Share your fav winter boots with me

[JenaW]

I need something warm, waterproof, and easy to get on/off to plod around in the winter, but want something still somewhat stylish (i.e. no duck boots!!). I am running 5 days a week to get the kids to preschool (after I get C on the bus), and with 4 under 4 to get dressed and out the door, we are ALWAYS running late. In upstate NY, the winters can be long and brutal, and snow cover (and sloppy slush) is often continuous throughout. I have several cute and comfy leather (dressier) boots with a heel, but I need something more practical for the mornings to wear with jeans/yoga pants, etc. Any suggestions? I would love to keep the price under $50 if possible (so no $100+ uggs), but if they are something that will last several seasons I could be convinced to go higher.

Thanks
J

[ahrimie]

i was just going to say uggs.. but they aren't meant for slush. i'd get something like timberland snow boots.. not sure how much those are. but for sure, i'd get those big puffy snow boots--like moon shoes... in a pink or something super girly :)

[Melaine]

Have you seen the Crocs Nadia....they are SO cute and combine the fur of Uggs with the waterproof crocs bottom...I don't have them myself though.

[srhs]

I also live in a land of long winter slush and have been satisfied with the performance of my LE allweather mocs. They have good grip for ice too.
They don't rank high in style, IMO, though. Also, you trade Easy-on, Easy-off slipon for full ankle coverage.
The weatherfields look nice too.

ETA--Duh! :duh: You asked about BOOTS. Ignore me. Too much multitasking.

[MontrealMum]

Our winters are awful, so I rotate through:
- 2 pairs of La Canadienne boots for everyday and dress http://www.lacanadienne.ca/ ...they're not cheap, but they're really comfy and some are quite warm

-1 pair of Hush Puppies also for everyday...I don't see their winter boots on the site, but they do make them and they're fairly cute - you can get them cheap at the outlets, but maybe the outlets are only in MI where they're based? I'm not sure. HP went through quite a revival a few years back where they were suddenly quite popular and not at all what I'd worn as a kid!

- and a pair of Sorels for very very cold days. If you're looking at warmth only, check them out, but stylish they're not. http://www.sorel.com/

-I will be getting a new pair of wellies to replace my old ones this year, probably by Hunter

[bethie_73]

Spent several years in upstate Vermont here so I know cold :)

Sorel is really warm, not always pretty :) but they will last a few seasons.

I've bought Columbia in the past and been pretty happy with them.

La Canadienne are nice, but tend to be dressy and expensive, I used them when I was working in an office.

I like Lands end also, not as warm as the above if you don't need it. They do have a nice selection of boots usually, and they hold up well.

The Columbia and Sorele I could usually find for around $100 (not on sale) again, I bought them to have through a couple of season so I didn't mind spending a little, but I bet you could find them on sale. Personally I got ones that were a little higher because of lots of snow, but they all make different styles. Never clogs because there was ALWAYS snow.

HTH

[bubbaray]

I have these and have worn them with both jeans and yoga pants, as well as ski pants.

http://www.sorel.com/Product.aspx?top=2&cat=220&prod=44

I also like these ones: http://www.sorel.com/Product.aspx?top=2&cat=220&prod=105 they are cuter IRL than the picture.

[nupe]

La Canadienne boots for everyday and dress http://www.lacanadienne.ca/ ...they're not cheap, but they're really comfy and some are quite warm



I have La Cadienne and they are great looking and comfy and WATERproof. I agree they are on the $$ side. I've seen them online at a number of places this season whereas last season not as many.

[JenaW]

Thanks guys. I knew you would have some good advice. I will check out all your links after I get my girls down for a nap.

I saw these Keens in my Athleta catalog yesterday. Does anyone have any experience with them? I do have a pair of Keen maryjanes that I like, but I am wondering how waterproof/practical they are. They look cute on the model, (and I love her socks too!!), but I didn't want to pay that much for a pair of boots. However, if I can get more than one season of use out of them, for as much as I would use them, it may be worth it to spend more. I like the zipper and the toggle in the back. I like that they are a bit higher than clogs (to keep snow out), but aren't lace-ups or something else that would take several minutes to get on. Hmmmm.

http://www.athleta.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=4697&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=keen

Thanks.

j

[MontrealMum]

I think they are very cute (they're quite similar to my old Hush Puppies) but I would wonder how waterproof they are (lots of suede boots are) and how warm they are. Warmth is a huge issue for me because of where I live and how much walking I do. The socks are by SmartWool - which are my faves for winter! I've never owned Keens, but I've heard good things about their shoes at least.

[jenmcadams]

I have an old version of what I think is the Keen Vail snow boot...no where near as cute as what you found. Just wanted to comment that while I love my Seatlle MJs (I have 2 pair), I didn't find the boots to be quite as comfy as the MJs. For some reason they hit me on my calf lower than I would like and they often irritated by calf. Also, they're a little tighter than I was used to b/c I tend to wear bulkier socks in winter (I normally go sockless in the Seattles) and I have a little bit of a wide boot.

I hadn't responded to your thread initially b/c my boots are pretty utilitarian, but since you asked about those Keens in particular I thought I would let you know what I thought fit-wise with the Keen boots I have