The Pakems Cortina packboots ($80) are the cold-weather flip flop—the end-of-the day podiatry receptacle to soothe swollen, tired and sore feet. Except that the Pakems Cortina packboots are insulated snow boots that take up the same amount of space in your pack as a pair of Chaco ZX-1 Classics.
What I liked
Packability
In February I did a Nordic skiing trip to Telluride and spent most of the trip skiing in the Lizard Head Pass wilderness. Up until this year I had always worn my Sorel Joan of Arctic boots on the plane because I needed snow boots at some point at the destination. Joan of Arctic boots, while great, are not wheelie-friendly, too clunky to wear traipsing through airports and checking a bag costs money I don’t want to spend.
Living in Minneapolis at the elevation of 500 feet above sea level and then traveling to an elevation of 10,800 feet means a full day of skiing will be painfully slow, with all the frequent stops to rest, hydrate, catch a breath, puke, etc. The Pakems Cortina packboots, with their convenient stuff sack, took up very little space and weight in my pack, and were convenient to slip on for warmth.
Traction
For such slight and petite boots, the Pakems Cortina packboots have a substantial patterned tread and provide decent traction when walking on packed snow. Much better traction in the snow, than, say, my ski boots.
Water-resistance
The waterproof membrane allows you to slog through inch-deep water or slush without getting soggy feet. However, these are not your Hunter rain boots. You will get wet feet if you walk through deep puddles or wade through streams.
Fit
If you’re a half-size, Pakems advises you to order down to the next full size. I’m a 7.5-ish and went with the sizes 7 and it was the right size. They accommodate everything from thick wool socks to no socks, thanks to the bungee cord lace’s wide range of adjustability.
Warm
If Grit and Gear had a legal team they would advise me to say this: “While the Pakems Cortina packboots are lined with a delightfully soft and supple faux-shearling fleece, and easily accommodate thick wool socks, they should not replace your LOWA Montreal GTX Mid‘s (or Steger Mukluks).”
We don’t have a legal team but common sense dictates I should say it anyway. Warmth is subjective because we all have differing tolerance levels. Personally, I found them to plenty warm for what I used them for. I wasn’t slipping them on my feet after a day of skiing across Antarctica in sub-zero temperatures or strolling the outdoor Farmer’s Markets of Oymyaken. The temperatures in Colorado (and at home in Minnesota when I used them) ranged from single digits to high-teens and the time I had them on my feet was limited to a couple hours or less.
Functionality
After wearing these boots for a few months this winter, I found that they have some great urban uses, such as commuting and stashing in your car as part of your winter emergency kit. If you live in the mountains, or drive icy roads in the winter, there is always the risk of ending up in a ditch and having to walk to get help or whatever.
For commuting, they’re strangely useful. I don’t work downtown but I did have to take the train downtown once for a conference. Snow was in the forecast in the afternoon and I threw the Pakem’s into my tote bag just in case the forecast was correct. The forecast and the Pakem Cortina packboot did not disappoint. Instead of walking through filthy downtown Minneapolis snow and slush in my Dansko’s I did it in the Pakems, which were warmer, had better traction, and were basically waterproof.
What I didn’t like What they aren’t
The Pakems Cortina packboots aren’t hiking boots and Pakems is clear about that on their website: Pakems are “A lightweight, packable boot designed to take with you after sports, to sit back and be comfortable.
So I’m just going to reiterate what they aren’t: They are not designed, nor intended, to be winter hiking boots. They are pack boots (they also are not snowing boots either because I tried that and it didn’t work so great). They are for packing into your pack to be a source of comfort to your feet after a day of skiing or hiking in cold weather.
Final Thoughts
After testing a pair for six weeks this winter in a variety of venues and conditions—urban, backcountry and travel and in snow, slush and single-digit temperatures—I have to say that they lived up to their purpose: “A lightweight, packable boot designed to take with you after sports, to sit back and be comfortable.
