That’s the whole secret to getting outside often, keeping your systems simple.

Hey NoBads, let’s discuss how simplifying to a single waterproof boot for your kiddos is actually magical.

Hot take – Wellies for your kiddos are overrated.

We, like most parents, thought we had to get our kiddos both rain specific boots and snow specific boots. For our first child’s early toddler years, he was graced with this luxury. However, we realized a couple things that ultimately led to our decision to change to a single pair of boots for both rain and snow:

1. He was growing out of boots quickly, so we were buying two new pairs of boots each year – even though we were buying close to the cheapest or accepting hand-me-downs.
2. Our son’s snow boots were trashed by end of season. We couldn’t get them to last longer than barely one season.

So we set off on a quest to find the perfect boot that would last all season, maybe even two season. By the time kiddo numero 3 was around, I was very anti the thought of potentially having six little pairs of boots floating around our home. We needed to keep things simple.

That’s the whole secret to getting outside often, keeping your systems simple.

In researching what makes a rain and snow boot perfect for children, we identified our top 3 must-haves for the boots for our family:

1. Drawstring top
2. 100% waterproof – all rubber shell
3. Removable inner liner (so you can dry it – waterproof boots = sweaty feet)
4. (BONUS: reflectors)

That’s it. Nothing earth shattering or crazy patented technology. Just those three items in a single boot.

Did we find said boot on our quest? Well, yes, and we’ve been fans for the last four years. Our journey led us to the…

The Kamik Snobuster boots

Looking at the price, you may be wondering, these are a little steep for our budget and we could buy a pair of rain boots AND a pair of snow boots together for cheaper. And you’d be right, you can, and we did before changing to this new mindset on boots.

But let us now rebuttal on why we’ve chosen this route instead.

The down low on the Kamik Snobuster boots

We’ve loved these boots. Because they are well constructed, we buy too big so they last two seasons, and, fun fact, they do last 2 seasons. Although, for how much our kiddos wear boots, especially our son, they barely last two season. He pushes these boots construction to the limit. And thats OK! Means we are getting outside and playing hard.

Minimalism for outdoor gear is a must (where you can). This is a place where we can control the amount of gear in our collection. More simply put, you do not need two different pairs of boots for your kids. When they’re older, and no longer growing inconveniently fast, then sure, add all the boots you want. By then they’re old enough to juggle their own gear and you won’t need to worry about it.

We searched high and low for other Brands who carry boots with our feature criteria and found more than I think was even available back when we first started our research!

Notable brands:

• Kamik Snobuster 1
• Kamik Snobuster 2
• Kamik Snobust 3
• Wheat Thermo Rubber
• Didriksons Slush Kid’s Boot
• Western Cheif New Kids Element Boots
• KidORCA Kids Rain Boots with Above Knee Waders
• Bogs Snow Shell
• Stonz Trek (not an exact fit for what we are looking for but in the same vein)
• Oh my heart…the Stonz Booties – Baby boots are killing us with cuteness

Amazon finds links:

• Kamik Snobuster 1
• Kamik Snobuster 2
• Kamik Snobust 3
• Bogs Snow Shell
• KidORCA Rain Boots and Above Knee Waders
• Stonz Booties
• SOLOCOTE Toddler and Kids Rain Boots

Finding the right waterproof boots

When researching what’s best for your family – as always, reflect back on what your family’s goals are for adventuring outside. Consider the normal temperatures and weather conditions you live in. These specific boots may not be the right fit, but we hope that through our process of finding the right boots, we’ve convince you that only one pair is needed for our young adventurers. We also hope by providing insight on the technical specs we look for in a boot, you’re able to now leverage that information into the perfect boot choice for your family.

IDEA: The first year we bought Kamik boots, we bought the same black pair for all three kiddos. Then we bought paint markers and let them decorate the outside of their boots. It turned into a really fun family moment. Sure, the paint eventually wore off but they had fun customizing their boots. And the paint lasted longer than we expected.

Kids are already expensive – How do I afford more gear?

What about if I can’t afford it? This is a fair call out. Let us remind you, you trade lower cost for less durability.

We recommend, once you find the boots you like, to subscribe to that brand’s emails. Then you can stay up to date on their sales/discounts they are running. And last season’s markdowns!

Black Friday is also on the horizaon. So potential for some decent savings.

Our kiddos can get two seasons out of a set and then we donate them, if they’re still in good condition. Check consignment shops and second hand stores like eBay, GearTrade, ThreadUP, local Facebook groups, etc.

I will also recommend subscribing to websites like Steep and Cheap, as they can have some rad offerings.

Something else we do is leverage birthdays and Christmas presents to funnel in the outdoor gear, including boots. Sure, the kids may be underwhelmed when they open the gift, but when reality sets in on what this gift is really allowing for them to do – it’s totally worth it. We do this all the time, and we can because we’re the parents.

The quick and dirty of it:

• You only need ONE pair of boots for rain and snow
• Determine what features are important to you based on your outdoor goals and local climate (our 3 are listed above)

Check out our Gear Lab #2 vidoes – All about these Kamik boots! And all our other fav boots.

[we’ll post the video here when it’s ready!]

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