A comparative analysis and critique of the columbia titan pass 780 turbodown parka - Columbia Titan Pass 780 TurboDown Parka, Men's

TLDR :
As a lifestyle/everyday coat, the Titan Pass 780 Turbodown Parka checks every box. It’s fabric is thick, durable and waterproof. It's a tad puffy and covers down a fair amount of your thighs but still has a decent range of motion. The parka’s style looks modern and the fit is neutral to accommodate layering. But most importantly, it is warm even below 0F.

Intro:
I'm male, 5'10 and 190lb and the Large fits me well. I combined a 25% off sale price with a 10% off coupon and got the jacket for $370. I live in MN and the winters here are below freezing and many days are at or below 0F. Wind chill will bring some days down to -30F to -40F. Not much rain but rather gusty winds and snow. Warmth is subjective because we all have different cold tolerances and climates so I'll compare using relative warmth to two of my other jackets: my Eddie Bauer Boundary Pass and my REI Stormhenge 850 down Jacket. I'll also draw from my girlfriends experience since she won't write a review (I bought her the exact same jacket).

Eddie Bauer Boundary Pass:
The Columbia (approx 3.5lb on my scale) is a bit heavier and puffier but also significantly warmer. Wearing a T-shirt and a fleece long sleeve, I stood still outside for 15 minutes in 0F with the Columbia and felt nothing. No cold spots, no wind, no cold. I went back inside, warmed up, and changed to the Eddie Bauer (approx 2.5lb). The Eddie Bauer started feeling colder around the arms and shoulders within a few minutes. If the Columbia is a 10/10 for warmth, the Eddie Bauer is a 7/10.

REI Stormhenge:
The Stormhenge (approx 1.6lb on my scale) is even colder than the Eddie Bauer. The material on the Columbia is just as waterproof as the REI Stormhenge (if not more so) and feels thicker. I can't speak for long term durability but the thickness of the Columbia gives me confidence it will outlast the REI and resist accidental scrapes and/or falls better. REI Jacket at a 6/10 for warmth compared to the Columbia.

I went for a 30 minute walk in -5F at night with just a T-shirt in the Columbia and was very very comfortable. The jacket is phenomenal at maintaining your body heat. You can feel the cool touch of the liner against your skin, but, you don't feel cold. For reference I was colder in this walk with the REI Stormhenge even when it was 20F. My girlfriend had a Patagonia Down With It Parka before we returned it. I originally bought her the Patagonia Down With It based on positive reviews and claims of it's warmth, however, we realized quickly it wasn't up to par for temperatures below 10F. The warmest parka Patagonia makes is the Frozen Range and it retails for $799 which was out of budget. We got the Columbia at less than half the price of the Patagonia and feel that the Columbia was a better value with similar features and warmth.

Here are some notes:

1. None of the outside pockets are insulated. Both my girlfriends hands and mine were still able to stay warm in the pockets for over 15 minutes at -5F, but, this seemed like a miss on Columbia’s behalf.
2. Men vs Women Parka differences. There are 10 pockets on the Men’s, 8 pockets on the Womens. The Women’s version has a cuffing around the neck that the Men’s version lacks. Women’s version also has thumb slits on the wrist cuffs for your thumb to slide through, Men’s version does not. Women’s version has a waterproof like zipper for the chest pocket, the Men’s version looks like a standard zipper.
3. There are two zippers so once you zip up, you can unzip from the bottom to get better range of motion
4.The 3d omni-heat liner doesn’t extend all the way down the jacket, it stops at about the waist level and a regular polyester liner lines the bottom portion of the inside of the parka by the thighs. I don’t know how much of a warmth difference the extra Omni-heat would have made.
5. The hood is insulated and will keep your head warm. It also accommodates a helmet (I wore my bike helmet, but didn’t test a ski helmet).
7. Columbia lists the fill power but not the fill weight. I think it’s important for the company to be transparent to customers to so they can make more informed decision on such expensive products.

Conclusion:
Is the parka worth $550? It competes with top of the line waterproof parkas from brands like Patagonia and Arcteryx at nearly half the cost. Here’s my take. If you can get this on sale, NOTHING beats this winter coat for warmth, features, and value. At the full price, pay if you want the absolute warmest coat for the price and are willing to spend more money for it (but not Canada Goose money). If you're tired of trying jackets just to find out they're not warm enough or you just want a jacket that allows you to wear a T-shirt out and forget the cold, this is the one for you. The Columbia Titan Pass 780 Turbodown is at or slightly above the point of diminishing returns so the call is up to you if the price to warmth+features ratio is worth it.