Best Outdoor Clothing and Footwear Brands at Northwest Outlet

There’s one thing that differentiates outdoors brands from other apparel brands. Trust. They have to earn and keep our trust with high-quality, proven hiking and outdoors gear. That gear might very well save your life out on the trail, or a snowy mountain. These brands spent decades building up that trust, refining their wares and improving their performance.

We’ll list our favorite outdoors apparel brands that we trust. Their reputation, quality gear and kindness moved us and helped countless nature lovers to be closer to the great outdoors, and we’ll return a bit of that favor. These companies are on the cutting edge of outwear gear, from the entry-level bits and pieces a beginner gets to the high-end sports gear that professional athletes like skiers use. The outdoors lifestyle brands have a lot of responsibility to their customers.

Columbia, one of the biggest outdoor clothing companies, was founded back in 1938 by Paul Lamfrom in Washington County, Oregon. At first, they were a hat distribution company, but after numerous problems with the suppliers they decided they were going to make their own hats and clothing.

Soon after that, they were very successful as the best outdoor jacket brand. Their high quality jackets with interchangeable faces and materials were very popular back in the 80s. Their quality, dedication and good business practices got them to where they are today.

In the last few decades, Columbia acquired the footwear maker Sorel, Mountain Hardwear, Pacific Trail, Montrail and prAna. Their location in the Pacific Northwest aids them in testing their gear out in harsh natural conditions, and and it helps them refine their outdoors gear to perfection. In short, they’re making clothes you can trust even in the harshest conditions.

The North Face was founded on a beach in San Francisco by two hiking enthusiasts, Douglas and Susie Tompkins. It was pretty ironic to settle on such a chilly name on a warm beach, but the name stuck and soon after a store was open. It was founded in the tail-end of the 1960s, and quickly became successful due to their involvement with extreme, exotic expeditions to the most remote places on Earth. This is about the time they made their mantra, Never Stop Exploring™.

Slowly but surely they won over the skiers, mountain climbers, hikers, trail runners and all other outdoor enthusiasts with quality gear. Their Half Dome symbol is something you’ll see in most campsites and tents around the country, and in many professional competitions like ultra-marathons.

Ariat was founded with the idea of bringing athletic footwear technology into the specialized boots for equestrian athletes. Today, we’re used to having specialized athletic riding or work boots with all the bells and whistles of a high-tech hiking shoe, but this wasn’t always the case.

Ariat was founded back in 1993, and its name is derived from a legendary race horse named the Secretariat. Naturally, they’re very involved with equestrian sports, and they’re the main footwear and apparel supplier to the Federation Equestrian International (FEI) and the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF).

If these athletes trust them, and they’re the best of the best, we’re inclined to trust Ariat’s quality apparel and footwear will keep us safe and cozy too. If you have loved ones that are into equestrian sports, Ariat boots and gear are great outdoors gifts.

Carhartt is the oldest brand on this list. They were founded way back in 1889 in Dearborn, Michigan, and their main product was work clothes for manual laborers. It was a small “start-up company” as we’d call it today; one room, two sewing machines and five workers were all they had back then. Their first slogan was “Honest value for an honest dollar”, and we think it holds even up to this day.

Carhartt quickly grew and expanded into other cities, and they closely worked with their customers to precisely meet their needs. During the Great Depression, the company downsized, they’ve since fully recovered and kept growing, and today they have more than 5,000 associates worldwide.

Carhartt is one of the top outdoors brands, their heavy-duty jackets and their other apparel are tough, wind resistant and durable. They’re very popular with anyone working outdoors, from linemen, construction workers to hunters and hikers. In 2007, they launched Carhartt for Women.

Under Armour (they use the British spelling) is a company that was founded in 1996 by Kevin Plank. They’re a global brand, but their headquarters are located in Baltimore, Maryland. They don’t really need a special introduction, as they’re one of the most popular outdoors athletic clothing brands in the world. They started off as an undershirt and T-shirt maker, and they used moisture-wicking synthetic fabric where other manufacturers use cotton that easily got drenched in sweat and wouldn’t dry quickly enough. After a couple of big hits, they quickly grew and became the global brand we know today.

They make all sorts of sports gear, including athletic shoes, hoodies, pants, shorts, bags, gloves, protective gear and professional sports uniforms; you’ll meet someone wearing Under Armour clothes any time you walk through your town. Under Armour constantly researches and tests new technologies, like ceramic powder coated fibers or scent control. Just like they were back in 1996, they’re on the cutting edge of clothing technology and innovation.

One more note: Under Armour clothes are NOT Fire-Retardant unless it’s stated otherwise by the manufacturer. There was a common “urban legend” that their clothes can resist fire.

Some mistake UA’s HeatGear as being FR clothing, but they’re meant for keeping you cool and dry in the gym or out on the trackfield. Please be very careful about your fire-safety gear.

KEEN was founded in 2003 by Martin Keen and Rory Fuerst. Their first sandals and shoes featured a protective toe bumper, and these shoes quickly became very popular with sports sailors, water sport athletes and other outdoor enthusiasts.

KEEN quickly branched out into a wide variety of shoe styles and bags, socks and clothing. In 2009 they expanded into safety work footwear; and launched the Keep Utility program that helped veterans get back on their feet in the civilian world, by providing guidance and footwear for those in need.

Since 2010, KEEN footwear is made in the USA, and their American Built collection started flying off the shelves. They’re an ethical, honest company, and their most recent project in December 2019 was launching environmentally friendly product lines.

Merell is named after Randy Merell, a trained industrial shoemaker. Like most other companies here, he started this company in his own garage and he began making custom handmade boots for outdoor enthusiasts. A small, honest start that quickly became popular after the Backpacker Magazine named Merell’s boots the best boots in North America.

After becoming famous for his quality hiking shoes, he teamed up with two former ski company executives; this “perfect storm” of master craftsmanship and professional sports business executive skills kickstarted the Merell brand into existence in 1981.

They pride themselves on high quality, comfort, fantastic design, versatility and durability. At the start of the millennium, Merell ventured into the trail running shoe market and made the famous “Jungle Moc” shoe, that’s still in production to this date. In 2007, they started to make apparel and accessories.