for casual day hikes and around-town days. At an affordable price, this jacket served our testers well with casual use.
Editor's Note: We updated this review on May 9, 2023, to align our metrics with the rest of the test fleet.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Columbia Steens Mountain 2.0 Full Zip | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  |  | | |
| Price | $34.99 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $169.00 at REI Compare at 3 sellers | $179 List $179.00 at Amazon | $76.96 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | Check Price at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers |
Overall Score  |
|||||
| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Inexpensive, warm, comfortable | Comfortable, breathable, nice hood | Warm, great mobility, incredibly comfortable | Breathable, lightweight, inexpensive, stretchy | Soft fleece, warm, comfortable |
| Cons | Bulky, hoodless, poor layering | No thumb loops, hood is snug, no zipper guard | Lacks thumb loops, poor breathability | Average warmth, odd hood shape | No zippers on pockets, basic, feels lower quality |
| Bottom Line | Affordable, comfortable, and functional, this fleece offers the no-frills basics that you'd want in a jacket | This lightweight fleece has a highly breathable design that's ideal for active adventures in mild weather | Comfort, style, and function make this piece work well both in the mountains and for casual evenings around town | A lightweight and breathable hoody with a lot of stretch for mobility and hard-to-beat value | A simple fleece jacket with a high-volume cut that keeps in body heat |
| Rating Categories | Columbia Steens Mou... | Patagonia R1 Air Fu... | Arc'teryx Kyanite A... | Outdoor Research Vi... | Cotopaxi Teca Full-Zip |
| Warmth (25%) | |||||
| Comfort (25%) | |||||
| Breathability (20%) | |||||
| Layering Ability (15%) | |||||
| Weight (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Columbia Steens Mou... | Patagonia R1 Air Fu... | Arc'teryx Kyanite A... | Outdoor Research Vi... | Cotopaxi Teca Full-Zip |
| Type | Midweight | Lightweight | Midweight | Lightweight | Midweight |
| Measured Weight | 16.6 oz | 12.8 oz | 15.0 oz | 13.2 oz | 12.9 oz |
| Main Material | 100% polyester | 100% polyester | 53% polyester, 38% nylon, 9% elastane | 94% polyester, 6% spandex | Shell: 100% recycled polyester fleece Stripes: repurposed polyester taffeta with DWR finish |
| # of Pockets | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Unique Features | None | Slim-fit hood, quick drying | Scuba hood, stretchy fabric | Thumb holes, UPF 30, 3-panel hood with binding | Recycled and repurposed materials |
| Hood Option? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
Our Analysis and Test Results
Light on the wallet, the Columbia Steens Mountain 2.0 is a jacket made from 100% polyester MTR filament fleece with two cozy, zippered handwarmer pockets. Additionally, snug elastic cuffs and a hem cinch help trap heat and keep out cold drafts. Due to its bulky cut, this isn't our favorite piece for layering, but it gets the job done around town and on short hikes.
Performance Comparison
With a comfortable, casual feel, the Mountain Steens offers a decent jacket at a low price.
Credit: James Lucas
Warmth
The mid-weight Steens 2.0 uses 100% polyester MTR (maximum thermal retention) fleece to battle the cold. While it feels plush, the jacket's not as warm as many of the other models in this review though the stretchy bungee cord hem cinch and the large elastic cuffs helped keep the warmth in and the cold out. The lager cut of the jacket also added a bit of warmth through the extra coverage.
Comfort
The Steens Mountain 2.0 fits oddly with the long arms bunching around the cuffs, the collar pressing against the throat, and the jacket having an oversized feel to it. The collar did help fight the cold while biking or riding a chair lift and the MTR fleece felt plush against our testers' skin.
The collar comes close to the throat though the arms had an excess of material seen in a lower photo.
Credit: James Lucas
Breathability
The Steens Mountain 2.0 is uniformly thick over the entire jacket. This simple design keeps the price down but it doesn't breathe well. This is adequate if you're on a chilly morning bike ride and you want to keep the wind out, or if you're fishing in a cool mountain stream, but if you're running or hiking quickly uphill, you're likely going to sweat, making this jacket less of a performance piece and more of a casual wear jacket.
This jacket is made for more casual wear than athletic use as the breathability is less than ideal.
Credit: James Lucas
Layering Ability
The bulky cut of the Steens 2.0 doesn't lend itself to layering. Under multiple layers, the bunching up of the fabric on the sleeves is noticeable and annoying. Under a hardshell or an appropriately sized wind layer our testers weren't bothered as much — just make sure your shell is big enough to accommodate this hefty fleece.
The Mt Steens lacks thumb holes which traditionally help with layering. The cut of the jacket also bunches a bit at the elastic cuffs, adding to the difficulty of layering.
Credit: James Lucas
Weight
At 16.1 ounces, this jacket can easily fit into a backpack. While it has a decent weight-to-warmth ratio, it wasn't anything notable. The jacket felt a bit bulky, especially in the shoulders. The lack of features definitely streamlined this jacket but it didn't make it as light as some of the other jackets in this review.
With a bit of a bulky fit, the Mountain Steens performed less than favorably in athletic pursuits.
Credit: James Lucas
Should You Buy the Columbia Mountain Steens 2.0?
For the price, this jacket does well as an insulating layer for day hikes, fishing trips, car camping, and staying warm while in the yard. It doesn't score as well with more technical applications but the price is hard to beat.
A price-point jacket, the Columbia fleece offers adequate warmth but lacks in terms of performance.
Credit: James Lucas
What Other Fleece Jackets Should You Consider?
If staying warm and saving money are your primary concerns, then the Columbia Steens Mountain 2.0 will deliver. We don't recommend it for backpacking, ski touring, or climbing because it doesn't offer a high level of breathability; the bulky cut also makes it difficult to wear underneath multiple layers. It makes a good, inexpensive jacket for around-town use. The Outdoor Research Vigor Full Zip or Cotopaxi Teca Full-Zip are next in line when it comes to price, and offer one heck of a deal.
—
James Lucas
You Might Also Like
Ad-free. Influence-free. Powered by Testing.
GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. No cherry-picked units sent by manufacturers. No sponsored content. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing and comparison.
Learn More