GearFlogger

Feathered Friends Down Booties

They say you shouldn't kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. We say bag that honker, stuff him into some ripstop nylon and make a nice pair of socks. Great minds think alike, and Feathered Friends has come up with the ultimate down camp booties named, after a worldwide branding talent competition, wait for it... Down Booties!

Quality and design set these booties apart. They use only the highest quality 800+ down, 4oz fill weight in a pair for a total weight of 10oz for men's medium (sizes 8-10). Design is top-notch: the inner bootie is basically a down sock with a waterproof sole and snaps at the cuff that allow you to choose three degrees of snugness. The outer bootie is a nylon shell with a Schoeller waterproof/breathable rand, two drawcords at the ankle and cuff, and a thin but surprisingly effective foam insert footbed.

The shell plus insulation layer design essentially mimics what you would wear on the rest of your body, and on Denali we found it proved versatile and performed great. We couldn't wait to park our dogs in these booties after humping all day and making camp. At night we'd slip off the shells and use the inners in the sleeping bag. If you want to get all Stevie House you could bring just the inners, and replace the inner boot on your mountaineering boots for camp use, assuming they're double boots. The down inners only weigh 5.2oz for the pair. Great kit from a great company.

$85.00 at Feathered Friends

Merrell Winterlude 6 women's boots

OK, I'll give it up: cool name for a cool - but dry, warm kind of cool - women's boot from Merrell. The Winterlude 6 is a waterproof winter boot that makes snow days into sporting days.

The Winterlude helps you stay light on your feet at 2.5lb for a pair. The molded thermoplastic urethane and leather uppers are notched for snowshoe straps,and the EVA midsoles, Ortholite footbeds and Air Cushion heel pockets ensure easy striding in hard conditions. The insides have a special anti-skank treating, and the padded tongue and collar spread the lace pressure evenly.

The Winterlude is serious about toasting your tootsies, with Polartec 200 insulation over 200g of PrimaLoft insulation. To top it off, the Active Heat insoles feature some kind of magic silver lining to prevent conductive heat loss to the cold, cold ground. What's it all add up to? A -25F comfort rating that will ring true for most women. Add a pair of gaiters for deep snow and you're good to go.

$110.00 at REI

Sierra Designs DriZone down bootie

Cold feet are never a good idea, and what a lot of people don't know is that they are contagious. For example, if the SheFlogger's feet are cold, you can be sure that you will also be miserable. This is one of those times where a bootie call is actually good preventive medicine.

Sierra Designs puts out with the DriZone waterproof down booties. The DriZones are lightweight and reasonably compact, they have a burly rubberish sole with decent traction and the seams are sealed. There are cords to snug up the ankle and the cuff, and a pull loop to assist entry. The footbed is not removable, but they're not so bulky that they don't work in a sleeping bag. The 700 down fill is sufficient for three season use by people with normal thermostats.

The waterproof feature works for light exposure. You don't want to go wading or anything, but for wet grass, snow and such you'll be allright as long as you're not postholing around. Breathability is good, so unless you're a sweaty footed beast your feet will remain dry. All in all, the DriZone is not a deep-winter all-conditions bootie, but it also doesn't have that kind of price tag. For all-season cabin wear and outdoor three season use by people with somewhat normal thermostats the DriZone works great, and it won't break the bank.

$69.00 at REI

La Sportiva Gandalf approach shoe

Let me just say I think Gollum would have been a cooler name for La Sportiva's new approach shoe, especially since he climbs like 5.18 or something. So he kills midgets and other small game, even a mutant has gotta eat, right? Anyway, it's weird, they didn't ask me so we've got the Gandalf.

I've had mixed luck with the approach shoe category. They are either too much like a rock shoe or not enough. That's changed with the Gandalf: it fits like a glove, laces to the toes and with a combination of slip and board lasting it smears and edges well enough to work your way up 5.10 or beyond, depending on ability of course.

