Warm Toes are Happy Toes with Stonz Winter Bootz

A couple of months ago I was asked if I would like to be a Stonz Brand Ambassador and children's gear tester this winter.  Well, it took me all of 5 seconds before I was screaming YES, I'll do it!   I wasn't about to turn down the opportunity to try out some quality kids' winter gear if it meant my son might actually have warm hands and toes this year! 

We've had our battles over the last couple of winters and many of them have occurred as a result of bad gear.  We've seen our share of lousy boots and mittens that might as well have been designed (and tested) in Florida, seen way too many tears as once again, snow got into my son's mittens, and pulled boots off too many times, only to find soaking wet socks and frozen toes.

I'm happy to report that we have now solved all of our problems with cold hands and feet, thanks to the great Stonz Wear gear we've been testing over the last month.  And wow, have we tested it!  My son wore the winter bootz and mittz while hiking when it was -30C here last weekend.  And today I sent him out in the Stonz rain bootz with fleece liners at -17C.  Cold toes?  Nope.  Wet feet?  Nope.  Happy child?  You bet!!

Stonz Winter Bootz

Stonz Wear - the Company

Stonz Mittz

I first discovered this Canadian company when a girlfriend brought her toddler into the backcountry on an overnight ski trip, wearing Stonz booties.  The booties are the signature product that originally launched the company and continue to be their best selling item.  While originally designed for babies and children under 2,  select models are now available for 2-3 year old children as well.  The company is also now selling fleece liners for their booties to provide even further warmth for our cold Canadian winters.

What else is new in the Stonz product line up?

• Winter Bootz for children and youth up to 14 years old (rated to minus 50 Celsius!)
• Rain Bootz for children up to 10 years old (with fleece liners for cold weather use)
• Winter Mittz for children up to 7 years old with an over-the-arm design guaranteed to keep snow OUT
• Reversible Fleece Hatz for children up to 5 years old (super cute too)

Stonz Booties (photo:  G. Duncan)

 

 

Stonz Winter Bootz

I'll do separate reviews for each product that we've tried so far, but I wanted to start with the Stonz winter bootz, which have been a winter life saver for us so far this year!  When we planned to go to Banff last weekend for the annual Christmas in the Rockies festival, we never dreamed temperatures would hover around -30C the whole weekend.  In temperatures like that, good boots are a necessity!

Warmth

The Stonz winter bootz are rated to -50 and I honestly hope to never find out if they really do keep the feet warm at that temperature.  What I do know is this - at minus 30 Celsius, they keep the feet toasty warm when moving.  My son wore them on a winter hike last weekend for about an hour and never complained once of cold feet.  The only time we had cold feet last weekend was at night while standing outside waiting for the Santa Claus parade.  It was the same temperature but none of us were moving, which I know to play an important factor in keeping feet warm.  (even my feet got cold and they have never ever been cold in my current boots.)

The verdict:  as long as you are active outside playing, I have no doubt that the Stonz bootz will perform at some pretty sick temperatures!

Winter Hiking in Stonz Winter Bootz

Weight

The Stonz website has this to say about their boots:

"The most lightweight high performance winter boot designed for extreme cold weather"

And, that pretty much sums it up nicely.  (I could finish the review with that one sentence.)  These boots are the lightest boots I have ever seen.  Ever!  They honestly feel as light as a pair of slippers when you pick them up.  Why this is important?  Kids suffer in winter with their heavy boots, bulky ski pants, cumbersome winter coats, and layers of mittens, hats, and scarves.  If the weight can be reduced for even one item, it's a drastic improvement in how happy your child will be outside playing.

The verdict:  They are super light weight AND warm at the same time.  Sweet deal.

Sledding with Stonz Winter Bootz

Dryness

There is nothing worse than bad winter boots that leave you with wet feet every time you accidentally step in a puddle.  Fortunately, the soles on the Stonz bootz are waterproof and from what we've seen, the nylon upper part of the boot can handle getting wet too!  We've tested the boots in some pretty deep snow and have yet to see a wet sock.  The bootz feature a draw string at the top of the calf to ensure snow stays where it belongs (outside the boot.)

The verdict:  Dry feet every time!

Good soles on the Stonz Winter Bootz

Grip

Finally, we've tested the boots on some pretty slippery trails.  The worst hike was with our outdoor playgroup one very muddy wet day in the city a month ago.  I was slip sliding every which way as I made my way down the trail.  Meanwhile, my son was running!  Flat out running down the giant hill.  And he never slipped once that I saw.  The bootz can handle some pretty good ice and mud!  Important?  Ah, yeah!

The verdict:  Wear the Stonz winter bootz on your next winter hike and be confident that your child will stay on his feet much of the time.

Relaxing after a muddy hike with the Stonz Winter Bootz

Noah's opinion

It took Noah a little bit to warm up to his new boots but he likes things to stay the same and introducing a new pair of boots or shoes is always a bit of work.  He soon realized though that the boots were easy to put on, comfortable, and warm.  He hasn't complained since.

Happy in his Stonz Winter Bootz

Final buying tips

The bootz fit true to size so no need to size up unless you want them slightly larger to accommodate thicker socks. 

Winter Hiking with Stonz Winter Bootz

We tested the boots during the following activities:

• Winter hiking on grass, mud, snow and ice
• Snowshoeing
• Sledding
• Playing outside in temperatures ranging from 5 to 10 Celsius down to -30 Celsius

Snowshoeing in Stonz Winter Bootz

Disclaimer:  As a Brand Ambassador for Stonz Wear, I received a pair of Stonz Winter Bootz to review. As always, all opinions and thoughts are my own and I wasn't paid to write this article.