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Columbia Back Up & Out
- Columbia Back Up and Out Front
- Columbia Back Up and Out
What It Is
Budget-friendly insulated ski/snowboard pants appropriate for a wide range of temperatures and conditions on the resort.
Retail Price: $150
85
- 95-100 Extremely high recommendation.
- 90-94 Enthusiastically recommended. Exceptional.
- 80-89 Highly recommended - few reservations.
- 70-79 Recommended. Standard performance.
- 60-69 Fair. Recommended for certain uses.
- 50-59 Poor. Not recommended in general.
The Good |
The Bad |
The Verdict |
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These pants are an excellent choice for the price-conscious resort skier or snowboarder who also cares about functionality and comfort in a wide range of temperatures and conditions—and they are competitive with more expensive brands in several areas. |
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Insulation
These pants are made with Columbia’s Omni-Heat thermal insulation—part synthetic insulation, partly a matrix of silver dots that theoretically reflects your body heat back at you. They outperformed other insulated pants in terms of warmth—I tested the pants with and without long underwear, and found that warmth was not compromised (and even improved) when not wearing a base layer, perhaps due to the silver dot lining. In fact, in temperatures ranging from single digits to low 40s, including one cold and windy day and one day during which the temperature changed dramatically, the temperature regulation of the pants was impressive.
Value
Despite being priced on the lower end of the scale, these pants are technically competitive and have just as many bells and whistles, if not more, than more expensive pants in this category. They have seam-sealed zippers, inner thigh vents, adjustable waist tabs, articulated knees, and a secure, double-snap waist closure reinforced with Velcro. An extra snap-close pocket on the lower leg is perfect for items you don’t want too close to the body in the zipped waist pockets.
Fabric
The shell of the pants is made of a soft, stretch polyester twill, which I found slightly more comfortable than most other ski pants I’ve tested. The fit is enhanced by adjustable waist tabs and a double-snap closure reinforced with Velcro.
I did not get too warm or too cold hiking for turns in these pants, and they felt warm and dry even on a very snowy day with a lot of chairlift time.
The only drawback I’ve noticed in about a month of testing is that some of the seam stitching—along the fly, the crotch, and the inner thigh vents—is already beginning to unravel, and the fabric seems to scratch easily. Also, the cuffs are not reinforced, which could lead to durability issues.
How We Tested It
These pants were tested on lift-served and hike-to terrain within ski area boundaries, over a period of about one month, in temperatures ranging from single digits to the 40s, and conditions ranging from cold and snowy to springlike and sunny.
The products featured in this test have been loaned to the Gear Institute. For more on our policies regarding editorial objectivity and sample returns, see here.
Ready to Purchase?
Retailer |
Product Name |
Price |
| Amazon.com | Columbia Men's Out and Back Full Zip Long Sleeve Shirt (Black, Large) | $44.98 |
* When you use links above to make your purchase, a portion of the sale helps support Gear Institute.
Ratings
Quality of Materials
5
10
Comfort
8
10
Warmth
9
10
Functionality
6
10
Fit
7
10
Value
10
10
Gear Institute Rating (Total Score)
85
100
Weight
1.5 lbs
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