It also hikes comfortably. The dot pattern tread is not so deep that it collects too much mud, but is just featured enough to provide decent scrambling. Bring a brush to clean 'em up at the base of the climb and you're all set. The Gandalf can definitely replace a hiking shoe/rock shoe combo for easy to mid difficulty multi-pitch and big wall climbs with big walk offs.

All approach shoes have to trade off durability of the sole for friction purposes, but the Gandalf is designed to be resoled. With Sportiva's Italian-made quality this shoe deserves consideration, even if the price tag would make Gollum blink. Guides and other climbers who work as much as they play in the vertical world will rejoice.

$215 at Moosejaw

Stuffitts Shoe Savers

Everyone knows Stinky McClimber. His shoes smell like ass, and his attempt to treat the situation with humor usually devolves to "does anyone smell cookies?" It's his shoes, man. So tell him to Stuffitt.

The clever business model of Stuffitts is paying money to not vomit on a regular basis. Simple in design, Stuffitts come in four sizes and feature two cedar-chip filled shoe-shaped inserts connected by a removable leash. The cedar chips are removable in their own inner bag, so you can zip them out and wash the outer skankiness-wicking cover.

You wash everything you're wearing after a sweatfest, except your shoes. To give your doghouse a little love just cram some Stuffitts in. The cedar smells good and is not overpowering, and they really do take the ass out. Shoes dry noticeably faster and smell way better. A great gift for your dirtbag climber friends. Replacement cedar inserts run $9.95 a pair, not so bad given the bennies.

$24.95 at Stuffitts

RBH Designs VaprThrm insulated sock

UPDATE FROM 3/11/2009. OK, I'm going to try and put this in a way that even I will understand. RBH Designs makes vapor barrier clothing. The VB theory is simple: put an impermeable membrane - some people just use plastic bread bags - between your skanky, poisonous skin and the insulation layer.

Two things happen: first, sweat doesn't get into your insulation layer, so it remains dry and keeps you warm. Second, once the skin covered by the VB gets humid enough it stops sweating, preventing evaporative heat loss. The most popular VB products appear to be socks and sleeping bag liners. People who have tried VB products either swear by them or swear at them.

I finally tried for myself with RBH's VaprThrm insulated sock (he hates vowels!). Much less fitted than a normal sock it has a soft inner lining, a VB membrane and a fleece outer. They seem too thin to work, but after wearing them inside a plastic ski boot in single digit temps they kept my feet plenty warm with no other sock on. The main complaint most people have is that their feet get too wet with all that sweat being held in. I'm a light sweater, and I didn't have that problem: my feet were barely damp, no standing water at all.

After my initial positive experience I gave them a shot on Denali, and that's where I ran into a major problem. They still proved warm and not too damp, but I got some nasty blister lines along the stitches on my shin. A little mole skin solved the problem, but I can't recommend these as a stand-alone sock for serious mountaineering use. RBH also has a bonded VB sock with no vertical seams that would require an outer sock. Those might do the trick, and I'll try to get those reviewed next season.

$36.00 at RBH Designs

La Sportiva Olympus Mons boot

It's not true that mountaineers have to take off their boots to count to ten. OK, maybe sometimes it's true. If you want absolute certainty that all your little piggies will be there to count on you need to go big with a true 8,000 meter boot, and La Sportiva's Olympus Mons is the state of the art.

The Mons uses the same inner boot as the Spantik. The lacing system simply can't be beat, using velcro tabs at the end of an improbably thin zig-zag lacing system. Where the Spantik goes with a different system for the outer boot, the Mons uses the same system on both inner and outer boots. It just does not slip, and anyone who has ever fought with their laces at altitude will be instantly converted to this new system.

Even better, no overboot is required, even on Denali. The Mons tips the scales at 6lb per pair, size 43. That's lighter than most double boots that do require an overboot; even the Spantik weighs in at just an ounce and a half less for a pair at the same size. And yes, I actually weighed the them side by side. Add in the overboot, which is recommended for the Spantik on Denali, and you're looking at another pound-and-a-half at least.

