I have an original pair of Neos overboots I used to wear over my dress shoes in snowy Erie Pennsylvania when I was teaching.

I now use them with a heavy feltpac liner, contoured support insoles inside them and foam insoles between the felt liners and Neos for more warmth.

I keep them in my RAV 4's trunk in winter as emergency footwear. Sometimes I use them snowshoeing in very cold weather (always with a VBL sock).

Does everyone else just wear "running shoes" inside their overboots? Do you use a VBL sock?

I don't have the overboots yet, I haven't even been snow camping before, but this winter I was planning on using mukluks and putting the overboots on the outside. Would that work?

"I now use them [Neos overboots] with a heavy feltpac liner, contoured support insoles inside them and foam insoles between the felt liners and Neos for more warmth."
I sometimes use my Neos overboots with a feltpac liner and heavy socks for winter walking and snowshoeing. They're very warm and comfortable like this. For an all day walk the lack of breathability of the Neos might get to be a problem and I suspect that a vapor barrier sock would be needed.

I think that mukluks plus Neos (with felt liner) would be a good combination for cold weather hiking. The mukluks by themselves won't work well in warmer, wet snow conditions, especially on a camping trip where it might be warm/wet followed by very cold. Good mukluks (e.g. Steger) are expensive.

Last winter, I used a pair of BOGs and thought they worked pretty well. In my mind, they're sort of like a cross between overboots, Muks, and a comfortable pair of slippers.

http://www.bogsfootwear.com/shop/style/69142.html

The only negative I can think of with the pair of BOGS that I bought was the inability to tighten the boots with laces or straps. They fit me perfectly, but if you between sizes, I can imagine that might be a problem.

For snowshoeing? I use trailrunners with the Forty Below Light Energy TR Overboots. I don't have VBL socks but I did try the plastic bag technique on one foot and didn't notice any difference. The only overnight I've done with them so far is to a hut so I'm not sure if that's a good test. When I take them winter camping this year, I do plan to use the platic bags and maybe get some VBL socks. The overboots themselves with the trailrunners are awesome!

http://40below.com/products_detail.php?ProductID=13

I have two winter boot systems - a VBL and a totally breathable system. (we hike on extended trips with no re-supply or big fires)


VBL - insulated neos with extended gaiter, neos insole, 3 sock system - liner/vbl/knee high wader sock. this works well for high energy snow shoeing, but you need to exchange the liner sock after a day or two - which exposes the skin to the cold. (plus the VBL stink factor)

Breathable - custom mukluk with breathable nylon shell, 2-nested felt liners, felt insole, frost plug, liner sock/wool sock. Pull the shell off at night and sleep in the liners. This has worked so well that the neos are now my emergency backup and I keep them in the truck.

Enjoy,

Dave