The Columbia Benton Springs Full Zip Women's is our best budget buy pick, and we rate it 67 out of 100.
A 374g plush filament fleece with a high collar and an interior hem drawcord, sold in a size and colour range nothing else here matches.
Scored on Comfort, Warmth, Breathability, Layering and Weight, against fourteen other fleeces including several costing many times more.
Best Budget Buy
Columbia Benton Springs Full Zip Women's
- Weight: 374g
- Fabric: 250 gsm MTR filament polyester
- Weight class: Midweight
- Pockets: 2 zippered hand
- Hem: Interior drawcord
- Hood: No
Pros
- Warmest jacket at the budget end
- High collar and hem drawcord genuinely seal heat in
- Zippered hand pockets, rare at this price
- Huge size and colour range
Cons
- No venting whatsoever
- Bunches under an outer jacket
- Sizing runs boxy in the body and short in the sleeve
- No hood, no chest pocket
The Verdict on the Columbia Benton Springs Full Zip Women's
The warmest jacket you can buy at the budget end, as long as the proportions suit you.
That performance put it at 67 out of 100 and earned it our best budget buy spot.
Warmest jacket at the budget end, and that is the whole case for it.
You pay for that somewhere.
No venting whatsoever.
It suits dog walks, chores, the fire and short flat hikes best.
I wore this round the house all winter and it still looks new. Ask it to do anything with a heart rate attached and you cook, because there is nowhere for the heat to go.
Annie, Top-Notch test team
How It Performed
It leads on comfort and gives ground on layering.
Metric by metric, against the same nine panels.
Comfort
8 out of 10, plush and thick, and it feels good directly against bare skin. Our testers found the cut relaxed.
Owners describe it differently, as wide and boxy through the torso but short in the sleeve and body. Both can be true on different builds, so try it on rather than trusting either description. Elastic cuffs are loose enough not to restrict anything.
| Comfort | Rating |
|---|---|
| Highest in this guide | 9/10 |
| Columbia Benton Springs Full Zip Women's | 8/10 |
| Guide average | 7.1/10 |
| Lowest in this guide | 5/10 |
Warmth
7 out of 10, and it beats jackets costing several times more.
The high collar and the interior hem drawcord are doing that work, sealing heat in on a windy day.
Fabric is 250 gsm filament polyester with no wicking channels at all.
| Warmth | Rating |
|---|---|
| Highest in this guide | 9/10 |
| Columbia Benton Springs Full Zip Women's | 7/10 |
| Guide average | 7.1/10 |
| Lowest in this guide | 5/10 |
Breathability
5 out of 10.
No grid, no pit zips, no venting of any kind.
Unzipping the front is your only option, and it gets hot fast if you move.
| Breathability | Rating |
|---|---|
| Highest in this guide | 8.5/10 |
| Columbia Benton Springs Full Zip Women's | 5/10 |
| Guide average | 6.4/10 |
| Lowest in this guide | 3/10 |
Layering
5 out of 10.
Easy to layer things under, near impossible to get a jacket over unless it is a roomy shell.
Straight cuffs, non-articulated sleeves and a bulky main zipper make it bunch under an outer layer.
| Layering | Rating |
|---|---|
| Highest in this guide | 8.5/10 |
| Columbia Benton Springs Full Zip Women's | 5/10 |
| Guide average | 6.4/10 |
| Lowest in this guide | 5/10 |
Weight
374g, which is not bad for something this thick.
It does take up real space in a pack.
| Weight | Rating |
|---|---|
| Highest in this guide | 9.5/10 |
| Columbia Benton Springs Full Zip Women's | 7.8/10 |
| Guide average | 7.9/10 |
| Lowest in this guide | 4.5/10 |
What Other Women'S Fleece Jackets Should You Consider?
Not sold on this one? Three others in this guide are worth a look.
Cotopaxi Abrazo Full-Zip Women's, our best casual warmth. A plush lifestyle fleece with real standalone warmth, and one design decision we still cannot explain.
Amazon Essentials Full Zip Polar Fleece Women's, our cheapest way in. Last place, and honest about what it is.
The North Face Retro Denali Women's, our warmest for standing still. The only true heavyweight here, and far more technical than the heritage styling suggests.
Specifications
| Weight | 374g |
| Fabric | 250 gsm MTR filament polyester |
| Weight class | Midweight |
| Pockets | 2 zippered hand |
| Hem | Interior drawcord |
| Hood | No |
The Bottom Line
After the full round of testing, the Columbia Benton Springs Full Zip Women's holds our best budget buy spot on 67 out of 100.
Warmest jacket at the budget end. That is what you are buying.
No venting whatsoever. Decide if that matters for how you camp.
Buy it if that describes you: dog walks, chores, the fire and short flat hikes.
Want the head to head? The full field sits in our 9 Best Women's Fleece Jackets, Tested and Ranked guide.
