Columbia Crestwood review

Don't miss out on the Columbia Crestwood if you are in search of the following:

• an affordable outdoor shoe with great cushioning, support, and durability for the price
• a hiking shoe for light-to-moderate terrain
• a breathable option for summer

We sincerely believe that the only reason not to buy the Crestwood is if you just can't get it in your size. The shoe's value for money is really THAT good.

But to broaden your options among budget-friendly hiking shoes, we would recommend having a look at Merrell shoes like the Moab 3, the Accentor 3, and the Alverstone 2.

We couldn't help but notice that the Columbia Crestwood felt a lot like a casual sneaker underfoot. That's because it packs a solid amount of cushioning for such a budget-friendly shoe.

Measuring the shoe's heel stack, our caliper returned 32.7 mm which is on par with the highly popular Merrell Moab 3 and with the average of hiking shoes overall.

The shoe's heel cushioning kept us well-protected on moderate terrain muting out the occasional roots and rocks. On the other hand, it wasn't too thick to make us feel isolated from the ground either.

The shoe's forefoot stack showed a moderate measurement of 19.0 mm which also hit a sweet spot between impact protection and groundedness.

That way, the difference in stack heights comes in at 13.7 mm which is notably higher than the average hiking shoe drop.

Considering that the Crestwood is a beginner-friendly shoe, we believe that it is an optimal heel-to-toe offset for this target audience. The elevated heel minimizes the Achilles strain especially if you are carrying a backpack while keeping the heel sufficiently cushioned.

Wear testing the Columbia Crestwood, we noticed that its TechLite midsole had just a touch of squish which made our landings comfortably cushioned. 

Checking its firmness with a durometer confirmed our observations with a reading of 25.5 HA. The shoe's foam sits on the moderately soft side of the spectrum but feels balanced overall.

If you plan to take the Columbia Crestwood out on a chilly day, keep in mind that its cushioning will lose some softness after being exposed to low temperatures for a long time.

In fact, our freezer test showed that it tends to firm up more than the average hiking shoe. After spending 20 minutes in the freezer, the Crestwood's midsole got 29% firmer as opposed to the average of 18.4%.

The Crestwood uses a generously padded insole to create a very welcome in-shoe experience. Our caliper measured its thickness at 6.1 mm in the heel - pretty cozy for a $70 shoe!

It is even slightly contoured on the medial side offering a touch of arch support.

We felt like the Crestwood offered just enough toebox space for our medium-width feet in a men's US size 9. So once the gel cooled off, we grabbed a caliper to check the mold dimensions.

The widest part of the shoe's forefoot came in at 93.5 mm which is just a smidge narrower than average but still within the medium range.

As you can see, the Crestwood has a moderately tapered toebox shape. Measuring its width at the big toe returned 71.8 mm which is, again, only slightly narrower than the average.

Are we concerned with the fit of this Columbia shoe? Not really, if you have a medium-width foot. But if you need more space, the Crestwood is also available in wide.

An ample toebox height of 29.8 mm has a positive effect on the Crestwood's fit too.

It helps to compensate for some of the lacking millimeters in its toebox width.

The Columbia Crestwood became a pleasant surprise in the stability department as well. For only $70, you get an amazingly supportive underfoot experience that feels a lot like wearing a more expensive shoe.

This Columbia hiker offered a solid footing on moderate trails, which is the type of terrain it is designed for. But please note that we are talking about weekend hikes here, not high-milage hiking objectives. The latter calls for the shoe's mid-cut (boot) version or a high-performance hiking shoe for that matter.

We don't hesitate to recommend the Columbia Crestwood to people with overpronation because of how hard it was to twist the shoe in our manual test.

With its top-loaded midfoot shank and firm midsole cradle, we rated the shoe's torsional rigidity as high as 4 out of 5! 

The Crestwood also feels quite sturdy in the heel counter, resisting the push-and-squeeze in our manual test.

Rating its stiffness on a 1-5 scale, we once again gave the Crestwood a high score of 4. It does a brilliant job of minimizing the heel and ankle play inside the shoe, holding them securely in place.

A nice and broad platform is another component of the Crestwood's success formula.

