I have worn these boots for about a month now and love them. I went to Fred Meyer's first for sizing which I recommend if you don't normally wear boots. In shoes I normally wear a 9.5, however my Army boots are also an 8.5. These are 400 Gram of insulation and have kept my feet warm with normal boot socks. Using standard boot socks, I had to replace the insole as I felt my feet had a little too much room. I did keep the orginal insoles for those sub zero days when I decide to wear thicker wool socks. As for traction they are just fine. If you are new to colder climates you will quickly find out that some harder sole boots will harden quickly and you will skate across the ice. These are soft enough that at least to zero degrees they still provide traction. I do recommend these boots.