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Columbia has phased out the Heavenly boot series; we’re currently testing alternatives. Waterproof Work Boots
Snow and freezing rain can turn a typical grocery-store trip or post-office visit into a slippery, cold, wet affair for your feet.
You may encounter dry pavement, wet pavement, packed snow, fluffy snow, chunky ice, black ice, wet ice, slush, a slick cocktail of oil and grit, or some combination of all of these things.
After 125 hours of research and in-the-snow trials wearing 30 pairs of boots, we picked a variety of options to help you navigate the ever-changing underfoot topography of winter.
There are several top performers, including some traditional lace-up winter boots for men and women and a more-modern design that treads easily atop fresh snow.
We have recommendations for slip-ons that provide better-than-average traction in ice and snow. (If you spend a lot of time on ice, however, adding ice cleats to one of these picks can boost traction.)
There’s a snow slipper, for winter driving or air travel, and a plush, wool-lined leather boot that functions better, overall, than anything else we tried.
We researched and tested designs intended for light outdoor activity in places that are cold enough to see snow. That means shoveling the driveway, walking an outdoor mall in the winter, or getting from your car to the office. We tested for functionality, not style.
Eve O’Neill researched and wore boots for Wirecutter for almost six years. In that time, she tested footwear in two regional floods (both of which involved boat evacuation), during the fourth-largest snowfall since record-keeping began in the Lake Tahoe basin, and in spring in the Teton Valley of Idaho, a place where mud has its own season.
These offer the best combination of performance on the most types of cold-weather surfaces—from icy driveways to snow-packed fields—that we’ve found.
The Kamik Nation Plus (men’s sizes) will keep your feet warm and dry during light outdoor activity in the snow, like shoveling the driveway or walking from the car to the office.
The Nation Plus has better than average traction, for three reasons. It has a nubby tread pattern that grips chunky ice, a wide base that provides support on smooth surfaces, and a comfortable fit that keeps the ankle stable on fresh snow. The “speed lacing” system, a feature borrowed from the realm of hiking boots, helps with that—it can lace tighter than traditional D-rings. Neither the Baffin Canada nor the L.L.Bean Snow Boots nor the LaCross Outpost II fit as well as the Nation Plus.
It’s rated to -40 °F/-40 °C. In our testing, we found the Nation Plus provided ideal warmth for casual activity—not too hot, not too cold. Advertised temperature ratings are a guess, not gospel: They don’t account for the activity you’re doing, for how long you’re doing it, or for your individual metabolism. But our testers’ subjective opinions (out in the cold they went, with no idea how warm the boots were!) consistently aligned with the ratings. The 40/40 mark was perceived by all as comfortably warm.
It’s waterproof, with lower-leg weatherproofing. A great snow boot is not only waterproof around the base but will lace up tall over your pants to keep water (and snow) out. With a shaft height of 11½ inches, the Kamik will cover more of your pant leg than many other boots we tested. The interior liner is also removable, which can help the interior dry faster.
Sorel’s original design, the Caribou, is a better snow boot than most, and it excels in wetter, slushier weather.
Sorel’s original design, the Caribou, is a better snow boot than most, and it excels in wetter, slushier weather.
The Sorel Caribou Boot, which comes in men’s and women’s sizes, is great for warmer winters that go through a lot of freeze and thaw cycles.
This boot has several weatherproofing features. The impervious rubber sole lifts you almost an inch and a half above the ground, which keeps feet warm and dry by physically removing you from the slush. The tongue is gusseted (sewn to the sides of the boot) all the way to the top of the snow collar, a rarity (not even the Kamik is sewn this high). The shaft laces high and tight, and the Caribou has its own sort of speed lacing, composed of four sets of fat, exterior D-rings that allow laces to slide with little friction; this will help you get the boot on and off your foot with less effort. Finally, the snow collar prevents flakes from entering.
It has traction similar to our top pick. It has a wide surface area underfoot, a nubby lug pattern that grabs onto chunky ice, and a proper fit. Though the sole can feel clunky, the boot still fits well. Several other boots we tried didn’t: Either the heel lifted or the ankle had no support, and both of those issues can cause a foot to slide while you’re walking on snow.
