BACKGROUND Outdoor leisure shoes having flexible plastic soles which can be rolled into a compact form are known. One type available at present has a treaded flexible plastic sole, a lightweight textile upper and a closed-loop lace which when the shoe is rolled up can be wound around to keep it that way. Some training shoes are adapted to be squashed together upper-to-upper as a pair and held together by retaining loops on the heels hooking over formations on the opposing toes. These trainers do not roll up, but fixing them together keeps them compact and stops them from swinging around separately when they are carried. WO 02/74117 and US 6298583 describe leisure shoes with collapsible uppers.

THE INVENTION We are now proposing new developments applicable to rollable footwear, that is to say footwear adapted to be compacted-with rolling, folding or crumpling of its sole-to a compact form for transport or storage.

Preferably the compaction entails rolling the sole in the end-to-end sense. The sole may be an outdoor sole, i. e. an impermeable rubber or plastics sole unit, sufficiently tough and strong for outdoor use. Preferably the sole is at least 5mm thick ; it may have thickest tread portions

7mm thick or thicker. Preferably the sole rolls at least one full turn, i. e. one end can meet the other pointing in the opposite direction.

One distinct concept proposed now is to combine a sole of this kind with a textile upper which extends up to form an enclosed boot leg. Another proposal is to combine the sole with a waterproof upper, preferably a textile upper forming a boot leg as mentioned. A further proposal is for the upper-preferably having any one or more of the features already mentioned-to contain an insulating layer. Preferably it contains insulation material (down, foam or the like) between textile layers.

One good construction for protecting the ankle has a boot leg portion with an elasticated or otherwise tightenable top cuff. Another desirable feature, preferably integral with such a top cuff, is an inner layer which extends down behind a front opening of an outer layer, forming a gusset which can be waterproof.

The front opening eases insertion and removal of the foot; it may have any kind of fastener but a zip fastener is most preferred.

A further independent aspect of our proposal is for collapsible footwear to be provided with a carrying bag- preferably a textile bag, preferably waterproof-and for the footwear to have an integral pocket, preferably with a closure fastener such as a zip, to hold the bag. The pocket should be able to hold the bag folded or crumpled away even when the footwear is being worn. A preferred location for the pocket is above the heel, e. g. on a Calf

or ankle portion of a boot. However the pocket might be positioned elsewhere, according to the particulars of the design. Preferably the bag is big enough to hold both left and right shoes/boots together. Other preferred features for the bag include, independently, a tightenable or closable opening and one or more carry straps, loops, buckles or the like by means of which the bag containing the footwear may be carried or joined on to other items, e. g. a coat, case or rucksack.

Another preferred feature is a fastener, particularly a flexible fastener element such as a strap, loop or cord, formed integrally with the footwear and adapted to hold it in its folded or compacted form. A preferred form has the fastener extending from an anchor at or adjacent the heel, with a retaining formation adjacent the anchor so that the fastener can make a complete turn (usually one is enough) around the compacted shoe/boot and be joined at the retaining formation, e. g. looped over a hook. Desirably the anchor/retaining formations are integral with the sole.

In a possible refinement, where a pocket for a bag is formed above the heel as mentioned above, the opening of this pocket may also support a retention for the free part of the fastening element, to keep it tidied out of the way while the footwear is being worn.

Drawing together these aspects, a preferred embodiment of our proposals is a collapsible boot having a sole which is rollable end-to-end, the sole being joined directly to a textile upper which extends up to

form a boot leg with a closure cuff at the top and a gusset closure down the front (or it could be down the side). The fabric of the boot is a waterproof textile, at least on the outside, and there is at least one inner textile layer preferably also waterproof. Treated nylon fabrics are suitable. Insulation materials preferably extend substantially all over the textile upper in its internal cavity, and may be held in position by stitching or adhesion. The sole of the boot-e. g. an insole layer - may also have an insulative or thermal isolation layer e. g. a heat-reflective foil film. A pocket is provided at the back of the boot to hold a carrying bag, which can contain the rolled up boot. The pocket can be zip- fastened.

The boot as described is a valuable accessory to skiing, snowboarding or the like: it can be worn instead of the heavy boots required for skiing on the way and from skiing locations and is sufficiently robust to withstand walking out of doors, while its insulation, waterproofing and boot form protect the feet against the snow. Once taken off, it is light and compact to carry e. g. in a bag as described.

