Merrell Snowbank 2.0 kids winter boot review
Snowbank 2.0 is a new arrival of 2016 from Merrell waterproof winter boots for kids. The boots are lightweight, have thicker isolation layer on the inside and a dry membrane.
| Product | Waterproof | Price | Sizing | Traction | Warmth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Merrell Boys Snow Bank 2.0 Waterproof Snow Boot |
Amazon | 1–13(M)US | 25F/32C |
We bought the shoes in November for our kid. He loved the boots right away because they were comfortable and wide.
We got the shoes at the physical store where we could choose between several good shoes like Kamik Harlow and Geox Himalaya Abx. All three looked like very good quality boots. We had a look at the best winter shoes for kids online, but none of them were available in our country at the moment.
We have chosen Merrell because of the several reasons:
- The boots were the tallest ones. As you can see, the Kamik ones were the shortest and we prefer taller boots for our very active kid. The first thing he did outside was to jump into the snow. The boots had just about the right height.
- Merrell were also the widest boots between Merrell, Kamik and Geox. As our son have wide feet, he prefers wider shoes as it feels much more comfortable. He didn’t want to take them off when he first tried them at home.
- There wasn’t too much snow during this period and it was mostly dry outside. Nevertheless my son’s feet were a little bit moist every day. I once forgot my socks to the fitness class and asked to borrow his as he is exercising judo where they run barefoot. His socks were so uncomfortably moist. They weren’t wet like you couldn’t see any water spots, but just cold and moist. And he changes his socks every single day!
- The insoles of the shoes fell totally apart after just 3 weeks. That’s just horrible quality.
- Threads on the front of the shoes started to come out.
We were fortunate enough to be able to test the boots right away. The weather is cold with some snow and many icy sidewalks on the way to the school. The boots have rubber soles with large threads, which is good. Our son could still slide on the sidewalks on ice so the grip is not 100% good, but it was good enough as he maintained good balance and did not fall.
Sizing
We bought size 36 EU (Big Kid 4) and the sizing was not what I’d expect if I looked at the Merrell sizing chart.
Size 36 EU in cm was almost two sizes larger according to their own sizing chart. We are happy though as we prefer larger winter boots and our child has a lot of wiggle room for the toes and room for thicker winter socks.
Laces
The thing that irritated me a bit at home was the noise from the lace gripper. It is a piece of plastic that is a bit loose and makes a weak plastic noise while you walk. I had to place the grips under the lacing so they would stop making noise.
We had some experience with this kind of laces before so I do not expect them to last too long anyway. The threads on the sneakers broke after several weeks and we had to replace them. I would definitely prefer that the boots had Velcro like Geox and Kamik.
Other features
Good surprise was a reflective green stripe on the back of the shoes. It was visible from the distance in the dark morning when our child was on his way to school. It’s November, it is starting to get dark, and although he wears reflex gear, a child can’t wear too much of it.
The shoes are marked as they are suitable for down to -25F or -32C. I am not sure it is actually the case, but we will see. I will update the review as this kind of cold arrives.
I have inserted some wool insoles into the shoes for better isolation. Our son liked it very much as it also made the shoes extremely soft and comfortable.
Although after wearing the boot for a whole day in -5C he came home and the insides of the boots were a bit moisturized. The boots seem to be too isolated so the water is condensed on the inside. I removed the insoles so we will see what happens next.
Update after 3 weeks
After 3 weeks of wearing the shoes we are kind of disappointed. Our boy was wearing them every day mostly to and from school. He doesn’t play a lot outside this time of the year as it’s very dark.
Overall I think we will be returning the shoes. The winter hasn’t even started yet, but the shoes are constantly moist inside and are falling apart.
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