I’ve been wearing the same pair of Sorels for probably more than 25 years. Got them on a ski trip in Vermont when the boys were small. The ability to cinch up the top so snow can’t fall in is very useful. If he lives off campus a grippy sole is a good idea. My younger son bought his first pair of Sorels when he was a freshman at Tufts.
Tims are fine
Keens makes a nice boot and they come in wide widths.
Another Michigan resident here. I have a few pair of boots but wear my shorter uggs the most. I’m north of Kalamazoo so it’s a little colder here so not as much slush. Mine are not the traditional type but have more support and are warm and comfortable to walk in.
My kid who went to school in a place much colder and snowier than k college wore a pair of Merrill waterproof hiking shoes. He never complained so they must have worked for him.
The best snow boots for a college kid is ones they will wear.
On the west side of Michigan, we do get snow. Sometimes quite a bit. But what happens is that it snows, it warms up and that snow is packed down and turns to ice. If we are lucky, it warms up enough to melt the ice. So if I had to pick one pair of snow boots, I would go with one that has grip rather than height.
Another thing that my kid complained about is that once he got to school, he wanted shoes (and a coat) that was comfortable in school buildings. So he wanted shoes that were comfortable to wear all day and not just the walk to and from school.
Good point, in NYC and Boston there are often huge piles of slush and icy water at intersections. But I can imagine that in Michigan you might not have that problem as much.
Timberland has 36 boots that offer a wide width.
This can’t be repeated often enough.
Agree that kids (even some adults) won’t wear heavy snow boots often. As a northerner, I agree that you need to buy two pairs…one for him to shovel in (and the easier off/on they are, the better, because I’m guessing that shoveling is all he will do in these. But grip and weatherproof is important). A pair of “winter shoes” or ankle boots for getting around campus on snowy days. He’ll probably want to pick the latter out for style. I just bought my younger teen these for “getting to school in snow” days. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071VD37YY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 But we haven’t tried them yet, and I went cheapie cause he’s still growing. I think you’d be better off looking for something leather and insulated but not to clunky or hard to get on for the winter shoes. Or, buy non insulated leather shoe/boots a half size up and get him some good wool hiking socks.
If width is an issue, that is another argument for shopping at the local places in Kalamazoo. The sales teams will know which brands run wide enough for your kid.
It looks like the Merrells come in wide.
I hike in the Merrell Moab 2 in the winter. I bought them in wide from Zappos.
I agree with others who point out that boots that are toasty in very cold very snowy weather will be too hot inside heated buildings.
Also agreeing with “The best snow boots for a college kid is the ones they will wear”. Funny AND true.
Darn Tough Socks. Highly recommend.
My aunt used to live in Kalamazoo. I haven’t been there in awhile to be honest, but it’s not a terribly big place. There is some shopping but not a ton.
I don’t know about others, but I have to say that finding shoes for my husband isn’t that easy. Many stores here don’t have many choices in shoes for men. I’d rather order him shoes on line and return what doesn’t fit.
I’m not sure where the op lives and I’m not trying to be contrary. But I had a kid who had to fly home for the holidays. It was hard to get her Christmas stuff back to school and boots are heavy.
If this was my kid, I would order some boots or go shopping with him over break. Then order the ones he wants to arrive at his apartment at school.
I just want to say that my H has snow boots. When he shovels (well snow blows) the driveway he will probably put on his old golf shoes. His golf shoes are waterproof. Sigh.
Thanks for everyone’s advice.
For those who suggest that he go back to school and shop there, this is not a good solution for him. The gap decade I mentioned in the first message is a joke but not a joke; he originally attended Kalamazoo College in the fall of 2009. He has autism and executive function difficulties. We are trying to offload as much responsibility as we can.
Shopping within walking distance of his apartment is somewhat limited, and I don’t want him to have to Uber around to shoe stores when he should be working on schoolwork or making social connections with other students. Moreover, he probably wouldn’t do it.
He says when he was living in Denver, his feet sometimes got really cold, but he never has hot feet. So I anticipate that if I get him warm boots, he will wear them.
