8 * Pakems.

Julie Adams left corporate law in early 2011. "I was sick of my little boy being the last kid picked up every day," she says of the move. Soon thereafter, she launched Pakems, inspired by uncomfortable ski boots on a trip to Italy.

"I said, 'I wish I had some packable boots," Adams recalls. So she set out to create exactly that in Pakems: packable, water-resistant, durable footwear meant to replace one's ski boots during lunch, apres-ski or the walk to the car. Manufactured in China, the product debuted this season after two years of R&D. Adams says Pakems have found fans in backpackers, hikers and...