We call our educational experience a lot of things depending on the day. Homeschooling. Roadschooling. Wildschooling. Even forest schooling.
It sounds idyllic doesn’t it? Conjuring up images of fairy tale forests, park-like settings, and animals that nuzzle your hands while teaching you all about their wild wonderland?
There are absolutely days like that, and when you aren’t properly prepared you find yourself longing for them the seventy five percent of the time that you can’t get out and enjoy the world.
Because most of the time…the weather or the terrain just isn’t that cooperative.
There’s snow and mud and rain and fog and flooding and unbelievably deceptive cold weather.
But don’t despair. It is not only possible to get out in almost all weather conditions…it’s actually good for you! Just look at some of the benefits of Forest Bathing.
Sounds like it’s worth making the effort doesn’t it?
We’ve found that having the proper gear makes all the difference between finding wonder in all of Creation and sitting at home or out in it…miserable.
No one likes miserable.
So we’re here to share our secret.
Boots.
You can pile on layers, gloves, hats, and even bulky jackets or stifling rain coats. Sometimes those are necessary. But we’ve found that if you have good boots, you can go a lot longer without those other things.
Boots have become our number one, won’t compromise on, piece of gear.
Warm, comfortable feet are the difference between “Is it time to go home yet?” and “Sure, we can take that side trail.”
When warm and comfortable meet durable and rugged, that blocked trail becomes a walk in the park.
It is unbelievable to me how much money we have spent on cheap, uncomfortable rain boots. Except when you think about it, they aren’t cheap, and we go through them WAY too quickly.
I can’t count the number of catastrophic failures we’ve had with boots. Leaks at the side binding. Splits in the shaft. Whole soles flopping off.
So I have to share our current boots. They have proven durable, long lasting, and up to every task we’ve given them. Including snow and trudging through almost knee deep water in forty degree weather.
These are affiliate links through Amazon. At no extra cost to you, we receive a commission for every referred purchase. But I would scream these from the rooftops even without the commission. They’re THAT good.
All of these recommended boots share a few things in common. They are available on Amazon, they run true to size or have accurate size recommendations by way of size charts, and they are constructed with a hard bottom and a soft shaft. So far, those hard bottoms have developed zero leaks, and because the shaft is a soft (although completely waterproof!) material, we haven’t experienced any splits.
My son and I both have these Woody Sports from the Muck Boot Company. As a woman with a wider foot…these are phenomenal! I’m talking maybe the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever owned. My feet stay warm without overheating (a major problem for me) and even though I’ve been deep enough to have water within an inch of the top of the boots, they have proven completely waterproof.
They are a bit pricier running between $100-200, but since they are for adults and older kids less likely to outgrow them, it was worth the price for durability.
My teenage daughter prefers the Hale Rain Boot from the Muck Boot Company. It has a narrower (or probably just regular sized) base and the shaft ends just below her knee. Don’t let the name Rain Boot throw you. She’s worn these in all manner of weather without complaint.
These are a little more reasonable than the hunting boots that my son and I enjoy and run right around $100 (give or take because Amazon prices fluctuate).
The little girls prefer their Solarrain Neoprene boots. Honestly, I was a little dubious about these ones. We had already gone through more rain boots than I care to count and these aren’t that much higher of a price point than those throw away boots we had been getting at Walmart, Target, and Tractor Supply.
We were still able to get them their own patterns. Stars are shown here.
There are also Snowflakes. My littlest calls them her Anna boots.
Even though these are under $40, they’re the same rubber bottomed, neoprene shaft construction of our big kid boots that are shown above.
And you know what? They’ve held up just as well as the other, more expensive adult boots! I think we might actually get to out grow these.
So there you have it. Our recommendation for toasty toes and outdoor adventures. Durability. Comfort. Warmth. And prices that don’t top the ridiculous scale.
Now go outside and play!
Update!
It finally happened. One of us snagged a boot hard enough to rip a hole in the neoprene. Okay, one of us is a little vague. It was me. Can you believe it?! It wasn’t one of the kids. Momma did the deed. Actually it took the jagged edge of a metal warehouse cart at work to do it, but nonetheless, it was done. My warm, wonderful, waterproof boots were compromised. Definitely now damp and drafty.
But don’t worry! I found a solution!
And it wasn’t replacing the super expensive boots.
It’s a liquid neoprene sealer that I found on Amazon.
I realize that it looks a little shinky right here because I took the picture before the second application was done drying. I actually added a third application just to be on the sure side since this is a very bendy part of the boot.
After the third application dried it looked much better and almost even disappears into the camouflage! The best part is that it resulted in a very flexible, completely solid, waterproof seal.
For under $7.00.
Being able to repair these boots just made them a whole lot more affordable.
