Columbia Women's Jacket: From a Portland Hat Company to Puffers, Fleece and Rain Shells

In 1938, in Portland, Oregon, Paul Lamfrom founded the Columbia Hat Company, a small family business that took its name from the nearby Columbia River. The Lamfroms were German refugees, and a hat distributorship was the fresh start they could get. I think about that every October, when the first properly cold morning arrives and the Columbia women's jacket is the thing most people are already wearing.

 

What I like about the brand is how unglamorous its logic is. Trouble with suppliers pushed the family to make their own goods, and the hat company became Columbia Sportswear in 1960. Then in 1970 Gert Boyle, Paul's daughter, took over after her husband Neal died, with the company near bankruptcy. She spent the next decades starring in the ads as Ma Boyle, "One Tough Mother," using her son Tim as a test dummy. Practical first, pretty second, and funny about it.

 

That attitude shows in the puffers. I would start with the Amaze Puff in black, a hip-length hooded down jacket with horizontal baffles and a snap storm flap, because it works over a sweater and under a scarf without any fuss. The shorter Amaze Puff in crushed blue is the one for jeans and boots. For a mild week I would take the Sienna Hill in shale purple, a quilted stand-collar jacket that packs into its own pocket. I went deeper on a related idea in Canada Goose Jacket: Parkas, Short Puffers and Light Shells.

 

If you want real warmth, the Harmony Falls in tobacco has a high-pile fleece hood and a two-way zip, and the Mountain Croo III in stone green adds a waterproof shell with a storm flap. The practical tip: zip each one up with your chunkiest sweater on, then raise both arms. If the hem rides up past your hip bone, size up.

Columbia built its name on jackets that pair breathable waterproof fabric with interchangeable shells and liners, and the long hooded styles are where that habit turns into everyday coats. Length is the whole point here. A hem that sits well below the hip changes how a winter walk feels.

 

In my fashion dreams she is crossing a train platform in the Weekend Adventure II in black, a 36 inch longline hooded jacket with a drawstring waist and a two-way front zip. Beside it I would put the Hikebound II Long in safari, a sage green waterproof jacket with an internal drawstring waist, and the Hikebound II Long Insulated Rain Jacket in black, which adds a thermal reflective lining for days when rain and cold arrive together.

 

For real winter, the Icelandite II parka in greenscape is dark green and belted, with a faux-fur trimmed hood, a removable belt and TurboDown insulation. The Harmony Falls parka in black is simpler, with a waterproof shell over down and feather fill. Then there is the Pike Lake III in stone green, an extra-long puffer with recycled insulation, and the Amaze Puff Long in mineral pink for anyone who wants a soft color against gray streets. The Heavenly Long Hooded Jacket in purple tint is the quilted one I would wear for a walk through the woods or down the block.

 

The test: sit down in it. A long coat that bunches at the hips on a bench will do the same on a bus. What I would skip: the extra-long puffer if your daily route involves a lot of stairs and a small bag.

Fleece is where the brand's outdoor roots are easiest to see, and the Bugaboo is the reason. Columbia launched the Bugaboo parka in 1986, named for a mountain range in British Columbia, with an interchangeable shell and liner. By 1992 the one millionth had been sold, making it the best-selling parka in ski apparel history.

 

That history makes the Bugaboo 1986 Fleece Jacket in marionberry the obvious pick. It is a berry fleece in the retro style, with contrast panels, and it nods to the original without pretending to be a parka. I would wear it with straight jeans and a plain white tee, and nothing louder than that.

 

For softness, the Lodge Sherpa in red oxide and the Fire Side II Sherpa in sedona sage are both plush full-zips, the kind of layer I would keep by the door for walking the dog. The Timber Meadow in tobacco is a smoother full-zip with a stand collar and a water-repellent finish, the better option under a shell. The Arctic Crest II in tea light is hooded, with a high warmth-to-weight ratio, so it fits under a rain jacket without bulk. The Castle Dale in rainy day and the West Bend II in chalk are the simple ones, and the Wildest Venture in tobacco vagabond plaid is a knee-length, shirt-style fleece coat with a roomy fit. If you want to keep going, Fleece Jacket: Full-Zips, Pullovers and High-Pile Layers is the one I would read next.

 

The test: layer it. Put the fleece on over a thin knit, then pull a puffer on top. If your shoulders feel pinched, the fleece is the wrong size or too thick for the job. What I would skip: the chalk one for muddy commutes, unless you enjoy laundry.

Rain gear is the place to read the labels. Omni-Tech is the brand's waterproof-breathable fabric, and the styles below mostly pair it with fully sealed seams, which is what keeps water from creeping in at the stitching.

 

For a proper downpour I would go with the Hikebound II in iron, a lightweight hooded waterproof jacket with a storm placket and a drawcord-toggle hood. The AmazeRain 3L in crushed blue is a three-layer shell with an interior drawcord waist, and the Whistler Peak in compass blue is built for wet trails. If you want something that looks like a coat in the city, the AmazeTrench in beige is a belted waterproof trench with sealed seams, and the Reign No Shine in black has a matte finish that keeps it low-key.

 

For a bag, there are three packable options: the Arcadia II in tea light, the Switchback IV in phoenix blue and the Trailborne 2.5L in red oxide. The Switchback packs into its own pocket, and it is a water-repellent shell for light rain rather than a full storm jacket, which is worth knowing before you rely on it. In October, when the weather can turn twice in a day, I would keep one of these in a tote.

 

The test: pull the hood up and turn your head. The brim should move with you, and your view should stay clear. What I would skip: a packable shell as your only coat once it is truly cold, because it has no warmth of its own.

This is the part of the story that made Columbia a name in skiwear. The Bugaboo of 1986 showed that one system could handle wet days and cold days, and the 3-in-1 Interchange jackets here carry that idea forward, with a waterproof shell and a separate inner layer.

 

The Payton Pass II Interchange in rich wine is a hooded 3-in-1 with removable faux-fur trim and a fleece-lined hood. The Amaze Puff 3-in-1 in black has a separate zip-in down puffer inside a waterproof shell, so you can wear each piece alone in a mild week. The Whirlibird V in mineral pink cross dye is the ski-lodge version, with a zip-in inner layer and a thermal reflective lining. That lining is Omni-Heat, which launched in 2010 as a reflective silver-dot lining, and later versions added fuzzy fiber pods in 2018 and exterior black dots in 2020.

 

For one-piece warmth, the Snowy Summit in tea light and the Bird Mountain III in sea salt are insulated hooded ski jackets, with the Bird Mountain carrying the most advanced thermal reflective lining. The Ava Alpine II in sea salt is mountain-ready, the Roffe Ridge in powder pink is a down jacket made for the resort, and the Platinum Peak II in purple quartz is a three-layer shell, so I would pair it with a fleece underneath. I also put together Sherpa Jacket: The Fuzzy Fleece That Climbed Out of the Mountain Shop.

 

The test: crouch, reach and turn in it. Ski jackets should move with you. What I would skip: the white ones for gravel parking lots and slush.

I would pick the job first. A rain shell for the wet days, a fleece for layering, and one real puffer or parka for the coldest weeks. That covers most of an October to March wardrobe, and each piece earns its place.

 

Then I would try each one on over the thickest thing I plan to wear under it, and check the hem, hood and zip in motion. If a jacket passes that, it has done more than most coats.

 

Gert Boyle put practicality ahead of style, and the Bugaboo design never changed in more than 17 years of production. A hat company from Portland that learned to make jackets that stay useful is a fine thing to trust with a hood and a zip.