<p>Check Costco (if that’s an option) they carry Wigwam wool socks this time of year. At least ours does and we reside in a warm climate.</p>
<p>You can tell who knows little about this—they show up to a northern campus with Ugg boots!!! They are nothing but water magnets–avoid them like the plague!!!</p>
<p>A clear case of style over function.</p>
<p>OP states “my Dad warned me not to go here and said no boots could withstand Canadian terrible winter”</p>
<p>Is there more going on here than boots? </p>
<p>Because humanitarian requests for immigration to US have not included cold feet as a basis, that I know of. People in Canada seem quite content with their boots.</p>
<p>You have to get waterproof boots or they will leak, no matter how much you pay. Those Sorel boots look nice. My Ds boots leaked late last winter after four good seasons. I am in the market for new boots.</p>
<p>My only additional tip is to go to the outdoor store and get boot inserts labeled ‘Arctic’ or some such. The additional layer between for and boot can make a big difference in comfort.</p>
<p>“You could slip plastic grocery bags over your leaky boots and hold them on with rubber bands.”</p>
<p>Awesome, cost effective idea. You could get three more, one for your head, and two to put over your gloves. Then you’d have a matching, thrifty way to stay dry. I’m sure the Canadians must do this too.</p>
<p>Actually, your father is correct. You must transfer to the tropics.</p>
<p>EK…bread bags were how I made it through my childhood in the PNW!</p>
<p>Bread bags over the shoes/over the socks were what we did as kids in AZ, when we’d occasionally encounter snow. With cotton socks, miserable. </p>
<p>If the Canadian kids are anything like my Wisconsin kids who refused to wear winter boots for the most part, the OP has a point, and a reason for coming to the Parents Forum. HS kids around here would not be caught dead in quality boots appropriate to conditions. </p>
<p>LL Bean has many styles of boots. Perhaps OP has fashionable boots, rather than functional. Get the duck boots as mentioned above. Get Sorels. Get insulated leather hiking boots, and spray them with waterproofing spray. Regardless, stay out of puddles. </p>
<p>If you must walk in puddles, get Hunter boots with appropriate high socks. Pricey, but will last for years. </p>
<p>Banish cotton socks from your wardrobe after it gets cold. Wool only, preferably covering your ankles. Smart Wool socks may transform your winter experience and are well worth the price.</p>
<p>I got Sorel boots for living in Minnesota, haven’t needed them so far – but I have them for when I decide to walk through lots of snow. </p>
<p>This thread is weird. Unheated classrooms, in the winter? Seriously? Wow, Canadians are super tough!</p>
<p>I was surprised by great lakes mom’s assertion that her Wisconsin kids refused to wear winter boots. I don’t know Wisconsin but I do know Ottawa, where everybody wears boots all the time in winter. So I looked up some weather averages and yeah … looks like Ottawa, Canada is much colder and snowier than Madison, Wisconsin. OP, if not a ■■■■■, should go buy some Sorels and wool socks, the same as all the other Ottawa people are wearing in the winter. The unheated buildings are highly implausible, too.</p>
<p>Wet feet could mean leaky boots. Or… it could mean sweaty feet inside well-insulated boots - that’s a tougher issue. I used to sometimes take my boots off in class.</p>
<p>I am puzzled about how your boots can “leak” in bitter cold. It’s not like water is liquid outdoors in the winter time in Canada. Are you wading in knee-deep snow? Don’t they shovel/plow the walkways where you live? </p>
<p>I also suspect sweaty feet. Perhaps a Gore-Tex boot that “breathes” and moisture wicking socks will help.</p>
<p>I definitely think a change of college is in order, so the OP’s feet have a chance to dry out.</p>
<p>To add to the great help:). I would strongly suggest the OP get some rain boots too. It is far more likely that her feet will get wet when walking in the rain (no way to shovel those puddles off of the sidewalk!).</p>
<p>Snow boots = Sorel, online at “sierra trading”. Serious discounts, aka $200 boots for $60.
Rain boots = HunterWellington, online sale today at “nordstroms”. Don’t bother with the fleece socks.<br>
All around muckers = Beaners or Duck shoes. online at L L Bean. </p>
<p>My Sorel’s are 20 years old and going strong.
My Wellies are hand me downs 30 years +.
Second pair of duck shoes. Dog ate the first. </p>
<p>Invest in quality. Keep clean and store properly in the summer. You won’t be sorry.</p>
<h1>25 by busdriver = winner of the CC funniest post:</h1>
<p>“You could slip plastic grocery bags over your leaky boots and hold them on with rubber bands.”
Awesome, cost effective idea. You could get three more, one for your head, and two to put over your gloves. Then you’d have a matching, thrifty way to stay dry. I’m sure the Canadians must do this too."</p>
<p>Seriously, I did this growing up. Forgot about it until now. I also wore a hefty bag as rain coat on more than one occasion.</p>
<p>^^momneeds, I said that as a smart aleck response to an obvious ■■■■■ thread…but honestly, I think I might have lived in the same neighborhood as you. We did some pretty unusual things in my family too. One of them was camping high up in the mountains, in severe weather, using black plastic garbage bags as a tent. My parents (who were quite thrifty and still actually do not have HEAT), were so frightened, they went out and bought quality camping gear! Even as a little kid, I knew how close we were to death.</p>
<p>"You can tell who knows little about this—they show up to a northern campus with Ugg boots!!! They are nothing but water magnets–avoid them like the plague!!!</p>
<p>A clear case of style over function."</p>
<p>I live in upstate NY and wear Uggs all winter. No other boot keeps my feet as warm. I don’t even have a problem with warmth when I am walking in slushy snow. I’ve been wearing the same pair for at least 7 years.</p>
<p>I don’t know that I can add to the wisdom here but I’ll add my vote for the llbean boots or sorel’s. You need gore-tex. It’s expensive, but buy quality and they will last you 30+ yrs (or until the dog chews them 
) My husband has a pair of bean goretex boots of 30yrs that have been through central western PA winters as well as the freeze/thaw/slush crud we get here in the mid-Atlantic. I sent S2 off to school with a pair of gore-tex hikers to keep his feet dry and he’s thanked me more times then I can possibly count. This summer he bought his own llbean boots simply because they’re popular on campus, but I did advise to spring for the gore-tex ones. And yes, the wicking socks sold at Costco this time of year are great! It beats what you’ll pay individually at llbean or REI!</p>
<p>There is absolutely no excuse…zero…for wet and cold feet.</p>
<p>LOL, I’ve worn trash bags as rain coats too walking home from the studio in the middle of the night in Manhattan unexpectedly caught by a rain storm. Columbia, I owe you a few trash bags!</p>
<p>I used to wear those Chinese cotton Mary Janes with about 1/8" plastic soles all winter long. If my feet got wet they dried out quickly.</p>