9 Outdoor Brands like Columbia that We Love and Why

9 Outdoor Brands like Columbia that We Love and Why

Columbia Sportswear is a popular and widely known brand for its large number of various and high-quality outdoor products. The company produces innovative and technical clothing and gear, at affordable prices.

Their technologies are great for harsh weather conditions with waterproof, windproof, and insulation features.

We have written many reviews and selections of Columbia’s products, and we have also compared it to other outdoor brands.

Today’s selection is a bit different though, as we are going to take a look at some outdoor brands that are similar to Columbia in terms of product quality, performance, and focus on sustainable means of production.

We will talk about their history, their products’ features, and the materials and technologies they use.

This way, you will not only have more options to choose from, but you will also have a better understanding of these brands when the time comes for a new purchase.

Let’s begin!

Contents:

1. Patagonia

Patagonia official website womens insulated jackets
Patagonia official website – Women’s insulated jackets

Patagonia is an American brand established in 1973 by Yvon Chouinard, a rock climber. His business started by making some handmade climbing equipment. Afterward, he worked on improving his tools’ strength and efficiency.

Don’t miss: Patagonia vs Columbia: Which Brand is Better?

The company uses environmentally friendly, recyclable materials and organic materials for its products. This helps minimize the negative impact on the environment and wildlife. Their mission reads, “We’re in business to save our home planet”.

Patagonia offers a variety of gear, accessories, and clothes for outdoor activities. Still, their products are also suitable for everyday use.

They also offer the Worn Wear program giving you the option of purchasing functional used gear and clothes.

Why do we love it? Because of their minimal designs with just the essential features.

Read also: 10 Outdoor Brands like Patagonia that You’ll Definitely Like

Why Waste It? | Powder Bowl

This video will be loaded from YouTube.com, a third party. If you click "Play", you accept their terms of service, and their use of cookies.

2. The North Face

The North Face official website
The North Face official website

With its motto to “inspire a global movement of exploration”, The North Face works on developing its technology to offer durable and sustainable clothes and gear.

Their technologies include breathable waterproof fabrics and materials for thermal insulation. Both features help you not only to survive but also to have a great time in harsh and cold weather conditions.

Must read: Are The North Face Jackets Worth the Price? Why Are They so Expensive?

The company was started by two hikers in 1966 as a store for climbing and backpacking equipment.

Since then, the business kept on delivering high-quality gear, while focusing on protecting the environment at the same time, by using renewable energy and recycling programs.

Why do we love it? Because of the “infinite” number of outdoor gear that they offer, for all needs and personal tastes.

Read also: 10 Outdoor Brands like The North Face that You’ll Love

FUTURELIGHT: Made to Defy | The North Face

This video will be loaded from YouTube.com, a third party. If you click "Play", you accept their terms of service, and their use of cookies.

3. Arc’teryx

Arcteryx logo
Arc’teryx Logo

The Arc’teryx company was founded in Canada by Dave Lane in 1989, focusing mainly on sustainability and innovation. They work on producing durable and long-lasting gear, thus reducing environmental impact.

The brand produces mainly outdoor clothing and gear for climbing, skiing, and hiking, for professionals and beginners alike.

Read also: Why is Arc’teryx so Expensive? Are Their Jackets Worth the Price?

Among the technologies they use, we can mention Gore-Tex and AC2, the latter developed by them and used for their backpacks.

As we have seen in the past, the Gore-Tex technology makes their products breathable in humid, hot weather, and waterproof in rainy, harsh weather conditions.

Why do we love it? We like very much Arc’teryx jackets, which are high-performing and with streamlined designs. We think they are worth it despite their high price.

Read next: 8 Quality Brands like Arc’teryx: Our Top Picks

Arc'teryx Presents - Who We Are: A Design Company

This video will be loaded from YouTube.com, a third party. If you click "Play", you accept their terms of service, and their use of cookies.

4. Under Armour

Under Armour official website
Under Armour official website

Under Armour was founded in 1996 in Washington, D.C., now based in Baltimore, Maryland. The company then grew to offer a great variety of sustainable outdoor clothing, footwear, and sports clothing for basketball, football, and golf.

The company started with “a simple T-shirt” and grew to develop its materials. Their aim is to provide durability and sustainability in different weather conditions while maintaining affordable prices.

They use long-lasting, recyclable materials with good performance after reducing elastane use since 2014. In addition, they utilize recycled materials in the production of some clothes to reduce environmental waste.

Why do we love it? Because in their product line, you can find equipment for many sports, at affordable prices.

Read also: 9 American Jacket Brands for Winter and Outdoor Activities

UNDER ARMOUR | THE ONLY WAY IS THROUGH

This video will be loaded from YouTube.com, a third party. If you click "Play", you accept their terms of service, and their use of cookies.

5. Merrell

Merrell hiking boots
A pair of Merrell hiking boots

Merrell is an American brand with three main focuses: comfort, performance, and fit. Designs are made to offer comfort through insulation and ventilation.

