The Minimalist Membrane 5 years later, the Wenger Canyoneer with OutDry is still keeping our feet dry. And, cutting to the chase, we found that yes, OutDry really is better…and no, it really isn’t. The question is…now that OutDry is being used in more ways, is it really a better mousetrap? Or, was it just a fluke that it worked so well in the Wenger boots? We decided to assemble a variety of products and run them through the wringer (and mud puddles, rainstorms, backcountry ski trips, anything wet that we could find). The fact that they chose to buy OutDry speaks volumes most of their innovations (Omni-Heat, Omni-Tech, and more) are developed in house, so they clearly saw the same potential that we did. That ain’t chump change (in fact, we probably could retire on the funds in their petty cash box), and it gives them the ability to invent new technologies and market them without worrying about going under because of it. That’s a BIG deal Columbia is the 500 pound gorilla of the sportswear business, with over $2 BILLION in sales in 2014. We were so impressed with the boot in general that two testers bought them for themselves nearly 5 years later, both pairs are still in use, and both are still fully waterproof.īut, times change, and in this particular case OutDry had a major change Columbia Sportswear bought the technology. One of the top reasons was their then-unusual OutDry waterproofing system, which worked flawlessly and allowed a lighter, cooler boot than any of the bootie-style waterproof breathable membranes (i.e., Gore-Tex, etc.). Back in 2010, we tested Wenger’s Canyoneer boot, and loved them for a variety of reasons.