Gear Review: Sierra Designs Fireside Down Bootie

Sierra Designs Fireside Down Bootie

Sierra Designs Fireside Down Bootie
$70, 15 oz. (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s S-XL, women’s S-XL
sierradesigns.com

When you’re carrying everything on your back to a backcountry yurt or camping in winter conditions, the matter of finding appropriate yurt/camp footwear can be thorny: You want something really warm, not heavy or bulky, and with an outsole that grips snow so that you don’t take an epic digger while walking to the privy. The Fireside Down Bootie fits the bill perfectly.

It’s packed with 700-fill down, comes up to mid-calf, and has a thick EVA sole to insulate against the cold ground. I could hang outside the yurt on a recent trip enjoying the stars in single-digit temperatures, and my toes felt like I was sitting beside the woodstove inside. Unlike other down booties I’ve used, this one didn’t cause me to take a Youtube-worthy fall, thanks to a tread that bites into frozen surfaces and drawcords at the ankle and cuff that kept my feet from slipping around inside the booties. Taped seams keep out moisture. And each bootie packs down to less than an inch high—not quite disappearing in my pack, but worth their minimal bulk. Plus, you can feel good on the inside about buying it: the fabric is 100 percent recycled.

—Michael Lanza

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