A skilled person will appreciate that variants can be made omitting various of these characteristics according to the different use, e. g. waterproofing is not needed in predictably dry conditions, insulation is not needed in predictably warm conditions. Also, while a carrying bag is a desirable adjunct, the bag might be carried separately rather than in a pocket integrated

with the footwear.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The ideas will be illustrated with reference to an example, shown in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side view of a boot embodying the invention; Fig. 2 shows the sole; Fig. 3 is a schematic partial cross section at'A' of Fig. 1; Figs. 4,5 and 6 show stages in collapsing, rolling and securing the boot; Fig. 7 shows a bag, carried with one of the boots, which holds both of them, and Fig. 8 is a front view, showing a waterproof gusset.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring firstly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 a boot intended as ancillary winter sports equipment has a textile upper 2 and a foldable rubber sole 1. To make the sole foldable, so that it can be fully rolled up on itself without damage, it is made from rubber with a lower than usual degree of cure to reduce its stiffness.

Also, the thinner parts 15 of the sole between the tread cleats 16 all extend from side to side in a parallel array. Although rollable, the sole is tough and resilient; the thin parts 15 being about 5mm thick and the thick parts about 8mm. These dimensions are not critical. A further feature for rollability is that the side edges of the sole are not built up; the only raised portions are a toe protector 17 at the extreme front

(past line'Y'in Fig. 2) and a solid heel module 62 (behind line'X'in Fig. 2) which protects the heel and has other functions described later.

The upper of the boot is a layered construction, mostly of waterproof nylon fabric. As shown in Fig. 3 an outer layer 21 is bonded directly to the top surface of the rubber outsole 1. It may have edges where it joins the sole or may extend continuously across in a 'moccasin'construction. A middle layer 22, also of waterproof nylon, extends over almost the entire interior of the boot except for a front gusset region 9 (Fig. 8: discussed later) and a top cuff surround 25. The space between the outer and middle layers 21,22 is to hold thermal insulation, provided in this embodiment as shaped capsules 3 holding duck down or other suitable insulating substance. The capsules 3 are shaped to fit the contour of the boot's interior cavities, and stitched in place through the fabric layers. Lines of stitching are shown at 83 in Fig. 1; these can also join outer layer panels of different colours for a good appearance. Where seam-s are exposed, they are proofed behind using tape. This is known in itself. The boot leg part 28 of the boot terminates in a top elasticated cuff 24, which is close d (see also Fig. 8) to fit snugly around the wearer's cal f.

The elastic could be replaced or supplemented with a drawstring if desired. A circular collar 25 of single- thickness waterproof nylon connects the cuff to the multiple-thickness boot below, at seams 83 (Fig. 8).

Fig. 3 also indicates an inner liner or bootee 23,

again of waterproof nylon, lining the entire boot interior. A resilient insole or footbed 12 lies on the bottom of this, sandwiching it against the outsole. As well as a resilient pad for comfort (e. g. of EVA foam), the footbed 12 has a covering textile layer 14 on top and a foil film 13-for thermal insulation-on the bottom.

This is to reduce heat conduction through the relatively thin sole, so that the wearer does not feel cold ground.

Fig. 8 shows how the front of the boot opens along a zip 91, with a waterproof nylon gusset layer 9 sewn in behind between left and right closure flaps 93 which are continuations of the main wall. With this construction the boot is easy to pull on and off, but snug and water resistant once the zip fastener slide 92 is pulled up.

With reference to Figs. 4 to 6, the boot leg portion 28 of the boot is readily collapsed down on to the shoe portion 29. There are no stiff components in the upper construction. The sole 1 can then be rolled up around the collapsed upper. To hold it in the rolled condition, a fastening cord 64 is provided. In this example it is connected at an anchor point 63 inside the top of the rubber heel module 62, and is a loop of elasticated cord which when the boot is worn can be hooked over a retaining hook 65 on the rear face of the boot, to keep it from flapping around. With the boot rolled up (Figs 5, 6) the retaining cord is pulled around the whole and its end looped over a hook formation 61 formed integrally with the heel formation 62 of the sole. This keeps the boot rolled up-Fig. 6.

The pair of rolled boots fit together in a carrying bag 7 (Fig. 7), preferably also of waterproof nylon or other suitable fabric. In this example the bag has a drawstring 74 to close its opening, with a locking toggle 72. A support strap 73 extends around the body of the bag to give it strength and extends continuously as a carrying loop 74 above the top of the bag. A carrying clip 76 is incorporated as an alternative support.

A good feature here is the provision of a pocket 5 in the back wall of the boot, inside the outer fabric layer 21 and having a horizontal slit opening 51 with a zip fastener 52. The outline of this (internal) pocket is shown in broken lines in Fig. 1. When the boot is being worn, the bag 7 can be folded up and slid into the pocket 5 out of the way (its folded outline is indicated here in dotted lines). Thus in one situation the boot carries the bag so that it is not mislaid, while the bag carries the boots when they are not needed.