Columbia Titanium Omni-Heat - Gear Review

Team Paddle Junkie has a new member.  Our buddy is "Paddling in Scandinavia", quite literally.  Testing gear for us in and around Copenhagen Denmark, we have officially gone global!!!  His first mission was to test the new Columbia Triple Trail Shell.  Here are this thoughts.


At the beginning, this jacket was a bit stiff. And a bit flashy- it is shiny inside like a tinfoil-wrapped marathon finisher and catches the attention of others.  This is the Columbia Omni-Heat technology.  Tiny reflective dots cover the interior of the jacket, reflecting body heat back at you.  Like the Magpie who steals shiny objects, this jacket is perhaps a bit of a theft target. Let me explain: Some hardcore camping buddies of mine took interest and inspected it closely without my personal promotion- sensing that there is something special about this jacket. Perhaps they have an inkling on the excellent temperature regulation technology. I had a friend tell me that it looked like a space-pillow.  He was jealous.


I ride my bike to work in the Scandinavian winter, and it protects well against wind and allows me to wear my suit under the jacket without getting too hot or cold. Note: it does not get below freezing here, but with a couple of insulating layers underneath, this jacket does its duty of keeping the rain out on a bicycle.
A nice feature is that if you want to keep the hood up, zip the collar is up all the way to your chin and it sort of locks the hood in place.  I can wear this jacket anywhere; work, play or just out-and-about.  It is a perfect one jacket for anything set-up.

A couple of minor issues: The front zipper gives me problems occasionally and I worry I am going to rip the thing completely off. Reaching into the nice deep front pockets I often hear what sounds like a tear at the seams, but I can't locate a tear, it may be the omni-heat layer separating from the liner. Too bad- this has become my primary winter jacket and I want it to last forever.

MSRP: $300

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