I haven’t seen much discussion about the Crescent Moon Neoprene Overbooties here in the last few years, although there is a reader review here and a “real review” here.
I bought a pair about a month ago, and I’ve now put about 70 miles on them, strictly snowshoeing in the White Mountains and Adirondacks.
I’ve paired them with an oversized pair of Vasque Blur (non-GTX) trail runners, and I’ve gotta say, I’ve been pretty impressed so far.
I bought a pair of size large, to go over my size 12 Vasques. They fit perfectly. They’re 6MM neoprene, so they provide lots of warmth, as well as lots of waterproofing. They’re not 100% waterproof, since there is no sole, so they don’t completely envelope the shoe. However, I’ve not had any issues with my shoes getting wet, to date. When wearing them with snowshoes, the binding seems to keep any snow from sliding between the shoe and the overboot.
It’s been relatively warm since I started using them (daytime temps in the 20s and 30s), so the snow has been relatively wet…but the neoprene has kept my shoes and insulation nice and dry. Since it’s been warm, I haven’t been able to test exactly how far down on the temperature scale I can take this setup, but it appears to be significantly warmer than my previous setup using 200g Primaloft TNF Storm Peaks.
They also eliminate my need for gaiters, saving additional weight. The stretchy neoprene snugs nice and tightly around my ankle, keeping any snow out. I hiked about 20 miles last weekend, in 3-4 feet of fresh snow, and had no issues.
For insulation, I’ve been wearing a pair of Smartwool liner socks under a pair of SealSkinz socks, under a pair of Acorn Fleece Socks.
I haven’t used these with crampons yet, but from my in-home testing, it appears that they should work well. I’m not as sure about Microspikes, but I *think* they’ll work fine. I wouldn’t use them while barebooting, as the bottom portion of the overboot isn’t robust enough to walk directly upon.
Related to this, I *do* question how well the bottom portion of these things will hold up. After 70 miles, there are some signs of wear, particularly on the elasticized portion that runs parallel to the foot. I plan to reinforce this area in the near future, although I’m still thinking about the best option(s).
Haven’t used these yet for an overnight or multi-night trip, but it appears that they would be well suited for such an application. I’d probably bring down booties for camp, though.
Weight of booties: approx 10 oz.
Weight of shoes: approx 25 oz.
Weight of sock layers: unknown
Here are some pictures.