Performance is paramount, of course, and the Mons shines here as well. The boot took a pair of automatic Sabretooth crampons no problem. On vertical ice, not its intended application, the Mons climbs extremely well due to the great shin support; you can really drop your heels and engage your secondary points while the boot takes some of the strain off your calves. That same stiffness makes it a slow walker, and your shins may feel it during the break-in. Not as nimble as the Spantik, especially for edging rock, the Mons is nevertheless a great frontpointer. That's good news because we'll be taking it up Denali shortly via the West Rib; more on that later. As usual for La Sportiva, foot volume is snug so you may need to go a size up.

$900.00 at Zappos

Salomon Tundra -40F Boot

I have something very painful to admit, but this time it doesn't require penicillin. Brace yourself: I used to wear moon boots. To those of you who don't know what those are, I have one thing to say: get off my lawn.

Those of us experienced in the wearing of moon boots in arctic conditions know one thing: there is no way in hell those things kept astronauts' feet warm on the moon. We were deceived! Luckily we have more options these days, and at the top of that list should be Salomon's Tundra boot. Here's the skinny: mid/high length, nice furry cuff, basic reliable lug lacing system, waterproof, binding-ready with rubber nubs on the heel and oh-so-light at 3lb/pair. Fit is snug, so go up a half-size.

-40F? At 3lb? True, true. The secret: Salomon's evil engineers went to Disneyland, captured Tinkerbell and forced her into a captive breeding program to produce hordes of fairies. They then ground these little bastards up, branded the resulting mixture as Aerogel and insulated the boot with it. Result: I had no problem comfortably trekking about at -20F with only a thin liner sock, and I know it can go colder. Thanks Tink!

$143.96 (on sale from $159.95) at Backcountry

Salomon Deemax Dry Winter Boots

Deee-Lite says the groove is in the heart. True, true, but the warmth is in the feet if you're wearing Salomon's Deemax Dry winter boots. When I was a kid I was stuck with moon boots and let's just say they weren't as cool as Napoleon Dynamite made them seem. The Deemax is a handsome boot that outperforms its own specs, and once you wear them you'll settle for nothing less.

The Deemax Dry tips the scales at just over 2lb and is comfort rated to +20F thanks to 200g of Thinsulate. Temperature ratings are highly variable, but I tend to run a bit cold and yet I had no problem with these boots down into single digits. In fact, I normally wear them with just a liner sock because they're so warm. They breathe very well thanks to the snow-shedding waterproof welded soft shell.

The Contagrip sole is lugged, grippy and stable and the speed lace system zips them right up. If you've felt the bite from these thin laces on Salomon's trail runners, have no fear: the padded tongue on the Deemax evenly distributes the pressure and is quite comfy. There's even a power strap that provides noticable extra stability when cinched down. There's a nice cut in the achilles tendon area that allows the foot to slide in fairly easily even though they don't open super far. That's good because the Deemax seems to run a bit small. Go a full size larger if you can't try them on before ordering, especially if you have high-volume sausage feet or like to wear thick socks.

$130.00 at REI

Point6 Wool Socks

I generally prefer synthetics to wool for bodywear, but I am a zealot about wool socks to swaddle my dogs. The critical difference is that feet sweat, and cold weather boots generally don't breathe well enough to keep up with the wicking process. That means your socks will get wet, and the beauty of wool is that it retains a lot of insulating value when wet.

Point6 is a new company out of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and they are passionate about wool socks. But I don't care about any of that. What I care about is getting a quality product for a reasonable price. And if you've ever gotten sticker shock buying three pairs of wool socks at a retail store, you'll appreciate the Point6 online-only sales model that delivers their socks significantly below bricks-and-mortar prices.

But what about quality? After a month of hard wear and excessive washing I can vouch for their durability. I wear slides a lot, and some of my socks cry uncle from all the chafing at the heel. No sign of wear in the Point6 socks, and no shrinkage in the wash. Plus the company is all eco-minded, blah-blah-blah. They've got quite the lineup; do your feet and your wallet a favor and check them out.

Various prices at Point6