GooseFeet Gear Down Socks

The Goosefeet Gear down socks/booties will keep your feet toasty warm on cold nights while keeping your pack light.

This is a review of the Goosefeet Gear ultralight down socks/booties. I am not affiliated with GFG in any way. I purchased them through Massdrop in 2018 and paid $61 incl shipping.

The Goosefeet Gear down socks/booties are an ultralight way to keep your feet warm in camp, specifically for sleeping. They surround your feet with down, up to the ankle elastic. Mine are size L, standard fill, and weigh in at 1.83 ounces for the pair. They come with a small ultralight stuff sack.

They keep my feet very warm, but unlike socks that can be tight and constricting, these booties feel like your feet are floating in a soft, fluffy cloud (because in a way they are). My everyday shoe size varies from 10.5-11.5, and these booties in size L are the perfect size for me.

The fabric is I believe 10D so is made for holding the down in and won’t stand up to abrasion and heavy use. Thus, these booties are not for walking around camp unprotected, only for in your tent or sleeping bag/quilt and thus have a limited, focused functionality. GFG also makes matching outer booties (sold separately) that have a durable sole that you can slip on over the down booties for walking around camp and midnight bio-breaks.

These booties are extremely well made, as are other items I’ve gotten from GFG. The standard fill attains full loft but doesn’t give much structure to the bootie shape, it tends to sag and flop instead. That’s not necessarily a problem because there's still plenty of loft for holding in warmth, but if you want a bootie more apt to stand up on its own you may want to get these overstuffed for a slight weight and cost penalty.

These down booties work; they keep not just my feet warmer but, by keeping my feet warm I feel warmer overall. They are comfortable to sleep in, with light socks or just in bare feet inside the booties. The elastic around the ankle is not tight or constricting in the least but still keeps the booties on my feet without them slipping off during the night.

Yes, they are expensive, but they keep your feet warmer and more comfortable than socks, and like other quality down garments can last a lifetime with proper care.

One goal I had in getting these down booties was that by keeping my feet toasty warm I hoped that I wouldn’t need heavier down pants or heavyweight baselayer bottoms to sleep in when in colder temps. So my aspiration was that these down booties might actually save both weight and cost if I didn't need to get down pants. And it’s true that the down booties do keep me warmer overall, but the reality is that if it's going to be really cold I'll still bring insulated sleep pants; I don't think I would be comfortable trying to shave it so close.

My only quibble with my GFG booties is minor and is my own fault: I ordered them in the black fabric, and the inside fabric of my quilts is also black, so the down booties can be hard to find in the morning if I take them off and toss them into/on my quilt. In hindsight, a contrasting color would have been a better choice. But, they come with a handy and ultralight stuff sack, and I just remember to stuff them inside of that when I take them off and then run the stuff sack’s cord through the snaps on my quilt’s top/neckline so they are always packed with my quilt and don't get lost. There’s even room in the stuff sack for my down beanie, so all of my down sleep items are attached when packed.

(this has both down booties and my down beanie inside, and it could be compressed a lot further).

Background

Have worn these multiple nights on various camping trips.

When they first arrived I was very impressed at how light and compressible they are. I quickly took the booties out of their stuff sack to try them on. Wow! They are so soft and comfortable.

Next, I removed the outer shell from their included stuff sack. The sewing and attention to detail is top notch. The foam insoles that are included with the outer shell is just enough cushion to allow them to be used around camp. If one chose, they could simply remove their insoles form their hiking foot wear and slip them in the outer shells to increase stiffness.

At first glance they seem a little pricey. But, when compared to similar products on the market—ie. Western Mountaineering down booties or their closest comparable booties, the Feathered Friends down booties—they fall right in line price-wise and more importantly, quality-wise.

The fact they are modular makes them a great piece of lightweight gear to add to anyone's backpack. Use the bootie and the outer shell together to create a really lightweight, warm winter camp shoe. Simply remove the bootie from the outer shell and use them for additional warmth in your sleeping bag.

If you're looking for a great winter footwear system or simply a lightweight way to add warmth to your sleeping system, the great products that Goosefeet produces will fit just the bill.