Columbia Sportswear has launched a line of apparel with a fabric that captures solar heat.
The new “Omni-Heat Black Dot technology,” Columbia said, is “the outdoor industry’s first external thermal shield built to protect from the cold.
This new textile acts as a heat magnet, featuring thousands of multilayered black dots that capture solar heat and trap warmth to keep people warmer in cold weather. Combined with Columbia’s Omni-Heat 3D thermal-reflective lining, the new collection of men’s and women’s Omni-Heat Black Dot jackets is Columbia’s most advanced solution for fighting the cold this winter.”
Columbia said the Omini-Heat Black Dot technology is patent-pending. It “features thousands of black dots on the exterior designed to help people warm smarter.
Each multilayered dot is made of aluminum and covered with a black coating to enhance heat absorption from scattered or direct sunlight. Extensive laboratory and field testing shows that the jacket heats up quickly and holds that heat longer than jackets without this new technology.”
Columbia 10 years ago introduced the Omni-Heat Reflective lining with aluminum dots that “bounce back the body’s radiant heat.”
“In 2018, Columbia introduced its enhanced Omni-Heat 3D technology, which features small pods of vertically oriented fuzzy fibers on top of the reflective material to add more heat retention properties.”
Haskell Beckham, Ph.D., Columbia’s senior director of apparel innovation said, “To maximize a shell fabric’s heat retention, we looked closely at low-emissivity windows that rely on a thin layer of metal on the glass. We’d never seen insulation placed on the outer layer of a jacket before, and we’ve been extremely impressed with the heat absorption and retention performance throughout our testing in the laboratory and in frigid climates around the world.”
Columbia has three styles of the new jackets for men and three for women:
Dawn Watch Black Dot Jacket – The Dawn Watch Black Dot Jacket has a trio of Columbia technologies designed for warmth, including an Omni-Heat Black Dot outer layer, advanced thermal-reflective Omni-Heat 3D lining and Omni-Heat Stretch Insulation. Price is $350. Click here for men, here for women.
Barrett Spur Black Dot Parka – This style offers 700 fill-power responsibly sourced down and a plush faux fur trim. It features an Omni-Heat Black Dot, advanced thermal-reflective Omni-Heat 3D lining, and Omni-Heat Stretch Insulation. It’s a premium parka designed for maximum warmth. Price is $600. Click here for the men’s version, and here for women.
Three Forks Black Dot Jacket – This style features a heat-capturing Omni-Heat Black Dot exterior, advanced thermal-reflective Omni-Heat 3D lining, and the enhanced warmth and flexible comfort of Omni-Heat Stretch Insulation. The jacket will cost $280 when it is available later this fall. You can see the men’s version here and the women’s here.
Columbia today announced three new jackets that have new Omni-Heat Black Dot technology that functions like a “heat magnet” to keep you warm.
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