Columbia Heavenly Omni-Heat Lace-Up Review

The Columbia Heavenly Omni-Heat Lace-Up offers 11 inches of pure comfort and weather protection. Wear it for less technical hikes, to work, or around town. This is one of the most versatile boots tested.

Performance Comparison

The Heavenly Omni-Heat boots are flexible, soft, and comfortable. One of the most versatile boots tested.

Warmth

Loaded with 200-grams of insulation and Omni-Heat heat-reflective technology in the liner, this boot keeps feet warm in freezing conditions. While there is ample insulation throughout the boot, the sole is relatively thin, and a source of heat loss during our super cold days out in the field. As a result, we're not sure if the -25 degree temperature rating claim is correct, as we quickly lost heat when temperatures were around zero degrees, and our feet were left cold.

Loaded with 200-grams of insulation, this boot will keep you warm in sub-zero temperatures.

That said, we also didn't have the opportunity to test in super cold conditions. While it's not as warm as Our Top Pick for Severe Weather, the Sorel Joan of Arctic or the toasty Oboz Bridger, it's not the coldest boots either. An excellent option for around-town wear in sub-zero temperatures.

During our water tests, this boot stayed dry until it met the point where the tongue and body separated. Here we show that point of waterproofing.

Weather Protection

Boy were we surprised when we took this winter boot to the streets. Despite the super flexible synthetic upper being seemingly absorbent — it proved to be the opposite! When we stood a local lake and marched around for a few minutes, no water penetrated through the seams. The upper is indeed waterproof. It wasn't until we went a little deeper and water seeped in where the tongue met the body of the boot. This happened with most boots tested.

This boot is exceptional in snow. The faux-fur collar kept out blowing snow while the upper protected even after walking around for hours. Overall, we are impressed with the weather protection of this fabric-based boot.

Faux-fur extends from the collar along the interior of the boot for amply coziness and warmth.

Comfort & Fit

As the lightest boots tested (weighing less than a pound!), our group of testers said it hardly felt like it was on! As a result, we recommend it for all-day wear. We also love its fur-lined interior that made stepping into this boot quite cozy, generating warmth on the go.

While we love the comfort features, this boot has quite a tight fit. When trying to pair it with a pair of woolly socks, we could hardly wear the boots because they were too tight. The toe box is narrow and doesn't have a whole lot of volume.

It features a flexible shaft that is easy to walk in for days.

Also, the heel is super tight and small in comparison to other boots in this review. While those with narrow feet love this boot, wider-footed ladies may want to look into the Keen Elsa II. We would also recommend sizing up a half or even full size depending on the width of your feet.

Pull once and all the laces tighten up with the Heavenly Omni-Heat. This is not a luxury found in the North Face Shellista II Mid.

Ease of Use

Pulling on this boot is not super easy. The interior is lined with a super plush faux-fur that catches on the fabric of your socks. The shaft of the boot is not stiff, so both hands are needed to open up the less voluminous opening.

While it's harder to put on, we did like that the lacing system can be tightened with just one simple pull. It locks the boot into place and doesn't move for hours. If you don't want to tie laces, check out the Kamik Momentum II or the Blundstone Thermal.

Decent traction, suitable for light hiking and around-town use.

Traction

With fan-shaped lugs and a rubber outsole, this boot provides decent traction overall. The longer lugs grabbed the trail and snowy sidewalks when the weather turned foul.

The outsole is loaded with tri tipped lugs that bite the trail in all directions.

Unfortunately, this shoe doesn't offer much in the way of a surface area on the bottom of the outsole. That is to say, it's thinner and more narrow. As a result, we found ourselves falling through deep snow easier than with a broader platform found in wider Sorel models. Despite this small caveat, we felt this boot did well for trudging around town and light hiking in the woods.

This 11-inch boot features faux-fur and a baffled design throughout the body of the boot. Perfect to wear with a pair of tights or under a pair of pants.

Style

Half of our testers think this boot is super cute, while others don't like it at all. It did not receive a lot of compliments on the street, a result, it scores about average in this metric.

The faux-fur collar offers cute stylings while the baffles loaded with insulation add a little flair. And, the 11-inch boot can fit under a pair of boot-leg jeans. While this boot can complete an outfit, there are some cuter options out there. Specifically, be sure to check out the Keen Elsa II.

Best Applications

This boot is quite versatile because of its level of lightweight, protection, and comfort. Take it with you on a light hike over less technical terrain or just simply wear it around town. Just be careful with temperatures dip into the double digits.

Heather takes a look into a beautiful canyon while on an afternoon hike after teaching all day.

Value

Priced at $140, this boot is a decent value. While other boots have better protection and warmth for less, like the Columbia Ice Maiden II, our Best Buy award winner for just $80, this model stands out for it's super flexible and lightweight design. If this is what you seek, we think the price is right.

Conclusion

Take this super flexible boot anywhere! Wear it to work, on a trail, or around town. It's versatile, protective and warm. A great winter wear option.

Take a light hike with this soft snow boot!