They offer high-performance products including waterproof and durable clothing and footwear.

Don’t miss: Columbia vs Merrell Hiking Boots and Shoes: A Comparison

The brand focuses on durability to reduce any landfill waste caused by the industries over time. In addition, it uses recycled (polyester and rubber) and recyclable materials to create outdoor clothing and gear.

Why do we love it? We love their quality hiking shoes, with many designs for every type of customer, and with a good price-to-quality ratio.

Read next: Merrell vs Keen Hiking Shoes: Which Brand is Better?


This video will be loaded from YouTube.com, a third party. If you click "Play", you accept their terms of service, and their use of cookies.

6. Mountain Hardwear

Mountain Hardwear official website
Mountain Hardwear official website

The Mountain Hardwear brand has been around since 1993. It provides customers with outdoor clothing and climbing gear, as well as tents. Its products are suitable for professionals and day hikers alike.

The company produces waterproof jackets by using water-repellent down fibers. They have also developed the Ghost Whisperer Fabric to create super-lightweight, water-repellent, and windproof designs.

In addition, the brand focuses on using technology to increase the breathability of its products in hot weather. They use Gore-Tex technology and Pertex® Quantum Air, for breathability, durability, and insulation.

Why do we love it? Because if you are into mountain activities, be it hiking, climbing, backpacking, or camping, this brand provides you with everything you need.

Read also: Mountain Hardwear vs Patagonia Outdoor Gear: A Comparison

Know-How: Climbing Mt. Everest

This video will be loaded from YouTube.com, a third party. If you click "Play", you accept their terms of service, and their use of cookies.

7. Montbell

montbell website
Montbell official website

The Japanese brand, Montbell, was founded in 1975 by the renowned climber Isamu Tatsuno. It started as a business for supplying outdoor equipment suitable for rainy Japanese weather. The company then developed to produce outdoor clothing, gear, and accessories such as backpacks and tents.

The brand’s philosophy is to create designs that work best for specific use and function. Even though this can be limiting for some customers, the company follows this method to provide the best quality possible.

It also focuses on the Light & Fast® philosophy that maintains the products’ lightness and flexibility without affecting their quality.

The company offers a variety of options to satisfy customers’ needs, following their motto “Light & Fast, yet designed to last”.

Why do we love it? As you may have guessed, we love their light jackets with minimal designs.

Read next: 9 Mountaineering Jacket and Clothing Brands: Our Favorites

8. Helly Hansen

Helly Hansen official website
Helly Hansen official website

Helly Hansen has a long history that begins in Norway in 1877. It started out as a business for sailing gear and clothing by captain Helly Juell Hansen and his wife.

The brand provides gear, clothing, and accessories for outdoor activities such as skiing, sailing, and many others. It also relies on using durable materials to produce long-lasting products with minimum environmental impact.

Read also: 7 of the Best Helly Hansen Ski Jackets Reviewed

Some of their designs are famous for using the LIFA® technology. It works as a base layer that moves moisture out and remains warm and comfortable.

The brand is also known for its H2Flow™ technology that stores warm air pockets to keep you warm and provides a ventilation system with zippers to cool you down, thus keeping the body temperature regulated.

Another fabric technology developed by Helly Hansen is Helly Tech, which we have reviewed here.

Why do we love it? By Helly Hansen, we like their winter jackets and parkas, with great insulation and attention to detail.

Must read:
Is Helly Hansen Good for Cold Weather? (What We Think)
10 Outdoor Brands like Helly Hansen that We Love

Tested by Mountains

This video will be loaded from YouTube.com, a third party. If you click "Play", you accept their terms of service, and their use of cookies.

9. Eddie Bauer

eddie bauer website
Eddie Bauer official website

Eddie Bauer was an outdoorsman who started the Eddie Bauer brand as a store in Seattle in 1920. It now offers a range of outdoor clothing, as well as casual clothing and footwear.

Many of the company’s products are usually tested and used by a large professional team of guides and athletes.

Don’t miss: Eddie Bauer vs Columbia: Which Brand is Better?

The company produces affordable technical clothing with different materials like Polyester and Nylon.

Among the technologies that Eddie Bauer uses, we can mention Thermafill® for insulation, and the Italian Thindown down fabric that provides warmth in harsh weather.

Why do we love it? Because of their technical products with quite affordable prices.

Read next: 7 Brands like Eddie Bauer: Our Top Picks

Eddie Bauer Sport Shop: How It All Began

This video will be loaded from YouTube.com, a third party. If you click "Play", you accept their terms of service, and their use of cookies.

– – – –

That’s all for this selection! The brands listed above offer sustainable and efficient products to improve your next outdoor experience.

They also focus on minimizing the environmental impact of their products and have developed similar technologies and materials to provide essential features like waterproofness, insulation, breathability, and durability.

For these reasons, we think these companies are like Columbia.

What do you think? Do you have any other brand suggestions? Let us know in the comments.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

To learn how we use your data when you comment, read our Privacy Policy.