Columbia Footwear Bugabootoo Winter Boots - Waterproof, Insulated (For Women)

It took me a long time to find the right pair of winter boots. At last my feet are warm and dry from the winter elements. Highly recommended to everyone.

These boots were bought about 5 years ago, so are out of warranty. They were worn for one or two days a year and stored indoors in a closet. Suddenly, the rubber on the lower area of the uppers cracked and fell off. I assume it is due to deterioration of the rubber, but considering their minimal use and indoor room-temperature storage, it seems quite unusual.

[...] my daughter needed waterproof boots and these are the ones.

Like a few of you, my boots have cracked after several seasons. I have had my boots for 8 years or more. Although the boots were long out of warranty we simply followed the instructions on the Columbia website by taking pictures of the damaged area, the sole of the boot, the tag in the tongue and sent it to their customer service department (columbia@custhelp.com). Within two days the reply I got back was: "Thank you for your photos and information. We will be happy to replace these boots for you as we would consider this a manufacturing defect. I have placed an order for two of the current version of your boots, to ship from our Kentucky Warehouse. Please let me know if you do not receive these within ten business days."Hope you enjoy!Columbia Customer CareYou can't go wrong with purchasing these boots!

I got these boots as a Christmas gift several years ago, and used them maybe 5 times a season - mostly to walk in the snow and occasionally to snowshoe. They fit nicely with my snowshoe binding. Aside from this, they were stored in a closet. I was surprised today to see the rubber has completely cracked on both boots, and split away from the leather. The soles still look new, but it's as if all the rubber on the uppers just quit at the same time. I'm planning to pursue the matter with Columbia. It would make me think twice about ordering these.