Rain finally came to Northern California after the devastating Camp Fire, and I had a chance to test out some rain boots that I’ve considered bringing on my travels. After a few days splashing around, I’m convinced that the Bogs Sweetpea Boots are my travel rain shoes.
As with other specialized clothing items, rain boots are often left at home, in favor of more versatile shoes that can just get through rainy days. But these boots smash down into a small package, barely taking up more room than a (San Francisco) Mission burrito.
While the Sweetpea Boots are 100-percent waterproof, my favorite thing about them is that they don’t really look like rain boots. The subtly textured rubber and ankle-boot style makes them look like fashionable city boots, and unless you’re looking at them closely, they could be just a pair of cool leather boots that you decided to wear to splash through the rain.
The structure of the boots includes a shank in the footbed that makes them more stable than your traditional rain boots, supporting your foot for however long you need to wear them. The footbed is also lined with Bogs Max-Wick to keep your feet dry, and cushioning allows you to wear them for hours without getting tired.
When your feet are in rubber boots for a long time, sweat isn’t the only concern. You don’t want to pull your feet out and have an odor issue, so these boots include DuraFresh organic bio-technology that helps fight those odors.
The elastic at the sides and the tab on the back makes it easy to get these boots on and off, and when the rain is over and the sun comes out, you can smash them back in your bag and be happy that you brought them along.
Bogs Sweetpea Boots for women come in black and list for $70 on the Bogs footwear site.