Testing the Limits of Columbia’s Latest Outerwear in the Land of Fire and Ice
Layering for the extreme weather in Iceland
This is a sartorial question we’ve never before asked ourselves: What does one wear when descending into the heart of a volcano? This fall, on a trip with Columbia executives and designers to Iceland to test the Portland, Oregon-based company’s 2024 outdoor gear, this premise wasn’t a thought experiment. We were descending into the Þríhnúkagígur volcano via an open-air mining elevator, where we’d drop through a narrow fissure in the volcano’s maw before settling onto an expansive boulder-strewn bottom some 700 feet below.
Unlike the very active Sundhnúksgígar volcano less than an hour away by car, this one has been dormant for 4,500 years. So, we needn’t layer for lava. But Iceland’s weather varies to extremes, and this day was wet and foggy and cool—and we were told it would be even chillier inside, with icy water plink-plunking onto our heads from above.
We took care to consult with the apparel experts on hand. Should we don the solar-insulating base layers (no, too hot) or the OutDry Extreme Wyldwood shell jacket and rain pants? (Most definitely, if we wanted to remain dry.)
The Iceland expedition, which included everything from walking inside thunderous waterfalls to a several-hours-long trek on a glacier glinting in the late afternoon sun, was a particularly keen way to test the company’s latest offerings.
Columbia doesn’t license materials like Gore-Tex, instead relying on its own in-house engineering and design teams. Take the Wyldwood rain gear, with so-called “OutDry Extreme” technology that uses an exterior waterproof membrane. “It is extremely durable and will never wet out,” says Stephanie Beaudry, the senior global director of outerwear. “And this is the most eco-friendly section of the line. The shell never needs to be retreated with chemicals. We’ve worked hard to take the chemicals out.”
Most importantly, the rain gear served its purpose, keeping us dry even in the extreme wet. We either wore or carried the shell with us the entire trip, and it will become essential on future hiking adventures. The shell and pants are both light and tailored to move along with the body, with welcome stretchiness while still accommodating under-layers or gear on a belt. We found the pieces to be genuinely breathable. We don’t know how many times we’ve been promised breathability and quickly overheated as if we were wearing a black Hefty bag.
Another piece that earned its place in our forever closet: the Vast Canyon Softshell pants. They are water repellent and charmingly elastic. The warmth along the legs was welcome, ideal for navigating the ice on a glacier wearing crampons (the pants are gusseted at the bottoms and have gaiter clips). All of the pockets zip, and the one on the thigh is ideal for keeping a phone secure.
As for the rest of 2024 line, the new Arctic Crest down jackets with a newer version of Columbia’s solar-capturing insulation called Omni-Heat Arctic, available with a hood or without, are best for more wintry weather, and the Alpine Crux III Down puffer shows how far Columbia has progressed from the purely practical to city-friendly aesthetics.
The biggest surprise was footwear, a relatively new offering from the brand. Executives acknowledge that the wealth of footwear engineers in the Portland area, where Nike is also based, has proved a boon. The brand calls its new footwear platform Omni-Max for its cushioning and stability technology. We gravitated toward the Konos TRS OutDry Mid Shoe, a hiking boot with the soft comforts of a sneaker, but with trustworthy stability around the ankle. We only needed a single hike before the trip to realize we didn’t need a further break-in session. Our feet were dry despite dousing them repeatedly in rivers; and the treads were amazingly tacky, allowing leaps from boulder to boulder.
We’ve previously been to Iceland in summer, and in the dead of winter. Mid-season proves no less beautiful, and no less temperamental. Having gear that weathers that variability can make all the difference.
What are your thoughts?