Posts Tagged Columbia
Columbia Triple Trail Shell for Women
We’ve covered Columbia Sportswear a bunch here at Practical Travel Gear. From rashguards to base layers to bug repellent pants, Columbia’s outdoor and adventure gear is durable and technologically on the cutting edge. My most recent Columbia acquisition: the Triple Trail Shell for women.
This is one sturdy coat that keeps me warm (especially when wearing a base layer and light fleece underneath) because it’s lined with Columbia’s proprietary Omni-Heat thermal fabric. Little silver dots helps reflect your body heat back at you (keeping you 20 percent warmer than a standard liner, according to the Omni-Heat website) while moisture vapor escapes in the spaces between the dots for breathability, keep you dry.
Other bells and whistles include cool Invizzip zippers (which enhance the sleek look of the jacket), Velcro strip at the wrists to tighten or loosen as needed, inside pouches to stash a phone and exterior pockets for gloves, armpit zipper vents and drawcord adjustable hem. The jacket is lightweight — not as heavy as the shell that comes with the women’s 2-piece Frosty Forest Parka. And I absolutely love the Leapfrog color hue: it’s a geometric pattern of royal blue, scarlet and lime green. Fun, upbeat, colorful… great shades to brighten up a cloudy winter day.
I’ve worn the shell on hikes and errands around town on drizzly days this fall. I think it’ll be great for spring skiing, too. It lands just below my hip so between the generous sleeves, the storm hood and the length, I feel plenty protected from the elements.
The only problem I’ve found with Columbia jackets is that I am between sizes. I have the parka and this shell in size large, and they are just a bit too large — the sleeves are long and the torso roomy. Unfortunately the size mediums that I’ve sampled are too tight in the chest. I wish I was a perfect fit for the Columbia jackets because I am so impressed with the quality and technology of the pieces.
Purchase for $300 on the Columbia website or online retailers like Backcountry.com and Altrec.
Columbia also makes a Triple Trail for Men at the same price.
Posted by Kara in General Gear, Travel Light on December 13th, 2011
Bug Shield Pants from Columbia Sportswear
Yeah, I know: as I write this review there are poor souls clearing limbs from a recent snowstorm, but since this is a travel gear blog and there are lots of mosquitoes still buzzing around the tropics as you read this, I’m reviewing some more travel pants with built-in insect repellent. (And for what it’s worth, the temperature outside my window in Tampa is 81 degrees Fahrenheit at this very moment.)
Columbia Sportswear products have a lot going for them: they use a lot of technological innovation, they’re trying hard (especially the past few years) to make clothes that look flattering, and they’re usually in the middle of the pack in terms of pricing. They’re also very easy to find, whether that’s in your local sporting goods store or at the usual online outlets. With a fashion-focused timeline, you can also often find their clothing on sale when it’s time to move out the old and bring in the new.
These Bug Shield Travel Pants are at the top of the usual range, with a list price of $75, but check the links at the bottom and you’ll probably find some season-end sales going on. These pants are double-duty too: they do all the usual things and keep the bugs away on top of that. They’re treated with odorless Permethrin, which lasts for 70 washings. You’ll get a lot of use out of them before you hit that level. Besides the mozzies, this Insect Blocker treatment is designed to keep away ticks, ants, flies, chiggers, and no-see-ums.
I wish I’d had these on at the right time when I was in the jungles of Chiapas, Mexico a couple weeks ago. The one day I wore pants that didn’t have any treatment was the day some ants and possibly a few chigger friends decided to munch on my legs and ankles. The rest of the trip I was fine.
I brought three pairs of travel pants on that adventure and all three got soaked at some point, so I was able to see how quickly they dried. This pair did the best job of drying out in that humid climate and of course they are quite lightweight and easy to jam into a bag without taking up much room. My only complaint about the wispy-slick fabric is that it makes these next to impossible to roll up when they get wet. They were not well-suited to crossing streams when the time came. That’s the trade-off sometimes: you give up the cinch strings or buttons that would clasp the bottom—also keeping out more insects—to look more like normal pants when you’re not adventuring.
The weight is kept down by using mesh for the pockets and there are seven of those in all. Two have zippers and three have Velcro. There’s an included nylon matching belt, an idea I like a lot, and unlike on some other pants I’ve tried it can be removed if you want to put on a nicer one for dinner or use it on other pants. There’s elastic in the waistband too, so there’s some give. They come in three inseam lengths.
Otherwise, these are just want you’d expect and want for travels in warm places: wicking, sun-protective, and fast to dry after a washing.
You can get these for women, in a convertible version with zip-off legs, and in a kids’ version.
Check prices on the Columbia Bug Shield Pants at Backcountry.com and Amazon.
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Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, Travel Light on November 3rd, 2011
Columbia Omni-Heat Long Underwear: Warm and Stripey!
I tend to avoid the synthetic blends for next to the skin base layers. This is due to a history of hiking in stinky polypropylene, a fabric that’s long since been updated and sidelined by my current favorite, merino. I’m currently being charmed out of my hardline preference for natural fibers by Columbia’s new Omni-Heat long underwear. I like this stuff. A lot.
The Omni-Heat line isn’t new to me, I packed an Omni-Heat 3 in 1 parka from Columbia for Antarctica, along with one of their super cute hats. There’s all kinds of information on the Columbia site about Omni-Heat, but essentially, the fabric is dotted with material that reflects your body heat back inwards. In the long underwear, this technology has been applied to a lightweight, stretchy (and stripey) fabric that’s soft and feels quite nice next to the skin.
