These are the only shoes I've really worn this winter. As soon as they arrived, I put them on and basically every time I step out the door these are on my feet. And why not? Before I purchased these, I was an UGG girl. I ruined multiple pairs by accidentally splashing into a puddle, and that was really disappointing especially considering the $100+ price tag on them.

I have multiple fractures in my feet, and also have rheumatoid arthritis, which causes my feet to be in near constant pain in any shoe that is tight or restrictive. I basically live in shoes that are like this, or slippers. I need the comfort  of the sherpa footbed, but also need the width for my joints to be able to spread out when they have inflammation. This review may look excessive, but I want you to understand why I take it so seriously, and that if you're debating between two popular brands, there's a lot of good information here that I hope helps you to make an informed decision.

The first week I had these, we had a huge rain storm and I parked next to a giant puddle without realizing it, and stepped right into it. I assumed I was going to have a dead pair of new boots, and soaked feet. I was shocked and thrilled when not only were my feet totally dry, but my boots were completely unscathed; they really have lived up to their claim of being water resistant. I've worn them in the rain, in the snow, in that nasty sleety crap we constantly get in NJ. The treads on the bottom are surprisingly good in the snow and sleet too. Uggs are notorious for being slide-y, and I kind of expected that these would be too. But they are better than most of my other shoes (and some of my dedicated snow boots). They're about as good on ice as any rubber soled shoe.

To the insides. The sherpa lining is warm, soft and comfortable. The sherpa is densely packed, and warm. It hits that balance of being substantial and real without being scratchy. I've noticed that a lot of cheaper brands use something fake that is super soft, but fake, and it isn't absorbent and it becomes matted and stinky pretty fast. Real sheepskin and sherpa will feel not as soft by comparison, and almost scratchy (but upon wearing you will notice it isn't scratchy and you will see because of the density it is actually quite nice on your skin), but it won't mat up, will absorb any sweat from your skin and take it away, and it's going to last.

The shaft of the boot and top of the footbed are still solid after 4 months of daily wear. The shaft isn't bending or folding over when they are not being worn, but they move nicely with me when I'm walking. My multiple pairs of Uggs had the shafts folding and drooping within weeks of purchase and wear, and I took very good care of them to the point of putting pool noodles into them to hold the shafts up when not wearing them to try to prevent this issue. With the Bearpaw boots, I honestly don't do a great job of taking care of them when I'm not wearing them, and the shafts are still tight (without being stiff when wearing them).

The footbed is wide and comfortable, without being overly wide where your foot can just spread to oblivion and not have any support on the sides. The insole is soft, and nice to wear without socks if that's your thing, but of course it will get smelly after a while. I have seen replacement insoles by Bearpaw to help with that.

My only small complaint with this boot is that I didn't know that the zip feature is only decorative (the zippers are actually functional in that the zippers move back and forth and open to the boot lining); they don't open the boot lining to assist with taking them on or off. That is not in the description of the boot. They are not difficult to take off or put on without zipping open, but with my arthritis it would be easier for me. Nevertheless, these are the best sherpa boot I've ever purchased, and I am officially converted to Bearpaw brand. If you are coming from UGG, know that UGG runs really big, and if you are like me and are a size 6 in UGG, you will be a size 7.5-8 in Bearpaw. But Bearpaw makes their sizing clear, and their customer service is excellent, very knowledgeable about other brands sizing in comparison with theirs, and happy to help you figure out your size.