Columbia's Peak 2 Peak Jacket: A Pricey Bargain

High-end jackets are a tough proposition-unless you've got Charlie Sheen money, buying one is a major event. I mean, if you're going to cough up $300+ for a shell, it had better be an awesome one, right?

I've been testing out Columbia's Peak 2 Peak Jacket ($350), and it lives up to its price tag. It's a storm shell, so its main purpose is to keep wind, rain, and whatever else nature is going to hit you with (maybe not lightning) at bay. And it does so in spades.

The Peak 2 Peak utilizes Columbia's Omni-Dry fabric, which is touted to be 100% windproof and waterproof, yet is able to diffuse the sweat that you'll work up during intense activity. As a stormshell, the Peak 2 Peak's bonded liner and taped seams held up like a champ in rain and snow, not letting in a drop. The "Invizzip" zippers are completely waterproof as well, so anything you stow will stay as dry as you do.

Snowshoeing the Peak 2 Peak to the peak. Photo by Matt Moseley

As far as wind goes, I had a great chance to test it out on a snowshoeing trip up Mount Shasta. It was warm enough at the lower altitudes, but once we got past the treeline, the wind really picked up and started making things miserable. I slipped on the Peak 2 Peak, and I didn't feel a thing for the rest of the ascent.

Making a stormshell that keeps the weather out is one thing, but making one that doesn't collect your sweat while you're working is a whole other beast. I worked up a wicked sweat on my way up Mt. Shasta and the the Peak 2 Peak handled it. The Omni-Dry fabric kept things from getting too clammy inside, and when things started to really heat up, the pit vents did a good job of letting the excess heat escape.

Add the jacket's slim cut and articulated elbows to keep the jacket from getting in your way, the adjustable storm hood, the drawcord hem, and the fact that the whole deal weighs less than a pound (14oz) and you've got a jacket that'll work for every penny you spent on it. Heck, you might feel like you ripped Columbia off.

Take a closer look at Columbia.com.

Columbia Makes it Cool to Sweat: Omni-Freeze ICE Solar Polar Review

One of Columbia Sportwear's slogans is "Trying Stuff since 1932." Great things come from trying stuff.

Among the stuff that Columbia is trying is their Omni-Freeze ICE line, which is designed to cool off when it gets wet. Unlike most clothing, which cools off initially, then warms right up, this stuff has a treatment that chills the fabric and keeps it cool until the moisture evaporates. At Columbia's Spring 12 preview, I received the Solar Polar ($70), a long-sleeve half-zip shirt made up of the Omni-Freeze ICE fabric.

The material is given a food-based chemical treatment that cools it off when it gets wet, which helps keep you cool while providing coverage from the sun, poison oak, and any other stinging/burning/rash-inducing things that you may come across on a hike or trail run. Therein lies the genius of Omni-Freeze ICE - you get the coverage of a longsleeve shirt without the accompanying heatstroke.

Since I live in a spot where triple digit temperatures are the norm, this fabric is right up my alley. I took it out for some hot-weather trail runs this summer to see how well it worked. One of the most grueling tests was during one of my runs up Whiskeytown's Kanaka Peak.  I wasn't excited about getting a longsleeve shirt to test, but as I waded through fields of poison oak in Whiskeytown Park, I quickly learned to appreciate the extra coverage.

The shirt was lightweight and breathable, so even without the Omni-Freeze ICE tech, it was pretty cool (literally). The areas of the shirt under my hydration pack and right below my neck were the first to get wet, and they cooled off noticeably. As the moisture spread, the shirt cooled even more. It wasn't the arctic chill that I was anticipating, but more of a subtle cooling that I found really refreshing. I wasn't overheating, so all I had to worry about was the 50-degree incline in front of me.

The Omni-Freeze ICE line will be available for order January/February 2012. 

Columbia Spring2012 Gear Preview

I'm heading down to the Bay Area today for Columbia Sportswear's Spring 2012 preview event. It's a two part event that starts in San Francisco with dinner, drinks and presentations of next year's Spring line at the California Academy of Sciences. The next day, Columbia's taking ten of us journalists down to Yosemite for a four-day backpacking trip to try out the gear we checked out the night before. It's tough, but hey-it's a job.

I've checked out Columbia's Peak to Peak shell and I've had a tester report on their Neo Wind women's jacket for Backpacker and my Trek Tech column and I've been impressed. I can't wait to see what they've got in store for next year.

This week's going to be huge. I'll be testing out gear from Salomon, Easton Mountain Products, and Magellan as well, so I should have a lot to report on when I get back I'll try to blog and send out pics and reports on Twitter (follow me at @trektechblog)  as long as I have reception to keep you guys posted on what's up.

In the meantime, I'll have a few more posts popping up while I'm gone-I talk up slacklining and Gibbon Slackline Kits for spicing up your barbecues and review a few slim (yet tough) iPhone cases to keep your PDA safe on the trail.