Testers reported warm feet while wearing them. Like the Kamik, the Caribous are rated to -40 °F/-40 °C. The liner is synthetic, but you can get a version of the boot with a wool liner, which doesn’t trap odor the way synthetic materials can.
Ugg can be a polarizing brand, but testing doesn’t lie: This boot was more functional and comfortable in winter weather than anything we tried. The main drawback is the price.
The Adirondack III is the women’s equivalent to the Butte, only with a different rubber sole and better lugs. Similarly, the big drawback is the price.
If you’re willing (and able) to pay a lot for a boot, you’ll get something lighter, cozier, and more flexible than anything else we tested. If the Sorel Caribou is the F-150 of winter boots, the Ugg Adirondack III (in women’s sizes) and its counterpart the Ugg Butte (in men’s sizes) are the Land Rover.
These boots are easy to walk and drive in. When a boot fits like a worn-in leather shoe—as these Uggs both do—it moves easier. When a snow boot has this additional flexibility, walking and driving are simpler. The boots also feel less heavy and obtrusive on your feet.
Ugg’s trademark wool lining makes these boots so functional. The Adirondack III and the Butte both come with the lining rolled down, but you can roll it up—up to 11 inches—to create the tall shaft we required of all our snow boots. The fact that it’s wool means you’ll get years of wear without experiencing any sign of odor. (Notably, on the women’s boot, the upper part of the liner is a synthetic material, but the lining around the foot is wool.)
The fluffy liner provides warmth and a luxurious feel. These boots are rated down to only -32 °C (less than what was generally considered warm enough), yet testers reported having toasty, happy feet.
The snug fit enables good traction. The wide, flat sole plants firmly against smooth ice, the nubby lugs grip textured ice, and the close fit of the lining provides stability. Those are the features that provided the best traction and stability for all our picks, and the combination of all three means this boot is as stable as any we tested.
The men’s Butte has a different rubber and tread pattern than the women’s Adirondack. That said, the lugs on the women’s boot are better, able to bite into and around ice that has a lot of texture. A tall version of the Adirondack III is also available.
Think of this as a modern moccasin—the snug foot and flexible ankle make walking through snow, and walking in general, light and easy. However, they’re not as warm as our other picks.
Note: Columbia told us that it’s discontinuing the Heavenly line; we’re testing replacements. You may still be able to find the Heavenly in some sizes.
The Columbia Heavenly Omni-Heat (Women’s) is a great option for driving and running errands around town—not so much for extended time outside or in icy conditions
It’s light, form-fitting, and flexible. The snug foot makes this boot wear almost like a slipper, and the tall, tightly laced shaft and faux fur snow collar keep fluffy stuff out. Plus, these boots are much easier to drive in than boots with a stiff leather exterior.
It has better traction. A nearly identical boot, the North Face Shellista II, didn’t grip as well because the foot was looser. This boot has a tread pattern that’s more pronounced than others (such as Columbia’s own Ice Maiden II), and the Heavenly had better stability on every surface we walked on, other than ice.
We tried the Kamik Sienna 2, but it doesn’t have a tread pattern that provides any help on slick surfaces. And we also tried the GlobalWin Waterproof Winter Boot, but the flaws were many, including a sole so slippery that no tester would set foot on ice without holding onto something.
A neoprene boot coated in thick rubber from top to bottom, this is a classic mud and farm work boot, adapted for winter conditions. However, we wouldn’t take this pair out in deep snow—at least not without layering a tall waterproof gaiter over the open cuff.
A neoprene boot coated in thick rubber from top to bottom, this is a classic mud and farm work boot, adapted for winter conditions. However we wouldn’t take them out in deep snow—at least not without layering a tall waterproof gaiter over the cuff.
The Muck Boot Arctic Ice Mid, available in women’s and men’s sizes, are great for people who are always in and out of the house in the winter—shoveling, taking out the trash, visiting the neighbors—and therefore always pulling boots on and off.