The long underwear—labeled on the site as a baselayer—-comes in tights and a long sleeved top. Both pieces have the Omni-Heat treatment only where it makes sense. The crotch and inner thighs on the tights and the armpits on the shirt are another Columbia technology , Omni-Wick, designed to move moisture away from your body. Even for those of us that get cold, this makes good sense. Both pieces are anatomically cut as well with gussets match the shape of your body, making the fit super comfortable and easy to move around it. The waistband in the tights is wide and flat and all the seams are flat too, so everything sits nicely as a base layer underneath your jeans (or snow pants, if that’s what you’re wearing.) And yes, guys, this line comes in men’s cuts and sizes too.
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. I pack long underwear for almost every destination, regardless of the promised climate. The bottoms can do double duty as leggings under a skirt (nice if you get cold on the plane) and the whole kit works fine as jammies if you need them. You never know what the weather is going to do and long underwear takes up so little space in your bag that it’s worth having a base layer just in case temperatures drop. While I’m a functional person at heart, I liked having a change from solid black. The stripes are cute. I like the way Columbia’s new base layers feel and perform well enough to have packed them (instead of my usual merino) for a recent trip to high altitude — that’s a firm endorsement from a traveler who’s been committed to natural fibers for the past ten years or so.
You can get Columbia’s Omni-Tech base layers directly from Columbia, the top and the tights are $55-$65 each. Check Amazon, too, (shirt/tights) you may find them for slightly less.
Posted by Pam in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on October 14th, 2011
Insect Blocker Shirts From Columbia Sportswear
Whether you’re camping in a national park, on safari in Africa, or backpacking around Southeast Asia, the common denominator nuisance is probably going to be mosquitoes. In some places they’ll just leave itchy welts and annoy the crap out of you at dusk. In some parts of the world, however, they can turn your vacation into your first experience with malaria or dengue fever. Not fun.
It’s like a war on terror though trying to prevent these bites, with multiple levels of defense and no margin of error. One good weapon to have in that arsenal is treated clothing that repels mozzies. You can buy a can of what you need to spray on whatever clothing you have, but I’m a big fan of travel clothing that has the stuff baked in already, like this Bug Shield shirt from Columbia with Insect Blocker.
Insect Blocker is something the mosquitoes can smell and they don’t like it one bit. (For good measure, it also keeps away gnats, ticks, ants, flies, chiggers, and midges.) For us humans, however, the shirt just smells like a shirt. Or like smelly you after a few days in it.
This feels, smells, and wears just like your standard hi-tech travel shirt, but with added protection when you need it. It’s got the wicking nylon that dries quickly, a bit a stretch so you can move around easily, and UPF 40 sunblock protection. It’s got that feature that can be useful during the day when there’s no mosquito threat: sleeves that roll up and button. There’s a mesh panel behind the shoulder and some venting under each arm to let the air circulate. The Velcro pocket has another secret zipper pocket inside where you can covertly stash some cash.
But won’t the treatment wear out? Well, as with other insect-blocking items we’ve reviewed here, it will eventually. But we’re talking 70 washings before that happens. So unless you’re a tour guide naturalist or you make it a habit to go hiking at dusk each day, there’s a good chance you’ll never get to that point.
Like I said, this is a weapon, not a total solution, so remember the whole system: cover your skin (especially ankles), avoid black, use a net or coils when needed, and—the most important thing—use good insect repellent. Here’s Pam’s review of the Ultrathon version.
There’s nothing really groundbreaking or unusual about this Columbia Bug Shield shirt—it’s a follower rather than a leader. But it comes in five sizes and six colors. They also make a women’s version, a crew version, toddler crew, and pants. You can get it online at Columbia.com for the $80 list price or sit tight and wait until it goes on sale after the mosquitoes go into hiding. Or check prices at these online retailers:
Columbia Bug Shield Shirt at Backcountry.com
Columbia Men’s Bug Shield Shirt at Altrec
* Get Free Shipping No Minimum at Columbia.com with promo code F11FREESHIP!
See more of our travel clothing reviews
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on September 8th, 2011
Inexpensive Travel Staples from Columbia Sportswear
I’m willing to pay for quality travel gear sometimes, but I’m also a big fan of clearance ranks and end-of-season sales. Because Columbia Sportswear cranks out so many new products and styles each year, you can often get their travel clothing at a very reasonable price if you time it right. Here are a few staples of theirs I’ve bought in the past 18 months that were well worth their (discounted) price tag and another one to consider right now for a son or nephew.
I spent all of $15 on a reversible bucket hat on sale at a sporting goods store more than a year ago and somehow she managed to not lose it in all that time. It held up well through a few washings and she still wears it. The one pictured here is not an exact match, but it has the same SPF30 sun protection and two looks to sport. There are a lot of colors to choose from and it’s just $10 at Amazon.
I bought two pairs of Columbia shorts at 50% off at a June sale in 2010 and both styles are off the map now online. I’ve worn them both a lot though in the meantime and they’re still going strong. So check out the available Columbia shorts at Campmor, where they have several styles $25 or less right now, deeper discounts coming later probably when it gets closer to autumn.
Columbia sent me a Silver Ridge travel shirt to review way back when it came out, so I didn’t have to wait for it to go on sale. That time is now though if you want to get a cool travel shirt for your own boy or someone else’s at a bargain price. The boy’s Silver Ridge II long-sleeve shirt is comfortable, wrinkle-resistant, and quick-dry—all for only $16.47 right now at Backcountry.com. A steal for something with vents and roll-up button sleeves.
Look for other Columbia items on sale regularly at Backcountry, Campmor, Rock Creek, and REI.
See more reviews of Columbia Sportswear items here at Practical Travel Gear.
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Kids and Family on July 14th, 2011
