Columbia Women's Minx Shorty III Winter Boots

I was hesitant to buy these as I was buying them mainly for how cute they were. With 4.5 stars I figured they should at least be just okay. Well, yesterday morning, I woke up in rural Virginia to an historic snowstorm Blair. She dropped at least 8-10” and was still coming down. In 27 degrees, I spent the entire morning from 8:30am until noon outside shoveling our rural driveway in deep snow wearing only a thin pair of wool socks and these boots. My feet were comfortable warm and dry! Later that afternoon I had to the to the store in said boots and socks and my feet were actually sweltering inside! These have been the best snow boots I have owned and definitely compare with my last pair of North Face tall furry winter lace up boots! Don’t hesitate! Buy these! I did find they ran a little small. My normal size is 8, and while the 8 fits it was a bit snug, so id you have wide feet or large calves i would size up to accommodate thicker socks! As I have narrower feet and only slightly chunky calves, I kept my 8s.

I am so glad I took a chance on these Columbia Minx Mid III Boots! Reviews were all over the board, "They run a little narrow", "they are narrow and run WAY too small - order 1 and a 1/2 sizes bigger than you normally wear". Some were even being snarky and sarcastic, "Have fun with your Columbias, I'll stick with my Sorels" ...Funny thing is, Sorel is owned by Columbia and both make a great boot.I usually order shoes and boots in a size 10 or 11, depending on the brand. Ideally I wear a size 10.5 but its quite rare that a manufacturer bothers to make that size. My foot is an average width and is exactly 10.5 inches or 26.5 cm long from heel to toe, with an average instep. I purchased a couple other "good looking" boots from others brands, but none looked good on me or they felt stiff while walking. I was drawn to this particular boot because some reviewers mentioned how easy they were to walk in and that the shoe part almost felt like a sneaker. AND Columbia is thoughtful enough to recognize size 10.5 wearers! So I went ahead and ordered THREE pairs... a size 10.5, a 10.5 WIDE and a size 11 in the Gray. I thought I'd compare and hope I'd nailed it with one of these... Well the first pair showed up today, the 10.5 WIDE. First I tried it barefoot... It felt like a cozy slipper! Then I put socks on and it was the most amazing fit! I probably could have gotten away with a 10.5 Regular, but I also know its better to have a little wiggle room in a snow boot to create warmth around your toes. Ladies with 10 + sized feet are always looking at how big the shoe/boot makes your foot look. I honestly think my foot in this boot looks quite in proportion, and not big at all. I've attached photos so you can judge for yourself. I immediately went to my orders and cancelled the other 2 sizes. I am confident the 10.5 WIDE is fine and since I had an outdoor outing planned for the next day (see photos), I was ready to commit. ....But I might go ahead and order the black version too!! :)I love how the gray/black/brown fur contrasts with the gray boot a bit to give it a natural fur look, even though I know it's faux fur. And I love the color contrasting LONG laces! They are of higher quality with a bit of give to them, not like cheap stiff laces usually are. Someone referred to the boot designer as "childless"... "what childless person puts laces on winter boots? Zippers are so much more efficient for anyone." Well... laces allow for a custom fit around your foot, ankle and calf! A zipper can't be customized, so the shaft of the boot is always made wider to fit "most" people. I also find how the laces double back behind the boot and tie in the front adds a bit of style. Very cute! I found that once I worked the laces to fit me perfectly, all I have to do is untie the bow and slip my foot out. Putting it back on is the same in reverse. My only disappointment with this purchase is my pair did not come with the extra pair of laces that some mentioned. I'll deduct a virtual half star for that.... The foot area is very flexible, not restricting at all, and allows for a very natural gait. The grips on the bottom remind me of my favorite moccasins. I walked around my house for over an hour wearing the boots out of the box and my feet were very happy... AND WARM! The Omni-Heat technology inside the foot area helps retain heat by reflecting and trapping warmth. It bounces radiant heat from the body instead of letting it escape. Also noticeable is how light weight they are. Amazingly light! I can't wait to wear these outside and go for a walk! I don't know how waterproof they are. That's really been a conflicting point for many reviewers. I noticed they are selling a "First Generation" of the black and the gray. I went with the Newer Generation of the Gray. The photos are identical and I couldn't find anywhere that explained what the difference might be. Are they maybe more waterproof now? I guess I'll find out.EDIT: These boots were so comfy I decided to get the black as well. I took a chance and ordered the 10.5 - NOT WIDE - as it seemed these were roomy enough that I'd also be fine with the Regular width. I was absolutely correct, so these DO NOT RUN too narrow, they are really true to size, IMO. I don't have a narrow foot, it is on the wider side of average. The chart said to get a size 10.5 if your foot is between 10.4 and 10.6 inches long. Mine is 10.5. I do want to mention that in the WIDE version, the calf height is about 1 inch taller than the Regular 10.5 and the toe box is about 1/8 inch wider.All in all, I'm really excited about these boots. If you are on the fence, don't hesitate a minute longer... These are keepers! I hope my review was helpful!

So I have really big feet for a woman, to the point I normally wear men's shoes (10 in men's or an 11/12wide in women's). I ordered a pair of men's boots last year and HATED them because they were so clunky and heavy. So I decided this year I'd try again. I know Columbia normally runs on the smaller size so I was a little worried when the largest size I could order was an 11w but figured I could return them if they didn't fit. I LOVE these boots! They're stylish, lightweight, warm and truly waterproof. The best part though is they fit comfortably and I don't mind wearing them all day. I live in an area that gets a lot of snow through the winter and as I've gotten older I've decided boots are something I don't want to go without anymore. I feel like these are really good quality and should last me a good few years.

These boots are warm and comfortable, but they are narrow so I needed to go a full size up for my wide feet. I had the laces a bit loose so that I can get in and out of them w/o having to untie them. Wore them on a trip to Iceland in Dec and they kept my feet warm when temps were just below freezing to about 10F. I needed thicker socks when temps went down to -5F so it wasn’t too bad. They also kept my feet dry for the most part except one time when the wind was very strong and I think snow got blow into the boots and the insoles got wet. The fur is not water resistant and I think it would get wet quickly if there’s heavy rain although it’s sort of quick to dry..my reason for taking a star off.

I got these boots because of the grip on the bottom of the boots. I walk every day and when it's snowy I need some good gripping boots. I have worn yak trax on my older boots and that works well when it's icy, but often it's more snowy and people don't clean off their driveways or sidewalks. I normally wear a size 10 but I thought I'd get the size 11 in case I'd need the extra space for heavy socks. The size 11 fits great with normal socks for me. I'm glad I got the larger size. I put them on and walked in the snow right away. They are great! My feet stayed warm and dry and they are very comfortable. I felt confident I wouldn't slip because of the grippy bottom. These are great boots!