Sugoi Firewall overshoes

Sugoi's Firewall overshoes, or booties as they're known on the Sugoi website, fit into the windproof category rather than providing waterproof full winter protection. We've seen the Firewall 220 material before on various other items from Sugoi and it's basically a layered fabric where the outer is a softshell style material that provides some water resistance, while the next layer works with the outer to keep the wind at bay.

Warmth wise they're pretty good down to mid-single figures but even with some DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks on they were too cold once the mercury reached zero. The outer layer of the Firewall material does a pretty good job at keeping minimal road spray and light drizzle at bay but anything heavier and your feet will be soaked. Saying that though they do remain as warm as when they were dry.

One thing that I was impressed with though is the zip position, it runs horizontally along the bottom outer edge which with Velcro attachment from the end of the zip to ankle makes getting them on and off easy. Shoes with buckles can make things a little more difficult but you just have to pull everything taught before doing the zip up. On the flipside though it does give you easy access to the buckles should you need to adjust them on the fly.

The material isn't overly thick so it moulds to the shape of your foot/shoe without bunching and allows full movement through the pedalling motion. Some overshoes tend to feel tight at the top of the instep but no such issues here. When pulled tight there is a reasonably good seal at the cuff but as the Firewall Booties aren't really intended for wet weather that isn't a major consideration.

On the whole the Firewall overshoes are a good option for early spring or autumn but not really hard-core enough for the winter temperatures. The £35 rrp might be difficult for some to swallow for a part time overshoe but in their defence the build quality is very good, especially the elasticated edges around the sole cut-outs which show no signs of wear at all despite plenty of walking on gravel.

While we're on the subject of the cut-outs, they fitted easily round both SPD-SL and Speedplay Zero cleats, pretty much the biggest out there, so compatibility isn't going to be an issue regardless of what pedal system you're using. There is an opening at the rear as well for the heel stop to poke through.

Comfort is good and they're nice and light. The only thing I can see them lacking is some decent reflectives to catch the headlights as the feet rotate. There is a small heel tab on each but a good strip up the back or something would be nice especially as there is no zip taking up that position.

Size wise the range goes from small to extra-large of which we tested the large (44-46) which fitted around various pairs of size 45 shoes without issue so it's safe to say the sizing is as it says on the tin.

Verdict

Decent mid-weight windproof overshoe for mild winter days.