By Amy Dell, Vegetarian Resource Group Intern
I was born and raised in Maryland. We have snow down here, I’ll give you that (especially these past few years), but it’s not that bad. And so while it may be difficult to find vegan snow jackets and boots, I haven’t had to deal with that fact until now. I’m moving to Maine for college, so I’ve got to find good quality, cute, practical winter weather clothes. And it would be great if this stuff could cost, like, not a ton of money.
I don’t understand why people continue to manufacture leather, fur, wool, down, and suede products when vegan alternatives work just as well. It’s really frustrating to imagine all the animals that died or were held captive to be used as clothing. Like, get it together, companies.
On my quest for vegan cold weather apparel, I spent months, and yes I mean months, searching for the perfect winter coat. It couldn’t have down, had to be tall (I have long arms), and had to be under $150. I ended up with a jacket from Eddie Bauer that was on clearance. I also snagged an oversized coat from the thrift store for $16. Okay, so that’s my coat. Check.
It occurred to me recently that my hiking boots were wearing a little. I’ve had them for years, a gift from my brother. So I started poking around, looking for non-leather hiking and snow boots. I found a couple of websites, but everything listed was either way too expensive or had terrible reviews. This is where my search got really bad. I looked at REI, Eddie Bauer, and every other outdoor store I could think of, but all of their vegan boots were too expensive or not cute at all. I then started looking on Amazon. With a simple search of “vegan snow boots,” I was flooded with possibilities, and could easily see the price and reviews.
So now I’m looking for everyone else who’s in a similar situation. Whether you’re going camping or traveling to Alaska, I’m determined to find you some gear that’s vegan, not horrible to look at, and relatively cheap.
**Products can change, some could be vegan now, but not be vegan later. If you want to be sure that your purchase is vegan, check with the manufacturer.
Here’s what I found for under $100 (I haven’t bought all of these, so I can’t vouch for their quality). *Prices as of 7/11/18
Winter Boots:
DailyShoes Winter Boot (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017C2JN0G/ref=twister_B017C2HLGY
$27 – $40
Claims to be vegan in the description of the product
Alrisco Duck Boot (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/Women-Shearling-Lined-Boot-HK90-Collection/dp/B07F7SS6DV/ref=sr_1_107?ie=UTF8&qid=1531324672&sr=8-107&keywords=vegan%2Bsnow%2Bboots%2Bwomen&th=1&psc=1
$47
Claims to be vegan in the description of the product
DAWGS Winter Boots (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/DAWGS-13-Microfiber-Shearling-Chocolate/dp/B001KIU3N0/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1531324589&sr=8-8&keywords=vegan%2Bsnow%2Bboots%2Bwomen&th=1&psc=1
– order full size up according to reviews
$22 – $90
Claims to be vegan in name of the product
Gloves/Mittens:
BG Winter Vegan Suede Mittens (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/Ladies-Winter-Vegan-Mittens-Lining/dp/B077BMVF9G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1531754522&sr=8-1&keywords=vegan+winter+mittens
$10
Claims to be vegan in name of the product
Hats:
HoodLamb (hat variations change frequently)
https://us.hoodlamb.com/
$11.50 – $44
All products vegan according to website
Hiking Socks:
Thorlos LTH Padded Crew Sock (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009MZW9S/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0009MZW9S&linkCode=as2&tag=vegaoutdadve-20&linkId=LL2GAWKV7K3GTJBE
$14 – $44
Called the company and they said that all non-wool socks are vegan
Winter Coats:
Tommy Hilfiger Down Alternative Coat (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/Tommy-Hilfiger-Womens-Alternative-Eiffel/dp/B01J9S7U9C/ref=sr_1_49?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1531338062&sr=1-49&nodeID=7147440011&psd=1&keywords=down%2Balternative%2Bcoat&th=1&psc=1
$48 – $80
Emailed Tommy Hilfiger and they confirmed that the jacket is vegan
Madden Girl Insulated Coat (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/Madden-Girl-Womens-Pocket-Insulated/dp/B01J93T9Q4/ref=sr_1_14?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1531337813&sr=1-14&nodeID=7147440011&psd=1&keywords=down%2Balternative%2Bcoat&th=1&psc=1
$28 – $60
Contacted Steve Madden and they said to contact distributor. Posted on Amazon, a reply to my comment said that the coat is vegan.
Sleeping bags (this isn’t really clothes, but I might need one, and I don’t want it to be down):
Marmot Trestles 30 Sleeping Bag (REI)
https://www.rei.com/product/107476/marmot-trestles-30-sleeping-bag-womens?cm_mmc=aff_AL-_-130369-_-157325-_-NA&avad=157325_cd610a17&cm_mmc=aff_AL-_-130369-_-157325-_-NA&avad=157325_b127c14a9
$99 – $110
Emailed REI and they contacted Marmot and confirmed that the sleeping bag is vegan
For those who want to support vegan companies, we have a list of Vegan Leather Alternatives at VRG’s Guide to Nonleather Shoes, Bags, and More, with work boots, snow boots, coats, jackets, and more.