Casual boots for European winters

I like both Rieker and Bogs. My flat Rieker boots are the absolute best in all sorts of weather.

I have been very happy with my Blundstone boots. I have worn them through all kinds of weather, including heavy rain, snow, sleet, ice in the Boston area. While I haven't worn them on vacation in Europe, I do a lot of walking and take public transportation to/from work in the Boston area and wish I had gotten these boots years earlier.

Pay attention to MnAnnie's recommendations. Here in MN we know boots. We wear them at least 1/2 the year.

A second vote for Blundstone!!! They're great. I can walk miles in mine.

I love Ariat paddock boots for winter, with good socks they are very comfortable for all day touring. They make zipper models as well as laces and they claim waterproof for a lot of their models. I haven’t had to test whether that is true or not. They also hold up through the years quite well.

I’m currently in Europe and couldn’t be happier with the Ecco booties I bought. They are lightweight, waterproof, warm, have a really good tread, and most of all they are super comfortable. I haven’t worn the second pair of shoes I brought at all.
https://www.nordstrom.com/s/ecco-soft-7-waterproof-chelsea-boot-women/7142623?origin=category-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home%2FShoes%2FWomen%2FBooties&color=237

Check out a brand called Bos & Co. It's available at Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack. Quality made in Portugal. Their boots are well constructed (many are waterproof) and fashionable for Europe.

mnannie, I am looking at the Rieker boots and wondered which ones you have. The Paris model is calling my name….. but I am in the market for something for Norway in March. (Like Laura, I will have yaktrax handy for heavier snow and ice, but want room for warm socks.)

Before traveling to the Netherlands and Belgium in October, I bought a pair of Sketchers chelsea style boots that are water resistant and seem to have good traction. They were fine on wet cobblestones. I haven't yet tried them in ice or snow. I got them from DSW online.

Oooh thanks all! I’m not familiar with some of these brands (like Rieker) and will definitely check them out!

Another vote for Blundstone, all day long. They're practically uniform-issued where I live—an area that had brutal winters until the last few years.

Bonus for travel: Pull-ons, not lace-ups!

I like Sorel boots. I wore their Cheslea boots in Paris last January, when it was quite rainy.

Another vote for Blundstones! Last winter the girls took those as their only pair for our Christmas Market trip. I was torn, but ended up taking my Dromedaris Kara boots instead. I have the red color, and we just refer to them as my sassy boots and I get compliments all the time. I bought these back in 2015 the day before we left for Iceland, Denmark and Norway. No break in needed for me, they are fleece lined, and have decorative laces but zip up on the inside ankle. They look and feel just as good today, and they were my only pair of footwear on the girls trip last winter. I am taking them with me again in February to Iceland and Amsterdam.

My favorite pair of knee hi boots are Riekers---about 15 years old. Haven't thrown them out as I keep praying I'll discover a cobbler who will replace the non-leather section which has worn out. (Any good cobblers in Seattle? I'll be visiting soon)
I've also been happy with Rieker shoes and sandals.

Following this thread for a future winter trip.

Regarding all recommended brands here: I'd love to find some chelsea-type boots which are narrow in the heel, but have a roomy toebox. Anyone with narrow heels? How are these brands? It may be that the chelsea style is just too flexible for me---I do best with ankle laces or straps so boots are hard to find.
Thanks

CanAmCherie--That's me! Skinny heels/ankles, but like to have room in the toe box for my toes to dance;) The Dromadaris boots are a perfect fit for me. I wore them for over 2 weeks in Europe, right out of the box and a still loving them 8 years later. I wore them recently to give them another test run for our Feb trip as I wanted to see if the little heel would bother my new knee, and I was just fine.

mnannie, ditto what TexasTravemom said. When I first moved to Minneapolis 4 years ago, I bought a pair of Sorel boots at Nokomis, but they just aren't cutting it for me. I need something that fits better and works better for Duluth weather. So any details about boots would be helpful? Did you get yours at Benders?

My Rieker ankle boots are flat and have a side zipper. They are lined and warm. I got them at Benders last year.

I'm at basketball and hockey today, but I will see if I can find a picture of them tonight.

I’m breaking in a pair of Dansko Margowaterproof booties with a vibram sole. The look is similar to a Chelsea boot, but with a zipper rather than elastic on the sides. I have a wide foot and these are roomy and even accommodate my orthotics (or a heavy sock). Unlike my previous Danskos, the foot bed is supportive and springy like a sneaker, not stiff at all.

