As a kid from Miami, I had no idea how to find boots for walking through the snow. When I moved to the New York area, I had 4 pairs of shoes… white sneakers (trainers), black sneakers, brown dress shoes, and black dress shoes. I’ve added to that hiking shoes and winter boots.
Fortunately, my girlfriend gave me some choices to start with and I ended up taking her recommendation for a few different reasons. I ultimately settled on Columbia’s Bugaboot Plus IV Omni-Heat Boots (also for women).
I love these boots. Here’s all the stuff I really appreciate
- Waterproof. If your feet get wet, they’ll feel gross. On top of that, if it lets the cold in, you’ve got frozen feet. No good.
- Insulated. If your feet get cold, you won’t be able to feel them. That will lead to injuries and falling over in the snow and… well, it’ll be a bad day. Even if the outside temperature goes down to -25°F/-32°C these will still keep you warm.
- Supportive. Like a great mate or best friend, you need your boots to support your ankles. I learned quickly that when you step on fresh snow (powder), you really have no idea how far down the actual ground is. I’ve taken many steps that would have twisted my ankles but thanks to these super strong boots, I barely noticed.
- Non-stick soles. I’ve seen pictures/heard many stories of boots that trap the snow/ice in the tread and you start to get taller as you pick up more. I don’t know if these have some sort of hydrophobic chemical (like Rain-X) on the bottom or something, but nothing sticks to them.
- They grip. Maybe this is a contradiction of my prior point, but these things grip the ground going uphill and don’t make me slide going downhill. They do slide if you’re not careful on actual ice, so do be careful where you’re stepping.
- Strong laces. Well, if the laces start to fray or come undone, everything else goes to heck, right? When packing for a long trip where you’ll be using these guys, bring extra laces… and make sure they’re too long. Better than being too short!
- Good materials. It needs to stay together at the worst times with the most punishment. If they are cheap, you’ll pay for it with your comfort and your trip will be cut short.
- They fit. I have massively huge feet. It’s quite difficult to find footwear that fits me and is comfortable.
- Comfortable. I honestly didn’t think these would be as comfortable as they are, but they’re incredible.
What I don’t appreciate
- Price. These are $150. There is a variant (minus the Omni-Heat feature) that’s $45 cheaper, but honestly, I’ll happily stick with what I have.
- Weight. These guys are a bit more than I’m used to moving with my feetsies. The website claims 24.8 oz/701 grams, but I wonder if that’s without laces, insole, etc. They feel like a couple pounds each, honestly. I don’t have a scale that will weigh them properly, but just be prepared that if you’re not used to walking with boots, these will be a challenge the first few times.
ProTips
- Walk with them a few times before you actually need them to walk in the snow. They will be really stiff and you’ll have to “break them in” so that they bend the way you need them to, otherwise, it’ll be a lot to deal with during your first time in the snow.
- Make them tight, but not too tight. You want them to stay on your feet, keep your ankles from twisting, and keep snow out of the tops, but you don’t want to cut off your blood circulation.
- Get great socks to wear with them. Again, being a kid from Miami, I tried them the first time with athletic socks. Nearly all my hair was pulled out, my lower calves were red and agitated and I was not a happy boy. Tall, thick socks are step one before putting your boots on.
- If you live in a wet/cold climate, you’ll want a boots tray.