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One of the Most Versatile, Vintage Outdoor Boots Ever Made Is Back

A lauded outdoor brand just released a limited reissue of its first-ever footwear product , featuring ’90s style and today’s tech.

Close-up of the sole and side of a brown, purple, and teal sneaker with textured rubber sole and patterned laces.

By Hayley Helms

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While they’re a solid functional choice for damp and cold weather conditions, duck boots are not exactly style-forward.

But for those of us that value aesthetics as much as performance, there’s a new boot on the block that provides traction, style, comfort and enough ’90s style and history to stand out from the crowd.

Enter: the Columbia Bugaboot 1 Limited Edition. Not only is it a faithful reissue of the brand’s first-ever footwear (with tons of inside baseball cred,) it also looks a whole hell of a lot cooler than your average duck boot.

Pair of brown, black, teal, and purple Columbia Sportswear hiking boots on a textured stone pedestal.Columbia

Duck, duck … boot

The OG Bugaboot was was released in 1993, and was the brainchild of Columbia founder Gert Boyle, her CEO son, Tim and visionary designer Peter Moore.  

(Moore, in case you aren’t familiar with athletic shoe lore, is credited as the creator of the Air Jordan 1 silhouette and Nike Dunk silhouette).

Man sitting on a textured white stool wearing tan pants, black puffer jacket, black beanie, and brown and teal Columbia boots with purple laces.
The reissued Bugaboot 1 combines heritage style with today’s technology — and looks good doing it.
Columbia

Moore and Boyle were both perfectionists, and as such, were dedicated to creating a style of footwear that would be as aesthetically appealing as it was useful.

As such, the original Bugaboot’s mission was to marry the performance and comfort of an athletic shoe to the weather-defying capabilities of the duck boot, creating a stylish and functional option for bad weather days.

Hiking boot with brown suede upper, teal and purple accents, and black rubber sole with Columbia logo.
Columbia’s Omni-Grip outsole is an upgrade from the original design.
Columbia

Now, we’ve got a faithful reissue on our hands … but quantities are limited.

Style rewind

While the Bugaboot was considered technical enough back in the day, the Bugaboot 1 Limited Edition reissue brings together iconic ’90s style with 2025’s advanced footwear technology.

The Bugaboot 1 Limited Edition features Columbia’s proprietary TechLite and Omni-Grip technologies, which provide responsive cushioning and enhanced grip, respectively.

Close-up of a black rubber boot toe with brown leather upper and teal trim on the sole.
The duck boot rubber toebox adds extra protection against the elements.
Columbia

The leather upper with exposed stitching is both durable and flexible, adding to the overall comfort of the boot. This style-forward duck boot features a faithful ‘90s color palette in the form of an exclusive “Emerald/Blueberry” colorway, custom laces, premium branding and a specially designed box for collectability.

Brown and black Columbia Bugaboot 1 with teal and purple accents on a black and teal Columbia box.
Only 1,993 of the Bugaboot 1 Reissue have been made, adding to the collectable nature of the boot.
Columbia

Further enhancing the collectible nature of this boot, only 1,993 have been made (as a nod to the year of its debut.) Each pair is individually numbered in an elevated embroidery detail on the tongue to display their one-of-a-kind status.

Availability and pricing

The special-drop Bugaboot 1 Limited Edition is available now on Columbia’s official website, while supplies last.

About the Author:

Hayley Helms is an associate editor at Gear Patrol specializing in all things outdoors. Once upon a time, she wrote for Men’s Journal, Gearjunkie, and Shape. Whether it’s tuning us into the joys of hiking and camping, or rigorously testing head-to-toe outdoor apparel, she leaves no stone unturned (though she always Leaves No Trace).

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