Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

Steelringin t1_itoy7re wrote

Honestly, I'd just buy another from Columbia. In my opinion they're best value in outerwear and always have been. You might lose out on some of the most technical features of the higher end stuff but as long as you're not scaling a frozen waterfall or mushing a team of dogs across the tundra then Columbia will serve anyone just fine. Their Omni-tech hard shell seems to perform just as well as the Gore-Tex hard shell that I have or the Patagonia and Black Diamond hard shells that my wife has. Maybe it doesn't have the same kind of stretch or it's not as nice to the touch or doesn't have the more tailored fit of the premium brands but the performance and durability are there.

I just retired my 3-in-1 (not sure which model exactly, looks a lot like their 'Snow Glide' that's currently on offer) after 10+ years but only because I got a bunch of pine pitch on it that I can't remove and my employer gave me a pretty sweet new 3-in-1. I live in a part of Canada where winter conditions can last up to 6 months of the year and temps will hit -40°. The only thing that's failed after several hundred days of use in those conditions is the stitching on the shock cord used to cinch the hem let go a year or 2 ago. I just sewed back in and it held up fine.

I'd honestly still be using it over the new one I got if it weren't covered in pitch. Since the coat is black it's pretty obvious and unsightly. I'm honestly a little sad because I've had some good adventures while wearing it and I've often thought about just how well it's served me and how grateful I was to have found it, especially for the modest price I paid. If I remember right I picked it up on sale for $160-$170CAD.

1

kingofallnorway OP t1_itxynja wrote

Which one though? There's too many.

1

Steelringin t1_ityc2i8 wrote

I dunno. Try a few on? I would insist on their Omni-Tech fabric for the shell. That's their waterproof, breathable equivalent to Gore-Tex. For a winter coat I'd want the shell to be lined too.

1