Reader Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5

I first read about these here at BPL. My quandary was whether to wear heavy insulated snow boots for getting around the neighborhood, and then, if I was going snow shoeing and backpacking what would I wear -- not the heavy, insulated, snow boots. (These are supposed to work with snowshoes but I have not tried that, they are just great w/o even trying that use.)

So I read all the articles here and found the "NEOS" or "Neos" referred to, particularly the Trekker model.






Website for Trekkers, by Neos is at:

http://www.overshoe.com/recreational/products/detail.php?s=TRS

Here they are over and with my $10US wind/water shell pants, over my mid top hiking boots:



When I first got them I thought they were terrible. I couldn't get them on and they didn't seem to fit. Operator error on my part, the strap across the front of the foot is the key to getting them on -- and the key to their functionality. Once you master that they fit tight and, IMO, will last a long, long time (as Linda R. would say).

Here they are with the strap closed:



Here they are with the strap open:



Once the strap is opened you read whether it is for the right or left foot in the heel area of the inside. The other way to tell is the strap closes on the inside of the foot it is supposed to be on, so that you can pull it tight to the outside. Once on they are great, if they fit -- which they should since the foot strap gives a wide range of sizes over which they can be fitted. They fit both my low tops, well, and my high tops, but a bit tight so be careful with sizing.

The tread actually works, I was dubious at first. They worked in icy 1" snow on the front steps, they worked in 6" to 1' powder, and layered snow that was about 2' - 3' at the Lassen National Park.

What makes them a 5 is that they are warmifying -- I tested one foot out and one foot in them, wearing cotton based Levis at about 26 F. The upper leg with the Levis was cold, pretty darn good 'n cold over the tops of the Trekkers. The other leg and foot were really cold in my low tops. (This was done with my low tops on both feet.) So they add warmth, although I assume they are not breathable. But, for my uses I would rather sweat and get some kind of condensation than frostbite someday.

What is really great about them is I was going to return them until I learned to put them on and use them, and now they will be by my front door all the time ... and I may even carry them in a pack to ford streams that are shallow or deal with snow and icy slop, because they are a soled replacement for gaiters ... AND ... I realize they are like a survival second set of shoes if my trekking mid tops or low tops are wet or fail. So they get a 5, when I was going to give them a 2 or 3 -- because of operator stupidity.








Height: 20”
Weight: 2 lbs
Made of 160 Denier nylon pack cloth
Duraflex Quick release Buckle
NEOS® Superlite outsole
Comfort rating: 0 Degree F
100% Waterproof
Snowshoe compatible heel

Edited by bdavis on 01/06/2007 18:42:33 MST.

Rating: 3 / 5

Long, long ago, in a city far, far away known as Erie Pennsylvania I had need of a tall overboot to put over my dress shoes. This was to help me to get TO my car to dig it out after a snow storm. They were excellent for that use. Like boots with built-in gaiters.

Essentially my "original" NEOS are the same design as the above reviewed Trekker model but mine are all black Cordura.

Since those days of moving to the Mojave Desert from that glacier known as Lake Erie (don't laugh, it would often freeze solid from Michigan to New York, Ohio to Ontario)I have found no use for my NEOS.

These original NEOS were PU coated and NOT breathable. I assume the new ones are the same. Therefore to use them in winter requires one use a vapor barrier (VB)sock to keep the insulating footwear dry. I will be using my NEOS this winter on Mt. Charleston outside of the Las Vegas Valley for winter hiking. Their tread is much more aggressive than that shown in the above review and the uppers are light Cordura. Very tough.

Another use I may make is as a camp bootie over feltpack liners, plastic Tele boot EVA liners or down or synthetic booties. Especially if I know I'm going to be involved in prolonged shelter building. The main improvement I wish NEOS had is Gore-Tex waterproofing instead of non-breathable PU coating. With tat change I'd give them a 5 rating as a kind of modern mukluk/overboot.

Edited by Danepacker on 10/30/2007 10:04:59 MDT.

Rating: 4 / 5

Thought was to cinch them tight and use them as a silt barrier for walking in swamps ... tried them out at the local beach and ended up walking around with 2 water balloons tied to my lower legs. Okay if you're staying in 20" or less of water, but good luck with that.

well constructed, great fit, and good looking ... but no good for deep water.