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MEC
Hut Booties 2
Owner Review by Andrea Murland
November 19, 2013
Tester Information
| Name: |
Andrea Murland |
| Email: |
amurland AT
shaw DOT ca |
| Age: |
28 |
| Location: |
Elkford
& Kimberley,
British Columbia, Canada |
| Gender: |
Female |
| Height: |
5 ft 2 in (1.57
m) |
| Weight: |
130 lb (59 kg) |
I began hiking frequently in 2006 and have
since hiked in Western Canada, Australia, and spent 2 months
backpacking in the Alps. I spend most weekends either day-hiking or on
2-3 day backpacking trips, with some longer trips when I can manage
them. I also snowshoe and ski in the winter, but don’t have a lot of
experience with winter in the backcountry yet. Elevation is typically
500-3,000 m (1,600-10,000 ft), in the Canadian Rockies and the Selkirk,
Purcell, and Monashee ranges. I try for a light pack, but I don’t
consider myself a lightweight backpacker.
Image Courtesy of MEC
 |
Product
Information
| Manufacturer: |
Mountain
Equipment Co-op (MEC) |
| Manufacturer's
URL: |
www.mec.ca
|
| Year of
Manufacture: |
2009 |
| Model: |
Hut Booties 2 |
| MSRP: |
CAD 45.00 (plus
there is a one-time CAD 5.00 fee to join the co-op)
|
| Sizes
Available: |
XS-XL
|
| Size Reviewed: |
XS |
| Colour: |
Shadow (no
longer available)
|
| Colours
Available: |
Red, Coal, Aegean |
| Listed Weight: |
313 g (10 oz),
size Medium
|
| Measured
Weight: |
277 g (8.9 oz) |
Description
The MEC Hut Booties 2 are insulated booties that are designed for
winter hut use. The outside of the booties is 70-denier nylon, and the
lining
is 50-denier brushed polyester, which is soft. The booties are
insulated with MEC Hyperloft synthetic insulation. The soles of the
booties are a harder, abrasion resistant material, with a raised
pattern (presumably for grip), and the soles are 25.4 cm (10 in) long
on mine. The booties are mid-calf height, with the XS size measuring
16.5 cm (6.5 in) high. At the ankles and top of the booties are cords
with cord-locks to tighten the booties. When both booties are placed
together and flattened (as if to slide into a pack), they are about 8
cm (3.1 in) thick.
Field
Conditions
Since 2009 I have worn these hut booties on about 15 nights around huts
and camp. They are generally part of my kit in autumn, winter, and
spring. I have used them on trips where the temperatures dipped as low
as -10 C (14 F) overnight, or stayed up around 5 C (41 F). On hut
trips, I wear them around the cabin and on short trips outdoors to get
water or find the washroom. On tenting trips, I wear them as soon as I
take off my hiking boots, while cooking and doing tasks around camp,
until I get into my sleeping bag. Outdoor ground conditions have
included bare ground and full snow cover, as well as a mix.
Review
Comfort & Fit:
I wear a US Women’s 6 shoe size, so the extra small booties fit me
perfectly. They have enough length for my feet to comfortably stretch
out, and I can put on a nice thick sock. They are very wide, so they
are extremely comfortable and not restricting at all. Putting on these
booties is one of the things I most look forward to after a day of
hiking. The brushed inside of the booties makes for a not-too-slippery
lining. Although my feet have lots of room to move, I don’t find that I
slip around involuntarily in the booties while walking. The soles
themselves can be quite slippery. The raised pattern doesn’t provide
much grip, and on snow or packed snow I have to walk carefully so I
don’t go for a ride.
Warmth & Water Resistance:
The booties are toasty warm! I have cold feet most of the
time...indoors, outdoors, summer, winter...doesn’t matter. These
booties have successfully kept my feet warm in the hours between taking
off my hiking boots and going to bed. I haven’t tried them in extremely
cold temperatures, but certainly for extended three-season use they’ve
been great. On one particular occasion, I stuffed them into my Search
& Rescue pack when deploying for what I knew would be an
overnight
rescue. Wearing these booties with chemical handwarmers inside kept me
sane during my cold night of “sleeping” in a snow trench. I usually
wear them with a wool sock. The booties also proved to be water
resistant, at least until I wore a hole through one heel (more on
that...). In snow and on wet ground I never had wet feet. No complaints!
Durability:
I am very sad to say that I have worn a hole in the heel of one of my
booties. It doesn’t look like much, but it’s enough of a gap that
moisture creeps in and leaves me with a wet heel on my sock. MEC tells
me this is likely because I’ve worn them on bare ground instead of just
in huts and on snow, which is what they’re designed for. I say that
they’re probably right, since I loved these booties so much that the
season I wore them in crept farther and farther towards summer – less
hut booties than camp shoes. So now, they’re camp shoes. Other than
that, the durability has been great.
Summary
The MEC Hut Booties 2 are synthetic hut booties that are warm, water
resistant, and have done a great job keeping my feet toasty.
Thumbs Up:
Warm
Water resistant
My feet don’t slide around in them
Thumbs Down:
I wore a hole in the heel
Slippery sole
Read more reviews of MEC gear
Read more gear reviews by Andrea Murland
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