Will most rain boots also work well in snow and ice?

you would not be happy with them, rain boots have no insulating value, so your feet will be cold all winter. They are also not made for traction on ice so be prepared for a lot of slips and falls.

Just get two pair, one for rain, one for snow and ice.

You could get a pair of rain boots as well as insulated socks for the boots, like these. I have a pair of Wellies, as well as the socks and have worn them in the snow and ice. If you later decide that they aren’t enough, you can always buy a pair of boots while at school.

Some of these items might be somewhat clunky for on-campus walking, but here’s a link for All-Traction Footwear: http://winterwalking.com/

So rain boots wouldn’t be a very smart choice for ice and snow? (Even with the insulated socks?)

Rain boots probably won’t give you adequate traction on ice, nor will they keep your feet warm in snow.

I was able to use rain boots for snow by putting on fiber-filled booties first, and then putting on the rain boots over the booties.

You probably will want warm winter boots with good traction as well but why not wait and buy them near school if you need them when you see what others are wearing?

Most kids I know don’t wear rain boots but do use boots in the winter.

I have a pair of boots I bought at an army surplus store. These boots came with a detachable liner inside. These boots fulfilled two purposes. In cold weather the installed liners kept my feet warm and dry. In the summer, the liners came out and were perfect for walking in the rain. The liners were one-half inch thick, so you will have to make some adjustments for winter and summer use. I also bought a thick pair of insulated socks to go with the boots.

In the winter, my feet were warm and toasty. In the summer, my were were dry.

Only an army surplus store will have these type boots. Look in the Yellow Pages. jp

@meagan If you will be living on campus, most schools are fairly quick to remove snow on the sidewalks and spread salt or sand. The nice thing about the rain boots with an insulated liner is that they aren’t as hot as heavy winter boots while sitting in a warm classroom. While my Wellingtons have traction, my winter boots have better traction. In both cases, they aren’t much help on ice.

For campus you should get snow boots, or some sort of warm shoe. As people have said above, rainboots will not keep your feet warm enough probably. If I were you, I would wait until you get to school, and see what you need. It won’t be easy to find snow boots yet anyway in the stores. Since you are not accustomed to dealing with the cold weather, you might want to see what other people wear on campus, and how cold you are. Buy the rainboots for now, and then either buy warmer footwear near campus, or during a long weekend when you visit home. What state are you going to school on? Mostly likely you easily have through November to worry about very cold temps during the day. October if you will be walking a lot at night.

I went to school in MI, and I don’t remember always wearing boots in the winter? But, certianly I had heavy shoes and thick socks, wore lots of layers, warm coat.

It rains a lot here in the Northeast, and we do need to wear shoes and boots that can keep our feet dry, but I haven’t wore “rain boots” since I was in grade school. I recall those old 4-buckle galoshes with extreme distaste.

They are absolutely no good in cold weather, and really, not much of anything is “good” on ice.

I agree with @JLeslie , wait until fall to get winter boots. You will have a much better selection.
Depending on where you are going, you will need warm shoes or boots for everyday, and snow boots for the days when there is deeper snow or more fresh snow that hasn’t been cleared. Also there will be times when you want to go out and “play” in the snow. You won’t want to miss out on that just because you don’t have proper boots to keep you warm and dry.
Rain boots will not do the job in a place where you get real snow regularly. I don’t know anyone who wears rain boots except little kids. Where I live what I believe you are calling rain boots, are called barn boots, and used only in the barn.

Many… Univ of Minnesota women wear high heeled boots in the middle of winter, through rain and snow. Univ of Texas women, on the other hand, wear flip flops and flats. Seriously, go figure.
I live in Minnesota. No, rain boots won’t help you at all. They’re usually a bit bigger than your feet and you will need something snug on your feet to help you balance yourself if when you skid.
Rain boots also have a smooth traction on the bottom, like a small ripple- you might as well be wearing ice skates. Snow boots tend to have a rougher traction, which helps some. Don’t depend on salt, it doesn’t work in anything under 20 degrees, honestly.
If you get something that goes at least 3 inches above your ankle, you should be fine. My snow boots go up ¾ way over my calves and I love them- I can walk for hours in those boots, but keep in mind, those boots cost me $200, 10 years ago. Expensive, but they’ve lasted me 10 years and I’ve never felt a drop of unwelcome moisture in those boots, nor have my tootsies felt cold at all.
What makes your feet freeze in the snow is moisture—if you can get something highly water resistant, snug, high topped and insulated, you’ll be set to go.

I would get lined,winter hiking boots,that way your feet will be warm and dry.
Boots for rain,might be too slippery in the snow,and cold too!

Boot for rain will be too slippery, but they will keep your feet/toes dry when you shovel ;)

I live in Wisconsin. I do often wear my rain boots with thick socks when I shovel…but then again, I’ve lived here all of my life. I’m used to slippery ground and rarely fall.

You can live with the rain boots through October…depending where you’ll be possibly through November. Then you’ll have time to see what people in your new locale wear on their feet before you buy something.

Or you can buy Yaktrax and put them on your leather hiking boots or other sturdy shoes.

I love mine

If it were me, I wouldn’t bother with separate rain boots at all and would spend the money saved on good quality snow/ice boots with great traction.

Most times when it’s raining, the weather is also pretty cold (except middle of summer, obviously) so you can wear your snow boots and have your feet protected in most rainy weather as well. And on hot summer days, just wear flip flops cuz it doesn’t matter so much if your feet get wet in summer :)

Not to mention it will only rain for a few weeks during the school year if you are going to be in a colder climate. The rainiest seasons are during summer break. September and April are the big months typically during the school year. Both months you can probably just wear water flip flop type thingies or a chunkier show with a thick rubber sole that will be good all year for walking anyway. The only time I see people really using rain boots are rain slicks over shoes for people who work in the city and younger children.

I might hold off buying boots altogether, and see what everyone is wearing, unless you own the rainboots already.

When I lived in Colorado, I preferred the slip on protection. I had two pair, one plain rubber, one with insulation and tiny rubber spikes on the bottom. They slip on over the shoe.