The rubber traction performed the best on smooth ice. Every boot we tested for this guide had some sort of “winterized rubber” sole, similar to how different rubber compounds are used on automotive snow tires. Winter rubber can stay softer at lower temperatures, and soft rubber is grippy rubber. However, very few soles provided a noticeable difference in traction at all on smooth ice, except the Arctic Ice Mid and the Danner Arctic. Both have lugs made from Vibram Arctic Grip rubber, which stays soft in cold temps and has a texture like a cat’s tongue.
And it now has fleece lining! The Arctic Ice model that we tested was made of neoprene without any additional insulation (the neoprene did the insulating). The Arctic Ice now has a fleece lining in addition to the neoprene for warmth and comfort. It has an outer shell of hard rubber—like a rain boot—so it won’t fit as precisely as some more traditional boots, like the Kamik or Sorel boots, but the shell allows more movement in the foot. That makes this boot much easier to slip on and off for quick entries and exits than the lace-up Danner.
The exceptional rubber mitigates the less-precise fit of this loose boot. Typically, foot movement causes some instability on ice and snow. In this case, the rubber returns much of the traction lost by the fit, and in a noticeable way. It also feels durable enough to last a lifetime.
The faux fur on this slip-on boot sets it apart—the warmth, the cozy sensation, and even the additional stability it provides make it worth recommending.
The Bogs Arcata Boot is a cozier slip-on that will still keep you stable and dry while you are shoveling and running errands.
All of that faux fur makes the Bogs Arcata pair warm, cozy, and a better fit than any other slip-on boot we tried.
This boot has surprisingly good traction. What you gain in convenience with rubber, slip-on snow boots you sometimes lose in ankle stability (which really impacts traction). In the case of the Bogs Arcata, the faux fur lining helps address that issue. In this case, the faux fur lining goes all the way over the toes. It makes an all-rubber boot, which can feel loose around the feet, fit more snugly and therefore behave more stably on loose snow, packed snow, and chunky ice. In addition, the tread is beefy with wide channels, both of which also improve traction.
It feels warm. And it should, since it's rated to -58° F/-50° C, the warmest of our picks. Most of our choices in this guide aren’t made for such cold temperatures.
It’s easy to dismiss these boots since people wear them year-round, but there’s nothing better for winter travel, winter driving, or après-ski.
It’s easy to dismiss these boots since people wear them year-round, but there’s no better boot for winter travel, winter driving, or après-ski.
The Ugg Classic Short Boot (men’s) and the Ugg Classic Short II Boot (women’s) are easy to drive or fly in, and cozy and warm enough to be an end-of-the-day slipper once you get where you’re going.
Hate them or love them, Uggs are comfortable. They’re flexible and therefore easy to drive in and comfortable to wear on the plane.
They’re also functional. They’re treated to be weather-resistant, and lined with real wool that will not stink after a few uses. That’s the perfect combination of features for post-skiing or -snowshoeing, when you need to change out of wet boots, get damp feet warm, then probably drive somewhere.
We focused on winter “pac boots,” a term that broadly refers to a style of winter boot with a big, waterproof rubber base that encases most of the exterior foot. These are the features we looked for:
Waterproofing: We started with requiring a waterproof sole, but we also chose boots that had tall shafts, about 8 to 10 inches. They keep snow out! We also looked for boots with snow collars, which line the opening of the boot and keep snow from falling in or clinging to your leg.
(Though we didn’t test them, you can also pair waterproof gaiters with your boots if you’re going to be out in deep snow for a while, and you want to keep snow from entering through the top of the cuff.)
Warmth: We chose to test boots that use around 200-gram insulation in their design. That means one square meter of insulating material weighs 200 grams. Such boots should keep your feet warm while active for one to two hours. Stationary warmth typically requires 400-600 grams of insulation.
Traction: The shapes and materials of boot soles perform differently when you’re walking on packed snow, dry snow, crunchy ice, smooth ice, dry ice, wet ice, or something in between. Our testers rated traction on every one of those different surfaces.
