Insulated Footwear

APEX 6 oz/yd² booties

The reason

After a ~15° F winter camp trip with my buddy, where every one of my friends and family said we would die, I was in love with winter camping. The danger, however, felt incredibly real. With a fire the size of a small cow, Jessie burnt his shoes drying them out, we lost a glove drying them out... My Merrell Moab 3s were not suited for the weather; I felt the cold seeping in.

My solution? Build insulated booties that are waterproof, so you can walk around camp.

The two designs

Design 01 - My first pair

Like many before, and many after me, I started with a GreenPepper pattern. What a learning experience these were. Having never made shoes before, maybe this was to be expected. Version 1 worked surprisingly well in terms of warmth. Waterproofing-wise, the seams aren't waterproof and I didn't seal them. Maybe it isn't an issue? Well, on the first trip out to the woods, I got damp conditions and ended up tearing the Sil outer on a stick. Clearly, these weren't the indestructible camp shoe I had envisioned.

Design 02 - Rowen's booties

This was my step back into sewing. I had tabled this project for more than a year. I knew it would be bad, but I made mistakes not in the sewing stage as much as trimming. We blindly sewed forward and ended up with some kind of lumpy seams at the toes and heel. For the intended size of XL, after my mistakes we were closer to a S. They fit Rowen, though! I hope she finds them useful; I will await a field-tested update.

Design 03 - My booties, they're bootiful

FINALLY, I learned from my mistakes. TRIMMING, patience, speed, and the right tension for this fabric. Breathe, don't rush it, and don't fear sewing. This is the first project I actually felt like it worked out the way I wanted it to.

Some key lessons were: 1. Trimming. This is an essential part of the process for the seam allowance on these bunched up sections at the toes, heels, and such.

Materials and measurements

Real World Use

I made these in spring. Winter testing is still ahead.

What I would change

Hardware Choices -

Cuff - These are not useful as standalone camp slippers because the sil material gets shredded by branches. A small cuff would help prevent this, but I opted to develop waterproof overbooties instead.

Weight and materials - For a standalone bootie, the Sil 1.1 is too flimsy to be anywhere near the ground. A cuff is essential, but maybe a 210-420D nylon would be strong enough as a standalone outer with the normal 1000D sole?

Speaking of, Cordura 1000D is amazing, but overkill. For the sole of a bootie destined only to be inside an over-bootie, or in a sleeping bag, this is a downside. A pair of sleeping booties would be better off with APEX 2.5oz, and a different outer fabric - maybe Argon67 inner/outer. Cordura 500D is probably sufficient for any cuff/sole for a bootie, anyway, and could save weight. I own 1000D, so I'll stick with it for now (also, I love my booties as derpy as they are).