[easyreview title=”Bogs Footwear Ladies Classic High Handles Boots” cat2title=”Apparel” cat2detail=”We will be doing a progressive review of these boots starting 10/29/2011, the star review will be filled in when the review is complete. ” ]
10/29/2011: We wear boots around the farm quite often – even at times when you might think the weather doesn’t call for it. But besides rain and snow, we always have a lot of muck to deal with, whether it’s walking into animal housing (they don’t use flush toilets, y’know…) or the aftereffects of precipitation leaving puddles and/or mud around the property. We also wear our boots when we are taking our goat herd for a walk on the property, and with the varied topography of our land, it’s important to have not only effective moisture protection, but also, excellent support and comfort. Over the past couple of years, we’ve been challenged to find all of those qualities in our boots. In fact, we’ve been kind of frustrated with it! So we were delighted to be asked by Bogs Footwear to “test-drive” some of their rugged, yet stylish boots. We each selected a pair, and I went for the Teal Ladies “Classic High Handles” boots. We’re going to be doing a progressive review of the boots – checking in periodically to talk about our thoughts on the boots as we wear them over time, and through different weather conditions.
We’ve had our boots for almost two weeks now, and right away, we were both really impressed. When I slipped them on, I loved how well they supported my feet, and I could tell that these were not going to be a problem when it comes to goat-walking time. That’s been a problem for me with my past boots – they would slip around quite a bit and cause friction issues, which also tended to pull my socks down. I have not been wearing snow-pants or coveralls in the winter, so perhaps that contributed to my problem, since I didn’t have a lot of bulk to hold things in place inside the upper (leg) part of the boot. But that’s not going to be an issue with these Bogs – they provide just enough room to slip on comfortably, without a huge cap between my leg and the boot upper. That also means that I won’t have issues when the snow gets deep, as I did last winter- I’d sometimes end up with snow down inside my boot, which is a huge problem when you are going to do chores and will be dealing with soakers in that cold! But these Bogs snug close enough to my calf (without being tight and uncomfortable) that I’m not worried.
The first time we wore the boots out, we both commented on how happy we were to be able to walk through the rain and across our lawn, which tends to act like a sponge, and not get damp or outright wet feet. The rubber on the bottom portion keeps the water out, but so does the Neoprene up top – which keeps that area flexible, too, which is really nice.
The Neo-Tech insulation has kept my tootsies warm so far, but of course, I am waiting to see what happens when the really bitter temperatures hit, too. I do tend to wear wool socks in the winter, so that helps not only with keeping me warm, but also, helping my feet to breathe, too. These Bogs include an “Aegis” anti-microbial odor protection insole, so even if my feet do sweat a bit, it sounds like I won’t end up with the smell of rotten cheese feet emitting from the boots, which is a relief! Ha!
These boots are great if you are in a hurry, too, because they slip on and off quite easily. I’m not known for being exactly easy on my footwear, especially here on the farm, and so far, these boots still look great – if I rinsed off the stray bits of hay and straw clinging to the rubber bottom portion, they’d likely be passable as new from the box. I realize that <two weeks time is not a particularly lengthy test drive, but I have had other boots that already started looking worn by now, so this is a good sign. I’ll be checking back in periodically over the next few months to discuss the boots further. So far, they are great!
11/7/2011: This should be of special concern to anyone using these boots on a farm. You’re probably wondering, “Oh sure, they’re warm, dry and comfortable, but how hard is it to scrape poop off of the bottom when you’ve stepped in some?”
And the answer is: super easy. It’s like these things have Teflon soles or something.
Laugh all you want, this is a really practical concern for anyone who has livestock! ;D
We have been compensated for this review insofar that we received a complimentary pair of the boots to test out and provide our honest opinion on. We strive to provide a credible, straightforward review on any item, whether we receive it gratis or paid for it ourselves.
Related Images:
