We had stock issues with the Danner Arctic 600 Side Zip for Men and Women, our old choice for walking on ice. While we still love this shoe, we decided to reject it in favor of focusing our guide on more snow specific boots, instead of hikers. However, if you think about it, we don’t think you will be disappointed.

We had high hopes for the men and women of Baffin Canada, but the fit was bad. There was a significant amount of heel lift for all of our testers which made them difficult to wear.

LLBean snow boots for men and women are rain boots disguised as snow boots. The fit around the foot is loose, like a rain boot, and the tread pattern has no studs.

Columbia Heavenly Slip II and Shorty Omni-Heat have the same foot shape as our choice, the Columbia Heavenly Omni-Heat, but without the laces and the height of the high upper, there is less ability to keep snow out. in your shoe. your pants.

The Columbia Minx Mid III is similar to the Columbia Heavenly. The differences, according to a Columbia representative, “relate to the rivets and aglets, and the subtle design changes.” We chose the Heavenly because you can tell just by holding it that the build feels more solid.

The number one best-selling women’s snow boot on Amazon, the Columbia Ice Maiden II, is one size fits all for everyone, making it looser at the foot and calf, even with heavy-duty lace-up tightening. There was no traction benefit, and it’s more of a warm boot-like shoe. Ditto for GlobalWin Waterproof Winter Boots, “Amazon’s Choice” at time of publication for “Women’s Short Winter Boots”. The handle is not very high and the snow collar does nothing. And they had the worst traction of any boot we tested (imagine plastic on the ice).

The North Face Chilkat III is a kind of snow boot, a kind of hiker. But it’s bigger than other hikers, shorter than our top pick for snow, and it costs more too.

The North Face Shellista II’s foot didn’t suit our testers as well as the Heavenly, and it also doesn’t have the studs that give this shoe traction.

The lining of the LaCrosse Outpost II is so soft. Sometimes equipment editors say stupid things like, “That boot looks like it’s stepping on marshmallows!” But it is certainly true in this case. And while we liked that about this boot, the fit was incorrect. The ankle was very soft and the boot itself is huge.

The Sorel 1964 Pac 2 boots for men and women have rain resistant soles and are slippery in the snow. The same goes for Joan of Arctic women and Tofino II women. Sorel Women’s Tivoli IV only uses 100 grams of insulation and is not warm enough for the winter.

The Kamik Sienna 2 boots are cute but don’t have any nervous traction like the Sorel Caribou or Columbia Heavenly boots.

Critics love the Bearpaw Elle, and the pair we’re testing look like a UGG out of the box, at less than half the price. But first, it should be noted that Fakespot gave this particular list a “D”, which drops the Elle rating to 1.5 stars. Either way, we are concerned about the liner. The website says it’s a “sheepskin and wool blend,” but it feels mostly synthetic. We are convinced that very quickly it will become matted and pounded, and after about a season of use it will start to smell. We know this because we’ve tested dozens of boots and slippers like this one. If you want a pair of boots in this style and want them to last longer than a season, we recommend going with the UGG boyshort.

The men’s Arctic Excursion Mid Muck Boot, also an old pick, didn’t have the same level of grip as our new pick, the Arctic Ice Mid Muck Boot.

We didn’t test a pair of Steger Mukluks because the price was even higher than the Uggs, and you have to waterproof them yourself. The Uggs are already coated and ready to wear.