omni heat

me too…is this for real, or just hype?

I don't know if i have ever seen anyting advertised as much as the omni heat in the magazines I get. It seems to be everywhere!

Backpacker likes it.

The liner (moisture wicking polyester) has 35% of its surface area covered by a non-breathable reflective layer. This will increase the clo value of the liner by ~20% while still allowing moisture vapor to escape but at a ~35% reduced rate.

This liner should result in a noticeable warmth improvement if you are wearing only a liner / shell over a thin base layer. It will provide proportionally less benefit as the amount of synthetic or down insulation contribution to the garment's total insulation is increased.

so kind of like a semi vbl?

would you have a similar effect by wearing a shell that is a bit less breathable?

Eric,

The feature that provides the clo increase is the reflective dots, not the inadvertent reduction in breathability. The reduction in breathability (35% VBL) would be construed as a negative by the average person and so this isn't mentioned in their marketing literature.

I live a few minutes from Columbia's HQ and have access to their employee store where I can see and try on most of the their current products. Note: I do not work for Columbia.

Most of the omni heat line is either down jackets or softshells, with a few hybrid softshell/fleece pieces and gloves, hats and winter boots. The Omni Heat does feel warm, more so than a similar piece (like comparing 2 similar weight softshells). I think that the quality of the products are very good.

However, there are not any UL products right now. Most would be geared for winter skiing or just as casual everyday jackets. So, for the UL user here, the option of having omni heat wouldn't outweigh the heavier product itself.

Your body loses heat by:

1. conduction (Solid-to-solid heat transfer)

2. convection (solid to air heat transfer)

3. radiation (infra red radiation through garments & their openings)

4. respiration (a combo of convection and conduction)

"Omni Heat" reflective layer works only on radiation heat loss – and not at 100% of reflectivity either.

"20% warmer", as mentioned in aother response above, is really relative to how much other insulation your are wearing.

I just bought a Columbia Omni Heat Neck Gaiter to replace an older Columbia model that I can no longer find in my gear closet. I use this only for snowshoe trips during the winter.

The fact that the garment has "omni heat" had absolutely nothing to do with why I bought the item. The reasons why I bought this item were (a) I liked my old Columbia neck gaiter, (b) it fit well, (c) it was only $18, and (d) I can turn it inside out and wear it like a silly, bedazzled hat.

I haven't worn it out in the field yet. My only concern is that the dots may feel itchy on my otherwise exposed skin.