Blog and Review: Columbia Bugatech Lite Omni-Heat Boots

I was so excited when I drove up to my house and saw the package on the front porch. Luckily, I was one of the chosen women that was permitted to try the men’s. After reading a few reviews online, I knew that the boots were very true to size so the fact that the men’s were a half size bigger than my normal size was perfect.

I paired them with a nice pair of wool socks, threw on my Atlas snowshoes and took off to Stewart Falls. They were pretty stiff at first and I wished I had taken some time to break them in a bit better, but thankfully, after the first few miles they began to loosen up. I gave them a run for their money. Temp was 15° F and we were cutting trail most of the time. I was surprised how toasty my feet were. At the end of the four hour trip, I even took a moment to stand in a small stream and kept my eye on my watch. 10 minutes went by before I noticed the cold water seeping in. By the time I took them out on the second and third trail, they were broken in well.

My second snowshoe to my favorite trail, Big Springs, was mostly packed snow with a few places where we cut through pretty deep snow. Most of the time, I prefer to cut my own trail, but the snow was so deep, I was relieved to run into someone else’s tracks! The boots performed just as well as they had on the last one and I was so glad I brought them with me to Keystone. My friend and I happened upon a trail and spent the afternoon snowshoeing through the Aspen. It was sublime! I look forward to many more experiences with the boots.

From what I’ve read about other people’s experiences, I would highly recommend trying these boots on before you order them online. The half size bigger was perfect for me and I was able to have just enough space to heat up my feet nicely. With the good fit, they lived up to their water resistant claim, but I could see how they would fail if the fit was off. I have average width feet, and they fit just right, so if you have wide feet, I would rethink these boots. I loved the stiff sole for snowshoeing, less calf use, and the only regret I have getting the men’s is that I really liked the color of the women’s. (yes, I know I’m girlie) The best thing about these boots was that I completely forgot I was wearing them. I’d gotten so used to cutting snowshoe trips short because of frozen toes, I was very pleased with how these boots performed; thumbs up. I’m even eying the women’s boots for my next purchase.

See you on the trails!