OutDry, on the other hand, uses a membrane kit that is cut to fit exactly in the shoe or glove it’s made for, and then is bonded directly to the inside of the outer shell. There’s also a significantly greater chance for the waterproofing to fail (at least, in theory) with taped seams and a lot of flexing, it’s easy to see how problems could occur over time. In field use, that can mean a significant increase in weight, even when it’s working anyone who has had a waterproof pair of leather hiking boots get saturated knows that they can gain a LOT of weight. It adds multiple layers to the garments, and creates space for water to collect between the outer shell and the actual membrane. The membrane is sewn into the liner of a product, effectively creating a bag that allows perspiration to pass through to the outer layer, but keeps water out. Waterproof/breathable membranes are a dime a dozen, and they all work to some extent, and all BUT OutDry basically work the same way. Will new products with the same technology work as well? ()įor starters, what exactly IS OutDry, and why is it different from all other waterproof/breathable membrane systems? Notice that we used the word “systems,” because that’s what we’re dealing with. The Minimalist Membrane 5 years later, the Wenger Canyoneer with OutDry is still keeping our feet dry. And, cutting to the chase, we found that yes, OutDry really is better…and no, it really isn’t. The question is…now that OutDry is being used in more ways, is it really a better mousetrap? Or, was it just a fluke that it worked so well in the Wenger boots? We decided to assemble a variety of products and run them through the wringer (and mud puddles, rainstorms, backcountry ski trips, anything wet that we could find). The fact that they chose to buy OutDry speaks volumes most of their innovations (Omni-Heat, Omni-Tech, and more) are developed in house, so they clearly saw the same potential that we did. That ain’t chump change (in fact, we probably could retire on the funds in their petty cash box), and it gives them the ability to invent new technologies and market them without worrying about going under because of it. That’s a BIG deal Columbia is the 500 pound gorilla of the sportswear business, with over $2 BILLION in sales in 2014. We were so impressed with the boot in general that two testers bought them for themselves nearly 5 years later, both pairs are still in use, and both are still fully waterproof.īut, times change, and in this particular case OutDry had a major change Columbia Sportswear bought the technology. One of the top reasons was their then-unusual OutDry waterproofing system, which worked flawlessly and allowed a lighter, cooler boot than any of the bootie-style waterproof breathable membranes (i.e., Gore-Tex, etc.). Back in 2010, we tested Wenger’s Canyoneer boot, and loved them for a variety of reasons.
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