Good Morning Everyone,
This is the last post I have on hiking boots and shoes for awhile. I think we have covered a lot of ground (no pun intended) but I wanted to be sure and talk about this particular brand. As I stated in my previous post, Columbia is one of my favorite manufacturers. Having grown up in the Pacific Northwest, and Columbia being a local company, does have some bearing on my choice. That being said, let me tell you a little bit about the company.
Columbia was started In 1938, by a pair of German immigrants who fled Nazi Germany. They found a new home in America, and with the purchase of a small hat company, in Portland, their business was born. The name Columbia was taken from the river that flows nearby. When the immigrant's son Neil (who was by then running the company) suddenly passed away in 1970, his wife Gert went from housewife to Corporate executive overnight. With the help of her son Tim who was attending the U of O as a senior at that time, they rescued the company and the rest is history. In 1975, they were among the first to introduce Gore-Tex® in a parka.*
Columbia has since introduced many of their own designs, Omni-Tech®: (1991) Columbia's proprietary waterproof-breathable technology, followed by Omni Dry®: (1997) A High-performance moisture management technology and finally,Omni-Shade® (2008) Columbia's proprietary sun protection technology. Gert still remains as Chairwoman and Tim is still their longtime CEO. Why do I tell you all of this? To give you some idea as to the innovative, forward thinking nature of their decisions, designs and Ideas that inspire their products to this day.
So with that lead in, let's get to the Shasta Ridge Omni Tech Mid cut hiking boot. This is a boot that is made for hiker's who need versatility. No, it's not a snow boot this time, I just like it for it's many uses. I find it to be the ideal footwear regardless of whether it be camping, light hiking, biking or just plain perusing the local flea markets.
For this design, Columbia beefed up the forefoot with an extended toe bumper made with durable non-marking Omni-Grip®rubber. The upper's are made with rugged leather and a durable textile, married to a mid height design. The higher side, you guessed it, keeps rocks and debris out as it protects your ankles from abrasions. The Omni-Tech™ membrane inside, is breathable and waterproof, keeping your feet dry on those early morning dew wet, meadow hikes. Another innovation, isTechlite® which is specially formulated to provide impact-absorbing support, stability, and protection. Thus, enabling you to go the distance in comfort along with a decoupled heel design to absorb shock as well as provide a great fit.
Finally, we are down to the outsole. (tread) These boots feature: Omni-Grip® Advanced Traction, which is a multi-terrain traction system, matching specially formulated compounds and treads to specific environments, giving you sure-footed confidence for any activity. All said and done, for an all around, non insulated hiking boot, you can't go wrong with these boots.
This concludes (for now) my blogs on boots and shoes. I hope you have found some kernel of information to enable you to make an informed buying decision. As always, thanks for reading and I'll see you on the trail
*Gore-Tex is a waterproof/breathable fabric, and a registered trademark of W. L. Gore and Associates. It was co-invented by Wilbert L. Gore, Rowena Taylor, and Gore's son, Robert W. Gore. Robert Gore was granted U.S. Patent 3,953,566 on April 27, 1976, for a porous form ofpolytetrafluoroethylene (the chemical constituent of Teflon) with a micro-structure characterized by nodes interconnected by fibrils. Robert Gore, Rowena Taylor, and Samuel Allen were granted U.S. Patent 4,194,041 on March 18, 1980 for a "waterproof laminate." For its invention, Robert W. Gore was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006
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