Though sticky, winter-specific rubber gets all the attention, we discovered there are four ways a boot can gain and improve traction on snow and ice:
Style options: Laces achieve a better fit and a lot of traction, and that makes a good ice boot and a good walking shoe. Slip-ons are functional for going in and out of the house 10 times a day. So we chose a few of each, and if a shoe somehow integrated both functions, even better.
Cost: We haven’t spoken to a single friend, colleague, or acquaintance who bought their boots at full price, unless it was an intentional fashion purchase. For that reason, we chose not to define a price bracket for this guide because we think it’s likely you can get a deal. It seemed more important to find what worked, and then discuss why.
We were having some stock issues with the Danner Arctic 600 Side Zip for men and women, our former pick for walking on ice. While we still like this boot, we’ve decided to dismiss it in favor of concentrating our guide on more snow-specific boots, instead of hikers.
We had high hopes for the men’s and women’s Baffin Canada, but the fit was off. There was a significant amount of heel lift for all our testers that made them hard to wear.
The L.L.Bean Snow Boots for men and women are rain boots masquerading as snow boots. The fit around the foot is loose, like on a rain boot, and the tread pattern doesn’t have any lugs.
Columbia Heavenly Slip II and Shorty Omni-Heat have the same snow-friendly foot shape as our pick, the Columbia Heavenly Omni-Heat, but without the laces or tall shaft height, there is less ability to keep snow out of your boot and off your pants.
The Columbia Minx Mid III is similar to the Columbia Heavenly. The differences, according to a Columbia rep, “relate to the rivets and aglets, and subtle changes in design.” We chose the Heavenly because you can tell just by holding it that the construction seems more solid.
The number one best seller for women’s snow boots on Amazon, the Columbia Ice Maiden II, is very one-size-fits-all, making it looser in the foot and calf, even with a robust tightening of the laces. There was no traction advantage, and it’s more of a warm shoe that looks like a boot.
Same for the GlobalWin Waterproof Winter Snowboots. The shaft is not very tall, and the snow collar doesn’t do anything. And they had the worst traction of every boot we tested (imagine plastic on ice).
The foot on the North Face Shellista II didn’t fit our testers as well as the Heavenly, and it doesn’t have the lugs that give that boot traction, either.
The lining of the LaCrosse Outpost II is so, so squishy. Sometimes gear writers say dumb things like, “This boot feels like walking on marshmallows!” But that’s definitely true in this case. And though we liked that about this boot, the fit was off. The ankle was very soft, and the boot itself is huge.
The Sorel 1964 Pac 2 boots for men have rain-boot treads and are slippery in snow. The same goes for the women’s Joan of Arctic and women’s Tofino II.
Sorel women’s Tivoli IV uses only 100 grams of insulation and are not warm enough for winter.
The Kamik Sienna 2 boots are cute but have no nubby traction like the Sorel Caribou or the Columbia Heavenly boots.
Reviewers love the Bearpaw Elle, and the pair we’re testing look and feel just like an Ugg out of the box, at less than half the price. But first, it should be noted that Fakespot gave this particular listing a “D”, which effectively knocks the Elle rating down to 1.5 stars. Either way, we’re concerned about the lining, which the website states is a “shearling and wool blend,” but it feels more like a synthetic and may smell and become pilled after a season.
The Men’s Muck Boot Arctic Excursion Mid, also a former pick, didn’t have the same level of grip as our new pick, the Muck Boot Arctic Ice Mid.
We didn’t test a pair of Steger Mukluks because the price was even higher than that of the Uggs, and you have to waterproof them yourself. The Uggs come already coated and ready to wear.
For fall and winter 2023–24, we’re looking to test some new models from Kamik and Columbia.
This article was edited by Ria Misra and Christine Ryan.
Eve O'Neill is a former senior staff writer reporting on travel and outdoors at Wirecutter. She can remember the titles on her childhood bookshelf that set her in this direction: Into Thin Air, On The Road, The Call of the Wild. She has always been drawn to ideas about how to relate to, and play in, the wilderness.
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