Are you tired of always putting your big, heavy boots on for quick trips outside your tent?
Do you want something light and easy to keep your feet warm when camping in winter?
Snow and winter boots are great for moving in heavy snow and keeping your feet warm, but they’re pretty large and clunky most of the time.
If you want to quickly slip into something to keep your feet warm, you may want to consider booties.
But when you’re camping in cold weather, not just any booties will do.
You need the best down booties for winter camping.
The best down booties are well-insulated and easy to slip into. The bottom of the booties will have some tougher material to help keep them in good shape. Our picks include:
- Cabiniste Down Insulated Bootie
- Baosity White Goose Down Winter Camping Booties
- Holiberty Waterproof Cozy Down Warm Fleece Booties
- StarSource Warm Down Anti-Skid Insulated Boots
Look ahead for our brief buyer’s guide and specific reviews for each bootie.
Table of Contents
Booties Vs. Boots
What are booties?
Are booties just smaller boots?
No.
In winter camping, boots are the larger footwear with good durability, waterproofing, and provide a secure long-term walking shoe in snow.
Booties are like slippers for boots.
They provide warmth, but they’re a lot more comfortable and easier to slip on.
You don’t want to use booties as a replacement for boots, but you may not want to use booties for every situation.
Many winter campers keep their boots on for most of the day.
At night, they leave their boots off and slip into booties.
If they have to make quick trips outside, they simply slip on the booties.
Why Down Booties?
Down is the fluffy underlayer of feathers typically collected from goose or ducks.
These feathers aren’t designed to be tough or resist water.
That’s for the outer layer of feathers.
This inner layer is excellent at trapping heat and preventing the cold from getting in.
Down insulation has been a common material for staying warm for centuries.
It’s affordable, soft, comfortable, and warm.
The only drawback of down is what happens when it gets wet.
Down collapses and loses its insulating qualities.
This is why waterproofing is essential when using down for booties (see next section).
What To Look For In The Best Down Booties For Winter Camping
This section covers the features you need to consider when picking booties for camping in winter.
Use this info to help you decide which option may be the best for you.
Insulation
When cold-weather camping, you need some insulation to keep warm.
Insulation serves the dual purpose of trapping heat in and keeping the cold out.
Essentially, it serves as an all-stop for heat transfer in or out.
This is measured with R-value.
Learn about what R-value is for winter camping.
The higher the R-value, the better.
Down lining is a good insulator with a substantial R-value for its weight.
Waterproofing
Even though booties makers don’t design booties to be worn outside for long periods, you’ll probably want to wear them for quick trips to the bathroom and other things like this.
Untreated booties let water in quickly, and this is a big problem.
Down collapses when wet.
You’ll want some sound design and treatments on your booties to keep them dry.
You may want to check out how to dry clothes when winter camping.
Durability
Along the same lines as waterproofing, booties need some level of toughness or durability to them.
Yes, they’re supposed to be more flexible and comfortable, but you don’t want them to easily break or rip.
Look for thicker soles, especially, as this is the place booties, and all shoes will have problems first.
Easy Use
One of the main benefits of booties over boots is how easy they are to slip on.
If you wake up in the morning and need to go to the bathroom and back to bed, you don’t want to spend a lot of time putting the boots on.
Just slip the booties on and go.
Please pay attention to what users say about how easy they are to get on.
We also did this research for you and mentioned how well this feature is implemented.
Fit
Comfort is the other main benefit of booties over boots.
The softer exterior isn’t as durable, but it’s easier on your feet and ankles.
This is another one only actual users can help with.
Luckily, we did the work speaking with users and testing some out to see ourselves.
Specific features to look for include the ways the bootie secures at the top, such as:
- Buttons
- Drawstrings
- Elastic
- Straps
Look
Booties tend to look more fashionable than actual boots, though this isn’t always the case.
The look of the bootie isn’t a make or break feature in terms of usage, but if you want something with a specific look, check out different options.
Many of the products we love have different colors.
The best way to check out their looks is to click to check out the product on Amazon and then look at the colors yourself.
We do offer an example in each review of the overall design.
Review Of The Best Down Booties For Winter Camping
Here is where we’ll go over the features of each product and how they’ll affect you.
Keep all this information in mind when shopping and click the image or button to see more about the products.
Cabiniste Down Insulated Bootie
These booties by Cabiniste are made from duck down and provide a good example of what a bootie should be.
It’s stuffed with 100% duck feather and also includes a fleece lining for more warmth.
The exterior of the boot is polyester with some water-resistance.
The sole of the bootie has a 3/4″ foam insert for comfort and use nylon and polyester beads for better friction.
These booties are designed to be worn indoors, but they’ll do the job for outdoor wear on short trips.
The elastic fit at the top makes it easy to slip into.
They also include a snap for extra security.
Pros
- Cute look
- Very warm
- Comfortable to walk on
- Easy to slip on
Cons
- Don’t use in wet places
- Bottom may rip over time
Baosity White Goose Down Winter Camping Booties
Boasity’s camping booties are made for use with camping AND indoor wear.
The nylon exterior isn’t too tough, but it is flexible and comfortable.
It’s possible to wear these like a thick pair of socks and use them inside your normal boots.
It uses goose down for insulation, which does a good job of keeping your warm.
The nylon has been treated for water-resistance and does a good job of keeping water away from the down inside.
They use a drawstring at the top to seal out cold air and snow.
Pros
- Very comfortable and warm
- Protected from water
- Easy to wear and seal
- Even fits inside your boots
Cons
- May rip if worn outside too much
Holiberty Waterproof Cozy Down Warm Fleece Booties
There are some winter campers who won’t use their booties a ton.
So they may not want to spend a lot of money on quality booties.
That’s OK! You have to do what works for you.
These booties are low in price and have few features, but they’ll do the job.
They use a mixture of down and other manufactured materials to retain heat.
The polyester exterior is flexible and has some waterproofing.
Holiberty even uses some waterproof treatments.
The rubber soles actually do a good job of providing protection and durability.
They’re easy to slip on, but they don’t secure well.
Pros
- Low price
- Decently warm
- Durable
Cons
- Less comfortable
- Tends to slip off
StarSource Warm Down Anti-Skid Insulated Boots
This is another affordable bootie that uses a down mixture for insulation.
They provide some structure in their design by covering the heel.
This gives the bootie more durability while making it a little harder to slip on.
Star Source uses an adjustable to strap for securing the bootie.
This does a pretty good job.
A thickened and anti-skid sole makes it a safer bootie to walk in, but it’s still designed for indoor use first.
Quick trips out to the bathroom won’t be a problem when camping, but you don’t want to use this as a full boot replacement.
Pros
- Affordable
- Secure fit, safe for walking
- Warm in cold weather
Cons
- Less waterproofing
- Less easy to slip on
Conclusion
Now you know how to stay comfortable and warm with the best down booties for winter camping.
Any of these products may fit the bill for keeping you warm while being easier to wear around than full-on boots.
Now it’s up to you to look at the features, check out how they look by clicking the links and decide which one works for you.
Fortunately, they’re all in an affordable range, so you’re not making a huge commitment when you test them out.
Now get outside and enjoy the fresh air!
You may also want to check out the best pants for winter camping.