So far I’m loving them and hoping to make them my main footwear choice for Madrid and Paris in February.

Unfortunately, the Rieker boots I tried on at Benders were just a little too narrow for me, although I really liked them. I wound up buying a pair of Baffins Escalate X. They fit well, were comfortable and best of all they are waterproof AND packable! It has a toggle system that supports the boot when wearing it, but if you want to pack it up, just loosen the toggles and the top scrunches all the way down for packing. They were VERY lightweight. The pair together weighs around 3 lbs total, but they still seemed to support my foot very well with the toggle system.

Baffins is a Canadian company and Tundra-tested. I especially like that the boots have additional reinforcement on the bottom to avoid slippage. I really like them a lot. Here's a link if anyone wants to check them out: https://www.baffin.com/en-us/products/easew006

These aren't the Riekers I have, but the bottoms are similar. I like that they are flat because there is more surface for traction.

Mardee, when I saw Baffin boots at the store last winter I expected to buy them for cold weather boots, but the sizing didn't work for me. They are nice boots with the flat bottoms I like.

Thanks for all the pointers and tips! It’s tricky because there’s not much market for this kind of boot here so not many options to see and try on in person.

mnannie, you must have a narrower foot than me. I have a wide toebox and it's always an issue for me when buying shoes or boots. I did try on some Oboz boots that I really liked, but they were very stiff and heavy and I just couldn't deal.

Btw, I didn't see any chelsea-style Rieker boots at Benders like the ones you linked to, but I might keep checking back because I wouldn't mind having a short pair like that. Thanks!

TexasTravemom, there's a simple solution. Fly to Duluth, meet up with mnannie and me and we'll all go boot shopping! Or we could all head to the Twin Cities, which has many more opportunities for boot shopping, and meet up with members who live down there. Problem solved! 🤣

Mardee, perfect solution. I don’t have any plane tickets for February yet…🤣🤣

Thanks, Mikliz,
Do you size up and wear heavy socks with the Droms? I'll have to give them a try. They look great. Good to know the heels weren't an issue.

I mostly wear a 7.5 for shoes and casual boots, but I generally don't wear heavy socks. (Thinking I might need to if we get to Christmas markets.) I wore wool blend compression socks with my OBOZ Sykes shoes on our trip. I tried to buy 2 more pair of OBOZ Sykes (different colors--great prices at Steep and Cheap) but the 8s and 8.5 felt too narrow. I wonder if that's why they had so many extra of those colors... I'm very happy with my one pair of Sykes, and 2 pair of Bozemans as they both have a nicerounded toe box, but I feel I should get something heftier for winter travel.

I've done two December trips to Switzerland and lived in my Blundstones. They were perfect. (In deep snow I have North Face snow boots).

CanAmCherie--I did not size up. I can wear my smart wool socks in them just fine, but have not tried my Rototo socks.

re: heel:toe ratio in Blundstones— I'm always mindful of exactly this issues when trying on any shoes. (And when I try something 'wide' to fit the ball of my feet, my heels are swimming). The Bundstones work well, but that's a men's 11.5/45, so women's fit's might vary?

(Also, they're often sold in Australian sizing–so if you do look at them, be sure to know which system the size is presented in, and choose accordingly.)

Thanks. I guess I need to try Dromadaris and Blundstones. And, I may just have to start considering size 8 on a regular basis for closed shoes...

Coming back to report and say thank you for the help!

I ended up buying the Rieker Paris boot (https://rb.gy/gp44n5) on Amazon for my trip to Norway and loved it.

They were easy to get on and off (zipper), and comfy. My trip morphed from a 2 week trip to a 4 week trip, so I needed to use them as my primary walking shoe as well as for my snow/rain solution. (I did have a pair of Keen tennis shoes to alternate with, but the boots were actually my primary choice.) I wore them in 2 days of snow (including dog sledding) and a Sarajevo city tour that started in rain and ended in snow. On my 2 days of significant snow in Norway, I also used my Yaktrax (coil, not spikes).

I bought my regular size and 2 pr of smart wool socks would fit - I never tried my much thicker Irish wool socks. If I had to use them regularly outside in snow and really cold weather, they might not be warm enough but they were great for what I needed.

Bonus: They are blue - and I got compliments on how cute they were. Ha! Thanks to everyone!

Secret tips in Germany for real high-quality barefood shoes - also for winter conditions - are producer brands Leguano and Wildling. A friend has shoes of both brands and is walking a lot also in winter. She is really excited about them.

Besides online stores they have shops in major cities which are often well visited.