I’m a Travel Writer, and I Always Pack This Comfy, Wrinkle-free Dress With Cooling Technology for Summer Trips

I know they say diamonds are a girl’s best friend. But they’re not mine. My BFF is my beloved little black dress. From weddings to funerals, it works with nearly every event’s dress code. And because my favorite LBD from Columbia is made of a fabric with advanced cooling technology, it’s even appropriate for summer’s most brutal days and some of the world’s hottest climates. My dress may be black, but like ice (the real stuff, not diamonds) it’s cool to the touch. 

I first discovered the aptly-named Columbia Freezer Dress III in 2020 while shopping online for travel-friendly dresses. It was the early days of the pandemic, but I knew we’d be able to travel again eventually. And as a travel writer, I didn’t want to be caught unprepared. Plus, in the meantime I desperately needed something cool to wear. I was living in Tucson where it once got so hot that a pair of sunglasses I left on my dashboard melted. (RIP Ray Bans.) Fed up with constantly being wet with sweat, I ordered this dress. 

Columbia Women's Freezer III Dress

Unlike 99.9 percent of clothing, the Columbia Freezer Dress III is made of a lightweight polyester fabric featuring Omni-Freeze™. This game-changing technology uses a sweat-activated cooling agent which means the hotter you are, the cooler you’ll be. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it’s just good old fashioned science. And of course, it’s important to point out that the fabric has accelerated moisture-wicking properties for “rapid evaporation.” I never even notice if I sweat because beads of moisture never form, and the dress dries faster than I can ask “Is it hot out here or is it just me?”

In addition to feeling cool to the touch, the fabric is silky smooth and so soft I wish Columbia made pajamas out of it. (Hopefully by the time I reach menopause they’ll exist.) Furthermore, it doesn’t wrinkle. Whether I roll this dress, fold it, or fly in it, it always arrives at my destination without creases. And since it’s 8 percent elastane, it’s stretchy, too. Because Columbia designed this dress for anglers, it’s made for movement. 

While I haven’t reeled in any trophy trout yet, I have worn my Columbia Freezer Dress III hiking, biking, and most recently, dancing. If you wear it over shorts you can even run in it! Plus, the fabric is rated UPF 50, which means it blocks 98 percent of the sun’s harmful UV rays. In fact, the Columbia Freezer Dress III gets the Skin Cancer Foundation’s highly coveted stamp of approval, as per Columbia’s site. 

Although it’s made for being active outdoors, this dress, which is available in dozens of colors and patterns, also looks flattering in more sophisticated settings. Earlier this summer I was on Regent Seven Seas’ new fancy Faberge cruise. I wore my LBD to dinner several nights because when paired with some cute shoes and nice jewelry, it can easily pass as a cocktail dress. But unlike other cocktail dresses I own, it doesn’t need to be dry-cleaned.

I could sing the praises of the Columbia Freezer Dress III all day. But don’t just take my word for it. On Amazon, it has more than 1,300 five-star ratings, with an impressive 4.5-rating overall. One shopper admitted to having four of these dresses, while another shopper confessed that they own seven. “Taking three of these on vacation,” wrote another shopper. “They don't wrinkle. Take little space in luggage. You can dress them up with heels or go casual with a pair of flip-flops or tennis shoes.” Of course, you can also wear them while barefoot at the beach. 

I follow a lot of fashion influencers on Instagram, but I don’t know of any other dress that works as well as a swimsuit cover-up as it does on date night. If you’re looking for a travel-friendly dress that’s cool, comfy, and cute enough that you’ll get compliments from total strangers, congratulations — your search is over thanks to this Columbia dress!

Columbia Women's Freezer III Dress

Columbia Women's Freezer III Dress

At the time of publishing, the price started at $41. 

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