It seems intuitive in retrospect. Those sneakers you love? Why not weatherproof them for the winter months? But in reality it took years of internal politicking, R&D, and testing the market before the originator of the style – Nike – was able to put out an official line of sneakerboots. Now, three years later, a handful of other brands have started to bring their own versions to market. It looks like only more are to come, and it isn’t hard to see why given the response.
Sneakerboots fill the gap between shoes weatherproofed with aftermarket products and heavy-duty work shoes or hiking boots. They boast a classic street-style while also keeping your feet just as dry and warm as a pair of heavy duty boots would. While we wouldn’t recommend you go out and try and conquer the trails with these on your feet, they’re more than capable of meeting the challenges of your winter commute through the city. Take a scroll through our list of best sneakerboots for men and choose a pair that fits your style – whether that be more formal, or laid back.
Adidas ZX Flux Winter
A pair of shoes featuring a ballistic nylon upper designed for abrasion resistance and inner neoprene sock built to keep you warm even when trudging through salty puddles in the snow. Worried about slipping and sliding on ice? You won’t have to be with these. When everything starts freezing up, the outsole of the shoe will provide serious grip thanks to its outdoor inspired outer.
Vans Sk8-Hi MTE
The Vans Sk8-Hi is one of the more classic sneakers out there. It’s silhouette screams California, skateboarding, and hanging by the beach – but contrary to popular belief – it rains and snows in the Golden State, too. So it only makes sense that the heritage brand has given one of their most popular silhouettes the weatherproofed treatment.
Vans Sk8-Hi Del Pato MTE
A couple of images come to mind when you think ‘rain boot’ – primary among them being the classic duckboot featuring the oversized rubber toe-cap. This version of the Sk8-Hi from vans boasts that same detail in canvas and treated with Scotchguard (as is the suede) for waterproofing. For warmth, the inside of the shoe is given a thick fleece lining to keep your feet nice and warm while the outsole has vulcanized rubber lugs.
Merrell Epiction Mid Waterproof
Sneaker brands haven’t been the only ones to respond to the sneakerboot trend. Companies with their feet more firmly in the world of boots and wilderness outerwear have taken a crack at combining the aesthetics of city shoes with their boots. Merrell’s Epiction Mid is a perfect example of just that. They feel and wear like a sneaker but boast all of the rugged protection you’d want, like reinforced eyelets for laces, a waterproof full grain leather upper, and a tough and grippy outsole.
New Balance 710 Vazee Outdoor
These boots look like your favorite pair of New Balances just finished reading Into The Wild and have started driving out of the city on weekends for regular multi-day hikes. They have a tough outsole with lots of grip, metal D-rings for laces, and an upper built to repel rain and snow with ease. You may not be hiking through Alaska with these, but they’ll certain keep you safe and dry through the winter.
Chuck Taylor All Star Tekoa
Waxed leather goes a long way, and the team at Converse know it. Therefore, they outfitted their classic Chuck Taylor with a heavy duty waxed leather construction and topped it off with a tough black overlay for an extra level of protection for wearers looking to trudge through the snow and rain. For warmth, the interior is padded with a thick wool, while the outsole has deeper lugs for traction on slippery sidewalks.
Palladium Pampatech Hi TX
Palladium’s Papatech Hi TX’s look like a pair of Chuck Taylors after scarfing down protein shakes and working out for a full year. They boast a classic sneaker silhouette but are outfitted to take on the city with their texture nylon upper, inner mesh bootie, and deeply lugged outsole. Reinforced eyelets for laces, along with a rubber capped toe and speckled mid all come together for a fun mix of styles that you’ll be happy to slide on every day.
Converse Chuck II Waterproof Boot
If you are a true lover of the Chuck Taylor All Star boots, you’ve likely worn them through rain storms or even heavy snow only to have all that cold water seep through the canvas top and make you miserable. No longer will that be an issue. Converse has rolled out their Counter Climate line, built with deeper lugs for grip, a totally waterproof upper, and an extra neoprene layer to keep you warm even when the temperature drops. Bring it on, Mother Nature.
Nike Lunar Force 1 Duckboot
One of the best parts about Nike’s weatherproof line is that they use it as an opportunity to have fun updating their older silhouettes. This one, in particular, got a whole lot of them. From a grippy deep lugged gum outsole to the upper treated with watershield and an interior lined with a thick neoprene to keep you nice and warm, the shoes come in two color ways – the black and gum (our favorite) or the bean-boot featuring leather and yellow.
Nike Air Max 90 Sneakerboot
This particular shoe from Nike was released in last year’s line of sneaker boots, but is still available from some outlets and remains a solid pick. Made from seamless leather it blocks out moisture from getting in, and as a result also keeps your toes toasty even while waiting for your Uber out in the cold.
Nike Air Max 95 Sneakerboot
The bubble. Kids spent hours in the 1990s just coveting shoes with it, poking it, and being utterly convinced that it would make them jump that much higher. While we can’t definitively say that those kicks did make you jump higher, what we do know for sure is that this shoe will keep you warm, dry, and visible. Thanks to a reflective heel tab, a neoprene inner sock, and tough water-resistant treatment – you’ll be good throughout the winter.
Cole Haan LunarGrand Boot
Despite not looking like most others on this list, Cole Haan’s LunarGrand fills out all of the requirements of a good sneaker-boot. It incorporates classic sneaker and boot elements – like the Lunarlon midsole from Nike and a mixed leather and canvas upper. The shoe is treated to keep both water and cold out, making it just as solid a shoe to wear during cold days in the city.
