The Best Winter Boots is brought to you by a New York Times Wirecutter story after 125 hours of research and in-the-snow trials wearing 30 pairs of 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.
Best Winter Snow Boots for Men: Kamik Men’s Nationplus Boot $80 at Amazon.
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.
A boot that fits like a shoe: Ugg Adirondack III & Ugg Butte, both Men’s and Women’s.
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.
Best snow slipper: Ugg Classic Short Boot. They’re 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, and warm enough to be an end-of-the-day slipper once you get where you’re going
