A Guide to Snow Boots

Montana is very well known for snowy, cold and frequently muddy weather. For this reason, having a good boot that works well in a wide variety of winter weather conditions is critical for anyone who spends lots of time outside during the winter months, here in Montana or elsewhere. Since I live in Montana, I thought it appropriate to put up some information about snow boots that are ideal for people who need a good pair of boots for winter weather conditions in cold places, like Montana or anyplace else where winter weather strikes.

Popular Brands of Snow Boots

Sorel Boots : Sorel has an ever-growing amount of snow boots for men & women...many of which are "quite fashionable."

Baffin Boots : Baffin produces several styles of snow boots means for polar expeditions and extreme cold.

Popular Brands of Winter Boots

Columbia : Columbia has an extensive selection of winter boots available.

The North Face : North Face has a great selection of comfortable and functional winter boots.

See More Brands & Styles of Snow & Winter Boots

Snow Boot Articles

Snow Boots - Defined

Before going on, I thought it would be helpful to define exactly what are snow boots and what are winter boots. In the world of boots, these terms are often used interchangeably, despite the rather significant design and use differences between these two types of boots.

Snow boots are boots that are designed for both cold and snowy, wet conditions. As such, they are different from a typical winter boot that is only designed to keep your feet relatively warm. Snow boots differ from a winter boot in that snow boots are specifically designed for very cold weather, very deep snow and muddy conditions. In short, they have been designed to keep your feet both warm AND dry in all sorts of absolutely miserable conditions.

By contrast, the more common winter boot will generally do an admirable job of keeping your feet warm in cold weather. However, where the winter boot frequently fails is in keeping your foot dry. This isn't because the boot isn't waterproof...most good ones are. Instead, it happens because winter boots are either lower cut or lack a snow gator...thus allowing snow to work it's way inside the boot. This isn't an issue, obviously, if you don't wander around in deep snow. But if you do spend time in deep snow, this drawback of your typical winter-boot will quickly be noticed!

Snow Boot - Features

Snow boots have several features not commonly found on your more typical winter boot. These features include:

100% complete waterproofing - All too many winter boots of the world are just water resistent - not waterproof. Coming from experience, I can attest to the fact that there is a world of difference between waterproof boots and water resistant boots. Water resistant boots work just fine in mildly wet weather, but fail miserably when wandering through mud, deep snow or, worse yet, wet snow.

Snow Gator - A real good snow boot will have a snow gator as part of the design. A snow gator is basically something built into the boot that prevents snow (and thus water, once it melts) from getting down inbetween your foot and the boot.

Typically, snow gators come in two forms. The first form is a "built-in" gator that consists of furry insulation that snugs up tightly against the leg - thereby preventing snow from getting down into your boot. This type of snow gator works well in most instances, but isn't perfect all the time, particularly in very deep snow. However, due to the gator design, the boot is generally significantly easier to get into. The Sorel Caribou Boot uses this type of gator.

The second type of gator is the "pull-up" gator that consists of waterproof material that can be snugged up against the leg through the use of a drawstring. Once you have the boot on, you simply pull up the gator, tighten the draw string around your lower leg, and presto - you now have a gator that will keep out virtually all snow, regardless of how deep it is. This type of gator is used on the Sorel Conquest Boot.

Extended Boot Height - Snow boots are specifically designed for wandering around in deep snow. And when wandering around in deep snow, as a general rule, the higher the boot (within reason) - the better. In particular, snow boots will extend well above the ankle - generally higher than your typical workboot or hiking boot. The purpose of this extended height is to provide further protection against both cold and snow from entering the boot and thereby chilling the foot.

Rubber Bottom - Not all snow boots have this feature since a rubber bottom is not really needed in a true snow boot. However, if you need a boot that is both good in snow and a boot that will spend lots of time in actual water or deep mud, then a rubber bottom is mandatory. The rubber bottom of the boot not only provides 100% waterproof protection, it also makes cleaning up the boot and drying it (no small consideration if you use the boot every day) a snap. In general, if you spend day after day wandering around in the mud during the winter (such as doing construction work), get a rubber bottom snow boot. Sorel Caribou Boots are the most popular boot of this type.

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