Columbia introducing the OutDry™ Extreme ECO Shell
Some might think a jacket is not of importance if you live in the Middle East. But when you want to enjoy the outdoors, especially in the winter season, you are going to need it. Even when the temperatures are close to the 30s, they can still drop sharply during the night to below 10 degrees. If you are in the mountains on a day hike, you can face temperature differences from 10-15 degrees from the valley bottom to the top. With wind and cloud cover this can even feel colder. So you will need a layer which protects you from cold, wind and even rain.
The challenge is to find the perfect combination of a jacket, which is light, packs small but keeps you warm and dry. The latter is where you will find out if you have a high quality product or not. The jacket should keep you warm but not make you sweat and keep the moisture inside. On the other hand, it should keep rain and moisture outside too. The Columbia OutDry standard provides exactly these properties and you should look out for this logo.
The structure of the fabric provides no wet out, so you can stay dry with maximum ventilation through the ultra breathable layers. The inner wicking fabric next to skin, provides ultimate comfort.
And Columbia pushed it even further by recognising their responsibility as a brand towards nature. The fabrication process of apparel can be very harming to the nature and use a lot of resources, as well as produce (use in e.g. water proofing processes or dying) poisonous chemicals. With the OutDry Extreme Eco, Columbia demonstrates their commitment to producing high performance and environmentally friendly products. Columbia takes a holistic, lifecycle approach using the Higg Index to measure, manage and improve the social, environmental, ethical and chemical impacts of their products.
• No PFCs intentionally used in this product
• Dye-free fabric saves over 49 liters of water compared to standard, dyed jacket
• 100% recycled fabric recycled from 32 plastic bottles
• Recycled trims. Labels, toggles, zipper pulls, thread and eyelets made from 100% recycled content
They said: “When designing this jacket, we took factors into consideration across all phases of its lifecycle from raw materials to end-of-use”
We question far too less how things are made, or where they are coming from, but we often complain about pollution without accepting that in many cases are the cause of the problem. With a bit more awareness and action from companies which take the environmental responsibility seriously we can make things better. The great thing about this approach is that we don’t need to compromise on quality, functionality or a trendy designer, we get all of it without putting unnecessary strain on the environment. So if you are environmentally responsible, look for quality gear.
Available at Columbia stores:
Dubai – The Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Mirdif City Center and
Ibn Battuta Mall
Abu Dhabi – Al Wahda Mall and Dalma Mall
Instagram: columbia_me
Facebook: Columbia Middle East
Words by: Daniel Birkhofer
