Let’s compare two very solid outdoor brands, Salomon vs Columbia. Both brands create excellent outdoor gear. However, there isn’t a single brand that doesn’t have some flaws.
Before we start, I have to say that comparing brands isn’t as easy as comparing products. It’s impossible to try out every product of each brand. However, I have tested many products and throughout the years I have researched many more products from each brand. You can find plenty of proof throughout the Hikeheaven website.
Personally, I use products from both brands on almost every hiking trip. On the image above you can see me wearing Salomon shoes, the hat and shorts are from Columbia.
Overall, one of the main takeaways is that both brands create solid outdoor gear. Salomon tends to be more high-quality, whereas Columbia focuses more on creating affordable gear.
A lot of information can obviously be found on the official websites: Salomon and Columbia.
Salomon vs Columbia general information comparison
Salomon was founded in 1947 in Annecy, France, as a small workshop producing wood saws and ski edges. Today, the brand is known for producing high-quality outdoor gear, including running shoes, hiking boots, and skiing equipment.
Columbia, on the other hand, was founded in 1938 in Portland, Oregon, as a hat company. It later expanded its product line to include outdoor apparel and gear, such as jackets, pants, and backpacks.
Salomon focuses on outdoor sports whereas Columbia goes a bit broader, including hunting and fishing gear.
Salomon vs Columbia shoes
Let’s start by talking about Salomon vs Columbia shoes.
Salomon tends to be more known as the high-end hiking and trail running shoe brand. Columbia would be more recognizable by their budget-friendly yet very solid hiking shoes.
Shoes from both brands have frequently been part of “best shoes” lists on Hikeheaven.
Especially Salomon gets a lot of positive mentions on Hikeheaven. Simply take a look at some of the following articles: Best trail running brands, Best waterproof hiking boots for women, Best comfortable hiking shoes, Best low hiking shoes,
It may seem like Salomon is the superior brand when it comes to outdoor shoes. However, Columbia does create some amazing value products like the Columbia Newton Ridge Plus, which was the top recommendation on our Best cheap hiking shoes list.
I wouldn’t call one brand better than the other. It depends on what you are looking for. However, I can conclude that Salomon creates higher quality outdoor shoes, Columbia shoes are often better value shoes.
It might be useful to know that I’m currently wearing the Salomon quest element GTX on my hikes, and I wrote an entire review about them: Salomon quest element GTX review. Short summary: I’m really happy with them, but there is a durability concern when it comes to the outer sole. Which is a bit disappointing from a brand that we tend to consider high-end.
Of course, you always need to be careful, Salomon also makes mistakes and it’s not like every single of their shoes gets nothing but praise.
Before making your next purchase, make sure to research the product and not only the brand.
Salomon vs Columbia clothing
I already talked about the fact that Columbia tends to be more budget-friendly and Salomon tends to create higher-quality shoes. Well, the same can be said when it comes to clothing.
Not too long ago, I wrote an article about the best cheap hiking pants. No surprise that one of the pants mentioned in that article is a Columbia pants.
However, it’s very clear that Salomon is super well known and praised when it comes to footwear, but they are nowhere near as popular when it comes to clothing.
When it comes to clothing brands like Patagonia, Outdoor research, Mountain hardwear, Marmot, REI, The north face, etc. tend to be more popular. Generally, Salomon is not considered bad when it comes to clothing, but other brands seem to have preference over Salomon when looking for high quality outdoor clothing.
When it comes to Columbia clothing, it rarely ranks at the top of the list, but it very often gets mention as a good budget option.
From my experience, Columbia clothing has always been good. To be honest, I would rather invest in high-end boots/shoes than in high-end clothing.
This is also why I’m wearing Salomon boots and Columbia clothing.
Brand recommendations: Salomon or Columbia?
At the end of the day, you are probably wondering what brand is a better fit for you and what I would recommend.
Let’s start with shoes, these are one of the most important (if not the most important) pieces of equipment to bring on a hiking trip. The same reasoning also applies for shorter hikes or runs. So, I would always recommend to purchase solid hiking boots/running shoes.
For me, this resulted in buying Salomon shoes. However, it has to be said that Columbia also makes solid hiking boots, it’s not because they are cheaper and maybe less “high-end” that they are not suitable for a serious hiking trip.
Therefore, I would not recommend against Columbia boots if you are on a tight budget. However, as mentioned before, make sure to do proper research to the actual shoes you would be buying. You should never assume that a product is solid simply because of the brand that is behind that product.
That said, if you can afford it, shoes are not the products to be cheap about. So, Salomon would still be my recommendation when it comes to shoes.
Clothing is also pretty important. You don’t want to go on a hiking trip without suitable hiking clothing for example. However, you can find decent outdoor clothing in the budget section and this is usually more than good enough.
The quality difference between clothes doesn’t matter as much as the quality difference in shoes. This is why I would generally recommend sticking with Colmubia for your outdoor clothes. That said, if you don’t care too much about your budget, you can definitely take a look at the more expensive brands. Salomon is a good option, but make sure to also take a look at other high-quality brands like outdoor research and Patagonia as they tend to be even more popular.
Conclusion Salomon vs Columbia
In conclusion, Salomon and Columbia are two excellent outdoor brands, each with its strengths and weaknesses. While Salomon is known for creating high-quality outdoor gear, especially in footwear, Columbia is better known for creating affordable gear
Ultimately, when it comes to purchasing outdoor gear, it is important to research both the product and the brand before making a purchase.