Bogs Women's Summit Review

Although we initially loved the Bogs Women's Summit rain boot, we eventually discovered that one of ours leaked. This lightweight product is comfortable and easy to take on and off, but ultimately we only found it to be useful in dry conditions.

Performance Comparison

Weather Protection

When we first took a look at the Bogs Summit, we were skeptical. Could this semi-house-slipper-looking boot really keep our feet dry? We had read a handful of online reports from women who had reported that it leaked, so we put the Summit through the wringer of waterproof tests. The short version: one of ours leaked profusely (after only light use), the other seeped a tiny bit of moisture. Read on for the full story on how we tested this product.

While wearing this boot, we didn't notice any major leakage, but we wanted to see how it fared after hours of saturation. First we filled the toes with paper towels (to absorb any water) and left them in the in the bathtub for 3 hours. No leakage. Then we thought "maybe it's something about the weight and movement of the foot that encourages the water leakage." So we filled a big cooler full of water put our feet in the boots and submerged them into the cooler under the desk while we were working. After an hour, there was just a bit of palpable moisture, but we weren't entirely sure that it wasn't just foot sweat.

So, we decided to test a different theory - perhaps the Summit doesn't leak, perhaps the neoprene just makes the feet extra sweaty and that's what makes it feel like it's leaking. We put our feet into Ziploc bags and then surrounded the outside of the bag with paper towels. Then we filled up the cooler with hot water (to make our feet extra sweaty…yeah, it was kind of gross….the things we do for you guys…), and we waited to look at how much our feet sweat and whether or not there was any moisture outside the Ziploc that would indicate leakage.

When we pulled our feet out of the boots 45 minutes later, we weren't surprised to see some moisture inside the plastic bag, but what shocked us more was the deluge of water that we poured out of the right boot. The left boot had remained dry, but the right had leaked. Keep in mind that we had allowed these boots to dry out for 3 days since our last round of tests. Due to our observations, we cannot recommend this product for long stints in wet weather. In addition to its leakage, this boot takes a long time to dry, even in direct sunlight. If you get any moisture down into the boot, the plush lining will also remain wet for at least a day.

Comfort

This model was the lightest of all the products in our review. Usually, we don't think of the crossover between boots and barefoot shoes, but this one comes close to qualifying as barefoot. With its thin sole and lightweight neoprene shaft, this piece is a breeze to wear. The inner lining is also super soft - one of the plushest of any model we tested. It also has a pretty comfortable insole, which made it stand out among its competitors. We loved that the neoprene shaft easily moves with the leg, instead of feeling somewhat stiff and restrictive like the Hunter Original Adjustable did.

Style

The Bogs Summit got some mixed results on our style poll. Frankly, we were surprised that many respondents gave it an 8 or 9, but then there were a few 4s mixed in as well. This product definitely does not have a classic rain boot look, but it still has a style of its own. Some testers pointed out this this boot sort of resembles a house slipper, mostly due to its non-structured design and its lack of detailing. Others either disagreed or didn't care! Most of the time, the boots stayed upright but occasionally we found them slipping down, which gave them a somewhat frumpy look; however, you can also wear the shaft rolled down. The handles are also your style, or they aren't. If you're looking for a model with a little more "rain boot sass," be sure to check out the Kamik Heidi or the Joules WellyPrint.

Traction

We were utterly shocked at how well this model gripped over both wet and dry surfaces, especially given that it has almost no tread. It doesn't have great traction over muddy surfaces, so it lost a few points there, but otherwise, we were impressed. The outsole is made of a proprietary compound called Bio Grip, which is sticky enough to cruise of low- to medium-angle surfaces while wet or dry. Additionally, the thin sole made it easier to feel the ground and gain extra traction that way. On the other end of the traction performance spectrum was the The Original Muck Boot Company Arctic Sport II, which has a very thick sole and some of the worst traction of the bunch.

Warmth

The two millimeters of Neo-Tech insulation on this model does a pretty good job of keeping the feet warm in cooler conditions. It is definitely not a winter hybrid, but it provides enough warmth for shorter trips out on chilly days. By the same token, it isn't so warm that you can't continue using it into warmer late spring days. Bogs says that this boot is comfort rated to 14 degrees F. We didn't have an opportunity to test them in temps as cold as these, but we don't think you should plan to wear them out for too long in freezing temperatures, especially if you'll be standing still and not generating any heat. Again, note here that if you get water in the sole, expect to be cold and miserable pretty quickly.

Fit

Bogs suggests sizing up if you are a half size, and that's what we did. Our size 9.5 tester wore a 10 and found the fit to be right on. Unlike other heavier boots that tend to have a little "heel slip," the Summit is so light that it moves with your foot, even though you can't customize the fit with laces to reduce the heel movement.

Best Applications

We think that this is a good shoe for dry conditions, since as we mentioned above, it is not guaranteed to protect you from moisture. If you decide to use this boot in dry conditions here's some more information: its handles make it easy to pull on, but its non-structured sides are a little bit annoying to tuck pants into. In theory, this is a great boot for traveling since it compresses to a really manageable size.

Value

At $100, these are right in the middle of the pack price-wise. If you love the look of this product and see yourself using it in chilly, dry conditions, then perhaps it's a good value to you. We really liked the lightweight feel and the extreme packability of this product, but it's just not appropriate as a rain boot.

Conclusion

We were super sad to discover that the Bogs Summit that we tested was not fully waterproof. This product has a neoprene shaft and a super grippy, lightweight sole. We had hopes that it would be an awesome product, but unfortunately, it fell short in one of our most important categories.