Walking boots for ice

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Hoping to kill two birds with one stone here. Having managed for more than 50 years without ever being a walking boot kind of person, I’m going to need some for a holiday at Easter. I’m hoping that whatever I buy will also give me much better grip on icy pavements than my DMs, which have been proven to be dreadful.

I’ve heard good things about Merrel and about Adudas Terrex (I think). I would prefer them to be black and a bit ‘city’ looking if possible.

Am I asking the impossible? Anyone got experience of anything in these two brands, or indeed anything else.

Thank you.

I have some Merrells. They are much better than my DMs, but not foolproof, and look very much like hiking boots/shoes (I have both), not normal town shoes.

Thank you. I’ll have a look at their website. I quite like the look of the Adidas ones, but not sure how good the grip would be.

Just seen these by Fitflop which say they are grippy but it’s really hard to tell how grippy things really are from a picture.

https://www.fitflop.com/uk/en/shop/neo-d-hyker-trainers-p-HL1#D16

My husband wears the Addias terrex walking trainers, gets through a pair a year with 2 1hr dog walks every day ( more at the weekend) and are great for mud,ice and snow.
He's not tried the walking boots but I know he rates the grip and the waterproof of them so I'm gonna assume the boots both men's and ladies would be the same.
The pair he's wearing now are black and look like regular trainers but they do a multitude of colours.

If you’re walking on ice, micro spikes would be better than just boots. I wear top of the range La Sportiva and they still slip on ice. Great for wet rock and muddy slopes but you need spikes for ice.

I’m using YakTrax on my walking boots and they’re brilliant but nothing other than ice spikes will do on sheet ice.

Meindl are the best I have used for comfort and grip over many years of walking. Go to a specialist walking shop, tell them your requirements and have them properly sized and fitted.

I would forget about aesthetics. Good grip and comfort is more important especially if your Easter trip is a walking holiday.

If you can't bear that, look for a pair of slip on grips. These stretch over your footwear and provide a bit more grip. They are inexpensive.

I agree get some £10 ice spikes from Amazon. They make a huge difference

I bought these from Amazon. They just hook over shoes/boots.

I had a back operations last year and I’m having to do the school runs from this term and I’ve been terrified of falling, but these have been a godsend. £7.99.

This is what I use on my trainers and boots for ice.

I might get some spikes too, thanks, but I’m also hoping to get shoes/boots as described. As long as they’re black, I don’t really care what they look like.

I love my Brasher boots, totally waterproof, very comfortable, hard wearing, long lasting have a sown in gutter (where the tongue is stitched into the main fabric of the boot making it fully waterproof.) I’m not sure they would fit the ‘city’ vibe though, mine are clearly ‘working’ boots! 🥾

You’re best going to an outdoor shop and trying some on-each company uses different lasts even on different products on the same brand. For hiking shoes/boots, it’s essential they fit. Salomon traditionally are for narrow feet, Melinda and the German manufacturers, wider, same with the US brands like Keen. But some have deeper heel cups-you’re best trying on and finding a really good fit. You should be able to find smarter looking ones for city wear-I wear La Sportiva shoes-I only ever use boots if it’s a proper mountain top hike and they look like trainers with a big sole. And then put your spikes on top for icy walks.

These, not black though, I've had three pairs in thirty years, used to be Brasher until Berghaus bought the brand.

Yes the trainers with a big sole is what the Adidas ones are and I think maybe Fitflop. I don’t need anything massively walking boot ish, as we will probably walk a maximum of 8 miles a day, some of which will be hilly.

It’s a whole new world of confusing choice!

https://www.blacks.co.uk/19653032/adidas-terrex-women-s-trailmaker-20-gore-tex-mid-hiking-shoes-19653032/5908671/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22496988938&gbraid=0AAAAADpakd-WnvW6qeqYX7_jK7q-BcjDq&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI34LygYKEkgMVwqVQBh1dVxcQEAQYAyABEgIlsPD_BwE

If you want boots, you want something like these:
Studded Winter Boots – Find studded winter boots at Icebug | Webshop

But like pp, I've got the grippers that go over my regular boots and they are really effective. I prefer the stud ones to the coil ones as the coils can unwind and get stuck on things.

I don’t want anything that looks like snow boots.

Feel free to fall on your arse then 😆
I don't think all of the Bugz look like snow boots, some do a bit, others look like regular hiking boots.

Walking on ice is about technique. Walk from.your knees and keep your feet flat rather than pushing from the balls of your feet. Works for soft sand as well.

You need to decide if you want ankle support or not. I have had Merrell Moab and currently have Merrell Accentors hiking shoes - I find they are good for wide feet and need very little wearing in.

For bigger hikes I have Meindl Bhutan boots, but agree that these are an investment and need proper fitting.

Brooks do walking shoes in black as well as more lightweight trainers. I have the latter for general use but they are not waterproof.

Honestly if you're walking8 miles a day in the hills you really need proper boots with good soles and proper ankle support or it won't be enjoyable.

You won't get boots that will grip ice - for that you need grippers on top. Buy your boots - lots of good suggestions on here - and then get yourself YakTrax that you can put on as needed.

Walking boots are normally terrible on ice because they're not designed for it. They're designed for rough, loose off road. DMs are actually normally better on ice that waking boots because they have a better profile. Best bet for ice are spikes that slip over boots or trainers; fell running trainers or mountaineering boots.

Don't buy boots online or with a preconceived idea of which brand you want, go to a shop like Cotswold and try them all on

Boots with the OC system would work- they have flip out spikes for ice.