So, your next ski vacation is coming up and you’re looking for a new pair of Winter boots. You stroll down the aisle full of the usual characters when you spot the new Teva Chair 5 and lift them off the shelf. They are light, flexible and boast waterproofness that would rival a Boston fisherman’s knee-high rubber boots. If you decide the take the plunge, let me tell you that you’ll be glad you did.
Teva Chair 5 Features:
- Our White Spider Rubber sole will help keep your face a safe distance from the ground when the temperature drops
- A nylon shank keeps the foot stable and in control
- Waterproof upper materials can handle getting wet
- Seam sealed to keep you dry
- Super light EVA foam is waterproof and insulative to keep you warm and dry
- Removable boot liner for kickin’ around the cabin
- 250 grames of 3M Thinsulate™ LiteLoft™ insulation feels like a sweater for your feet
- MSRP: $170
My Experience
With all the typical Winter boots at my disposal, the new Teva Chair 5 really caught my attention. It looked lightweight, flexible and promised warmth while being extremely packable for hauling in a carry-on. While some might wonder how Teva can go from making sandals to Winter boots, I’ve watched their evolution over the past few years into shoes and this makes perfect sense to capture the attention of Teva aficionados year-round.
The Chair 5 is Teva’s flagship of their new Winter boot collection, which consists of five models for both men and women. With the Chair 5, you get a flexible waterproof nylon upper mated to a bathtub rubber lower. The outsole sports White Spider Rubber for extra traction in all kinds of Winter conditions. Another unique feature of the Chair 5 is the removable inner liner. While I suppose you could dance around the bar or frolic around your hotel in your ski boot liners (I would not recommend that), the Chair 5’s liners are made for just such a thing. Slip them out and you’ve got a lightweight, insulated bootie for light tromping indoors.
Lacing up the Chair 5’s is a bit of a process, but once you get used to it, well… you get used to it. The inner bootie features a single Velcro closure at the top. Many times, my socks would adhere to the sticky Velcro inadvertently. Once you’re past that, the next step involves attaching the liner to the outer via a wrapover tab. Now you have the liner in place. Then comes the easy part — lacing them up. And then finally, another Velcro strap finishes things off.
Among all the Velcro, you do end up with a solid connection between your foot and the boots. It also helps seal out any snow that could have found its way inside your pant cuffs. Again, once laced up, these boots feel nothing like typical Winter boots. The flexibility offered by their unique design makes walking and even running as easy as it would be in regular shoes. I’ve loved them while chasing my four kids around the backyard and the local sledding hill.
Even after an hour of snowblower duty, while constantly being pelted with early-season slush, the Chair 5’s remained waterproof and warm. The only time that my toes began to feel the chill was when the temperatures were in the low-teens and I had been outside for a good 30 min or more. Yes, there are some boots with better insulation, but none of them will cut up the dance floor like the Chair 5’s.
I’ve loved just how walkable these have been and the impenetrable barrier they have provided. The sticky Spider Rubber outsoles do offer surprisingly-good traction for being so low-profile. I did have some slippage on glare ice, but there’s not a whole lot of rubber outsoles on the market that wouldn’t.
The Good:
- Lightest Winter boots I’ve worn
- Packs down to the size of a regular pair of shoes
- Flexibility of shoes in a Winter boot
- Great traction on everything but blue ice
- Insulation works well down to single digits
- Extremely waterproof
The Bad:
- Quite an involved process to take them on or off
- Velcro catches on your socks
- Ice grip could be better
The Bottom Line
If you want the most dance-worthy Winter boots for your next ski vacation, there’s no doubt that the Chair 5’s should be tops on your list. These are so packable, you can toss them in your carry-on and still have room for a weekend’s worth of sundries.
Buy Now: Available at Backcountry.com