Thanks @“Cardinal Fang” for clarifying things. If it makes you feel any better, the men in my family have no executive function issues and would never Uber to shop anywhere either. So I get your problem.
If I can let me suggest these shoes https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/118203?page=men-s-snow-sneakers-with-arctic-grip-low-lace-up&bc=&feat=snow%20sneakers-SR0&csp=a&attrValue_0=Brown&searchTerm=snow%20sneakers They have a boot option also https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/118202?page=men-s-snow-sneakers-with-arctic-grip-mid-lace-up&bc=&feat=snow%20sneakers-SR0&csp=a&attrValue_0=Brown&searchTerm=snow%20sneakers
Grippy, waterproof. Look comfortable. 25% off today, free shipping. My unfussy, not into labels or being terribly in style men would wear these. My people would like the shoe option better but we are hardened northerners.
I love LL Bean but that snow sneaker doesn’t come in wide. My son inherited both his wide feet and his cold feet from his mama, and I can attest that if your feet don’t have the greatest circulation so they get cold easily, being squashed into too-narrow shoes will only exacerbate the situation.
As I’m looking at the reviews of these different shoes from different manufacturers, there’s a common complaint: quality is going down. My last pair of Sorel Caribous lasted 30 years but this one lasted only two, says one person. LL Bean products used to last forever but this pair of boots leaked after a season, says another. Timberlands used to be high quality but the soles came off my latest pair after a year and a half, says a third. I don’t know if quality is in fact going down in all shoes, or if people were having bad experiences with these brands 20 and 30 years ago too.
My S liked some kind of insulated lighter weight work boot. This way they weren’t too bulky to have on in class but kept him warm and dry in the snow. I don’t know what brand he had but they looked something like this:
https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/118200?page=men-s-waterproof-insulated-wildcat-boots-lace-up&bc=474-506936-506937&feat=506937-GN3&csp=f
https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/118202?page=men-s-snow-sneakers-with-arctic-grip-mid-lace-up&bc=&feat=snow%20sneakers-SR0&csp=a&attrValue_0=Brown&searchTerm=snow%20sneakers
Here’s a pair of keens that come in wide and are waterproof. https://www.zappos.com/p/keen-targhee-ii-mid-shitake-brindle/product/7280085/color/221750
I agree that things don’t last like they used to. But I also think that I can not trust on line reviews anymore. They are mostly critical and do not always reflect how things have held up for me. I take them with a big grain of salt
If your kid has wide cold feet, get him some wide boots or shoes if you can find them but more importantly get him some thin ski socks. You don’t want thick socks crammed into the boots, it cuts off circulation and your feet get cold. When I snowboard I wear a pair of thin socks and my feet stay warm all day. Search on Amazon for thin ski socks,
https://www.amazon.com/Eurosocks-Superlite-Sock-Anthracite-Medium/dp/B00307RMFQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1544464530&sr=8-3&keywords=thin%2Bski%2Bsocks&th=1
I swear by wool socks for warmth. Handknit are my favorite, but Darn Tough makes a darn tough pair of wool socks, and Smartwool is also a good brand.
Costco has men’s and wonen’s Merino wool socks at very low prices online — Women’s were 6 prs for under $20. Men’s were similarly priced. The women’s are thinner than the men’s.
A nice warm hat is also useful. Costco.com has wool ski caps, 2 for $15. I also love Columbia omnitech beanie that has a liner that helps keep the hat warmer.
Sorry, don’t know boots at all.
I have wide feet. And I can attest that while the sales team knows which brands run wide, they are also going to tell you they don’t stock shoes in wide widths, and they will point you to the one pair of shoes in the entire store that will fit your feet. Or they’ll assure you that whatever uncomfortable too-narrow shoe they give you fits just fine, when it doesn’t.
Someone upthread helpfully said that Timberlands come in wide widths. Great, I thought, maybe my son can try on a pair locally, maybe they’ll even stock the insulated boots I want to get him. So I gave the local Timberlands store a call, only to find out that it doesn’t carry wide widths. Online is better, if you’ve got wide feet. Local stores don’t cater to us widefoots.