Gear Review: Patagonia Lugano Waterproof Boots

In the winter, the most dangerous part of my day starts when I step out of the house. Our short and flat driveway is far from treacherous during the summer, but five cars, eight people and zero accountability for shoveling the snow-covered driveway leaves the pavement glossed over in a layer of ice for most of the season. I haven’t had a proper pair of winter boots for far too long, so needless to say, I’ve started many mornings (carefully) picking myself up from the ground.

This season, I was armed with a pair of Patagonia Lugano women’s winter boots and totally and fully prepared for that morning walk to the car well before our first snow storm. I was originally drawn to the Luganos because they were, I’ll admit, cute. And they still are. The suede exterior is smooth and soft even after a few rugged urban walks.

Unfortunately, “cuteness” is all that some bootmakers care about. Fashion before any function. So all-around good women’s winter boots – the ones that you can wear shoveling snow, then take crawling from bar to bar – are hard to find. Patagonia accepted this as a challenge and set out to create a hardworking boot that’s downplayed by its casual design.

It’s a simple pleasure to find winter boots that have no heels, no laces, no buckles and no bobbles. In other words? A plain, ol’ pull-on snow boot. As kids, these were our staple snow boots – the type that would be easy to kick on or off inside the house between long hours of building snow forts and declaring snowball wars outside. Without laces, the only way your feet got wet was one of two ways: if your boots weren’t waterproof (of course they weren’t) and if you liked to play in snow higher than the cuff of your boot (of course you did).

The Lugano is like a grown-up version of your simple winter boot from those snow days. The same pull-on design makes these boots super easy to change into or out of, but you probably won’t be in a hurry to slip on a pair of warmer shoes. Thanks to a waterproof membrane, fleece insulation and a subtle, fuzzy trim, you can play in these boots for hours and stay warm and dry. And a sturdy upper means that the Luganos don’t sag or flop around when you’re cruising around at a pace faster than a leisurely walk.

Especially in the sole, sturdy is what Lugano boot is all about. The Lugano has a rugged rubber sole to protect your feet from absorbing the cold ground temperatures when you’re standing around or taking a stroll. Plus, the siped tread holds traction in slick conditions, which means no more surprises when you’re heading in the direction of a good urban adventure – or simply walking to your car.

For more information on the Patagonia Lugano boots, visit http://bit.ly/ycmFj0.  To purchase the Lugano boots, click here.

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