Columbia Fast Trek III Fleece Gloves review: just a great pair of gloves for hiking at any pace

Meet the reviewer

Julia Clarke

Julia Clarke is a staff writer for Advnture.com and the author of the book Restorative Yoga for Beginners. She loves to explore mountains on foot, bike, skis and belay and then recover on the the yoga mat. Julia graduated with a degree in journalism in 2004 and spent eight years working as a radio presenter in Kansas City, Vermont, Boston and New York City before discovering the joys of the Rocky Mountains. She then detoured west to Colorado and enjoyed 11 years teaching yoga in Vail before returning to her hometown of Glasgow, Scotland in 2020 to focus on family and writing.

Columbia Fast Trek III Fleece Gloves: first impressions 

There's nothing flashy about these hiking gloves. No waterproof membrane or leather overlays. But wear them out on a chilly hike and you'll be pleased you did.

Built from lightweight microfleece, these gloves have done a great job of keeping our fingers warm on recent field tests. The fabric is noticeably breathable, so when you're powering up a steep mountain, you don't have to remove the gloves to stay comfortable.

Pure fleece gloves aren't the most durable, but these are fitted with abrasion-resistant overlays on the palms and knuckles so they can keep working for you for longer.

Hate having to take your gloves off every time you want to check the GPS map on your phone? You don't need to with these gloves, which boast a touch screen-capable forefinger and thumb that actually works.

They're not waterproof, but of course if they were, they wouldn't be breathable, and the PFAS-free DWR fends off a drizzle anyway. There are no recycled materials used, sadly, but those are our only gripes. All in, they're comfortable, warm, breathable and functional and come at a brilliant price for hikers of all budgets.

Columbia Fast Trek III Fleece Gloves: in the field

I received a pair of these gloves to test on a press trip to the Swiss Alps in September, but it wasn't cold enough to need them.

Back home in Scotland, cold weather has arrived and I recently found myself hiking up one of Scotland's Munros to find quite a bit of snow at 3,000 feet. Fortunately, I had these gloves with me.

Here’s how they performed:

Sizing, fit and comfort

I don't have big hands, but I've got long fingers which means I sometimes have to wear a medium in gloves, however I tested a small and they fit, well, like a glove. There's a tiny bit of room at the ends but not so much that you'd need to size down, unless you have very short fingers.

The fit is what I'd call low profile, so not exactly a liner glove but snug, especially around the wrist which is handy, since the cuff isn't adjustable. They're easy to wear with my fleece sleeve cuff over the top and I still have great finger dexterity thanks to the stretch.

Like any fleece gloves, they're soft and comfortable, though I did notice there are seams on the tips of the index finger and thumb where the touchscreen pad is. It didn't rub or annoy me but it's possible that it could over long days.

Warmth, breathability and moisture management

Despite the snow, I wasn't hiking in really frigid temperatures and it wasn't particularly windy, so I found these provided more than enough warmth. That said, they're fleece, and not super windproof, so if it were really cold, I'd want a shell glove.

What I really liked about these gloves is how breathable they are. I often wear waterproof gloves because of the Scottish climate, but my hands get sweaty. Even gaining around 1,000 feet per mile I didn't have to take them off and they wicked the sweat away brilliantly.

Weatherproofing and durability

As I've mentioned, these aren't the most windproof and they're not waterproof, but they are actually treated with a PFAS-free DWR which means they'll work for a light drizzle. Because of their breathability, I'd wear these any time I can get away with it.

Fleece gloves don't last forever, in my experience, so I was pleased to see the abrasion-resistant panels in the places that see the most contact. This actually adds a little windproofing and improves their durability.

Other details

I've tested quite a lot of gloves in my years at Advnture and most of them have claimed to have touchscreen capability (which means you can operate your phone without removing them). Very rarely does this actually work, so I was stunned the first time I pulled my phone out of my pocket to take a picture and it just worked. That's a huge plus for me as I love to document my hikes and use AllTrails+ for new routes.

The only other detail to note is a handy clip so I can keep them together in my backpack or packed away back at home.

Columbia Fast Trek III Fleece Gloves:: the bottom line

These are a straightforward but fairly impressive pair of hiking gloves for those who need a bit of warmth but aren't battling too much wet weather. The touchscreen capability is superior to most we've tried and they come at a lovely price. If you need something waterproof but with decent touchscreen capability, check out the Hestra CZone Contact Gauntlet too.

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