Columbia Men's Steens Mountain Full Zip 2.0 Soft Fleece Jacket

I'm looking for a simple black zip fleece for work, right? I figured, go for Columbia. I mean, the quality's decent, and the price is usually somewhat affordable. Well, no issues with the price or the quality, but the sizing and the color. These things run large, and black is not true black. I wear mediums in most things, so I ordered a medium and a small here, thinking I'd return one, if the other did not fit properly. Well, neither of them fit right. The small was a little too big, and the medium looked like a trash bag on me. Though, most upsetting was the color. I need black. This is more like a dark grey.TL;DR - size down, if you're looking for a more snug fit. Also, if you want the color to be BLACK black, look elsewhere.

I was looking for a winter jacket for days that are cold but not so cold as to require a large coat (so like 20-40 degree range). I saw this listed under both "windbreakers" and "winter jacket."It is neither.While the jacket is fairly warm and soft, it isn't a good cold weather jacket, unless maybe you're talking So.Cal or Florida cold. I live in Wisconsin. I was able to put the jacket to the test right away as there was a nice bit of cold (25 degrees F) and windy weather. The wind cut right through this thing as if it wasn't even there.I'll probably return it as it's not an effective cold weather jacket, but too warm for an indoor jacket.It does fit well, and it seemed rather decently made; just wasn't what I was looking for.

Everyone needs a good fleece jacket and the Columbia Steens Mountain 2.0 is a great all-around fleece. It's warm, comfy and inexpensive. I'm 5'9" and 142 lbs. and bought a size small which is a fairly slim fit. If you want it roomier I'd get a medium. I typically wear this jacket over my lightweight dress shirts at work (indoors) where the temp is often in the low 70's. This jacket is perfect for that temperature. It's great outside too although it's not the type of fleece that provides any wind protection. I haven't put this jacket through any rigorous activities but it's held up great. It has two outside zip pockets and two very loose inside pockets. The sleeves have elastic cuffs and the waste has adjustable elastic.

Beware! The one I got was an imitation. How do I know? I bought the real thing from the factory a month ago. That was an excellent quality jacket. Only it was too big. Got the second one off Amazon because they have good service and fast delivery.By the time I got home, package had arrived, and wife or kid opened it and placed the jacket on the table. From few feet away, I though to myself what a cheap looking jacket. Upon inspection, realize it was the one I ordered. Thought maybe it was just my perception. Wore it to work next day. Big mistake. It was the annual meet the executive day for all the team leads. Took off the jacket, and all the fleece got stuck on my white shirt. It was like a scene from a comedy. Pretty sure it was not a good first impression. Picked out as much fleece as possible and went on. And nope, didn't get any promotion that day :( Note that the real fleece jacket from Columbia never shed even a single piece of ball of fuzz.Came home and compared this with the real one I got from a month ago. Look at the pictures. Big difference in quality. Returned it that night. Amazon really need to crack down on these questionable supplier. They can loose a lot of credibility.As far as the real jacket is concerned (not this one), it is truly an excellent product. If you live in California or any warmer climate, a heavy jacket is too much. All that is needed is a very light jacket to keep the chill out long enough for you to generate heat as you go hiking. Is great for work or indoor as well where some places they turn the A/C on high.

I'm very pleased with this fleece. It fits well, it's light, it was a great price($35), and it keeps the chill out on a cold night. Also the inside and outside pockets are nice and deep.My two issues are that the inside pockets have no zipper or buttons so I don't feel comfortable putting anything valuable in them for fear that they could fall out if I set it down(I've had that happen before in other jackets). And the color is not quite what it shows on the website. I got the Sanguine/Grill and thought it would be reddish and dark gray when it's really a dark orange and slightly dark gray. If I had paid more attention I'd have noticed the Sanguine preview being very orange(though on mine it isn't as bright) and gone with the Red Element/Charcoal one instead. The Sanguine/Grill colors do look good even though they are not quite what I was looking for and I won't be exchanging it.There is a picture on my profile showing the colors.*Update 12/16/13*The stitching on the right-hand inside that held the drawstring came undone at some point. I didn't notice it until I tried to put something in the right pocket and it just fell straight to the floor. The stitching also held the bottom of both the inside and outside pockets closed. Should be a simple fix with a needle and thread. Worth noting in terms of quality and durability though.

I wasn't expecting much given the surprisingly low price, and upon opening the bag, it really doesn't look like it's great quality. I'm fine with that - - after all, you get what you pay for. However, much to my chagrin, the arms are HUGE. Columbia must think we have thighs for arms. I think I can fit 2 pairs of arms in the sleeve.Edit: wore it today. It is badly constructed; the fleece is asymmetrical. The right half of the fleece is bigger/puffier than the left half.