Our caliper showed that the widest part of the shoe's midsole is wider than average at 116.3 mm.

The shoe's heel also proved to be nice and wide with 88.3 mm in the widest area. It kept us planted without adding much bulk to the rearfoot.

Because its internal shank is limited to the midfoot, it doesn't hold this Columbia shoe back from bending as much as your foot needs. Because after all, you don't need an ultra-stiff hiking shoe for an easy non-technical hike.

Using a force gauge, we found it takes 25.3N to bend the Crestwood to a 90-degree angle. That's almost 20% less than it takes an average hiking shoe.

The only caveat here is that the shoe will get significantly stiffer if exposed to cold conditions for a long time. We measured that after 20 minutes in the freezer, it stiffened up by as much as 34.4%.

It is common for budget-friendly shoes to be on the heavy side because brands don't use lighter (more advanced) materials to keep the weight down.

But despite its beefy silhouette, the Columbia Crestwood happens to be only slightly heavier than average. Our scale showed 13.4 oz (380g) in a men's US size 9.

However, it is a whole ounce heavier than the weight stated in the brand's official specs (12.3 oz/350g per shoe, size 9).

As a non-waterproof hiking shoe with large mesh panels, the Columbia Crestwood is pretty well-aerated.

The smoke we pumped into the shoe's upper met no obstruction and passed straight through the mesh pores in the toebox. Even though these pores are not very large, they offer excellent ventilation without compromising the durability of the fabric. 

Looking at the upper up close, we also found that its suede overlays have perforations to help with the airflow.

Rating the shoe's breathability with a high score of 4, we think that the Crestwood is a perfect choice for the warm and dry season but wearing a warmer sock can also extend its service to mild fall and spring days.

And should you need protection for wet weather, the Crestwood is also available in a waterproof version.

Columbia knows how to maximize longevity even in its more affordable shoes. We are happy to see a large synthetic mudguard around the toebox and a wide suede overlay on top of it.

To test the limits of this suede material, we drilled it with sandpaper for 12 long seconds.

And to our surprise, it hardly showed any signs of wear! And because it looked nearly intact, we rated the Crestwood's toebox durability with the highest score - 5 out of 5!

Unfortunately, Columbia cut corners on the shoe's inner lining because that fabric was torn immediately. It took even less than 4 seconds...

But let's not forget that this is one of the cheapest hiking shoes after all.

The shoe's OmniTech rubber outsole also turned out to be unexpectedly sturdy for this price point.

First of all, its hardness is on par with the average of hiking shoes showing 85.0 HC on our durometer.

Second, it did rather well in our abrasive Dremel test where we exposed the outsole to sandpaper for 22 seconds.

Even though our tread gauge measured as much as 1.4 mm of damage in the rubber, it is leveled out by the thickness and lug depth of the shoe's outsole.

The thickness of Crestwood's rubber outsole comes in at an impressive 3.6 mm and that's excluding the shoe's deep lugs!

Durability-wise, we believe that this hiking shoe from Columbia offers some of the best value for money!

Looking at the Crestwood's lug depth, our caliper recorded 3.2 mm. Slightly shallower than average but just enough for the shoe's intended purpose - moderate hiking.

Aside from lug depth, the shoe's traction pattern also contributes to a surefooted experience on hilly terrain. Facing every direction, these treads make the Crestwood even grippier than we expected.

Our expectations were set pretty low for one of the cheapest hiking shoes on the market but the Columbia Crestwood kept our jaws dropped the entire lab test!

The shoe's overall comfort, cushioning, support, and durability generate massive value for money for someone who needs a less technical shoe for easy occasional hikes.

There are no reflective elements on this Columbia shoe.

The Crestwood is abundant with in-shoe padding. From its thick insole to the collar and the tip of the tongue, it is all packed with cushy foam.

The tongue, in particular, exceeds the average thickness showing 11.0 mm on our caliper.

As a budget-friendly shoe, the Crestwood features no gussets on the sides of its tongue. This can potentially cause tongue-shifting.

A fabric loop at the back of the shoe helps with the on-and-off.

If you want to make this affordable shoe feel more premium, its stock insole is easy to replace with a custom insert.