Winter Boots, Which Ones?

>>I like hearing that your 200g thinsulate boots work for you down so low.<<

>>40 F. to 20 F. > Gore-Tex/Thinsulate Timberland leather & cordura hunting boots (Good to 10 F. ONLY if you keep moving.)<<

Jim, I feel obligated to qualify my prior statement, just to make you aware of where I'm coming from.

I can stay comfortable in those boots down into the single digits, "only if I keep moving". My feet do tend to get cold (at any temperature below about 30F) if I stop for more than a couple minutes.

In the winter, if I'm hiking with my normal partners, we rarely stop for more than a few moments…just long enough to grab a few mouthfuls of food, or add/lose a layer…until I get into camp…and then it's right into the booties.

If I'm hiking with my girlfriend, or a larger (read: slower) group, I tend to wear a warmer boot.

If you are considering a Sorel boot, I would recommend the
Schnees 13" Hunter with the bob sole. I wore Sorels as a kid but they do have a sloppy fit. Schnees are made in Bozeman and are some of the highest quality boots I have ever purchased. I bought an additional set of liners so I can switch into dry liners every day.

If it is going to be really cold I can add a set of toasty toes.

If the temps are going to be lower than 10-15F I wear Steger Mukluks with superfeet insoles.

I am very interested in the NEOS system and will proably be purchasing them in the near future. I plan on pairing them with a felt liner.

http://www.schnees.com

For the NW Olympics with temps 20 – 35F

Wool Socks
Rocky Gore-Tex Socks
Trail Runners
Neos Villager Overboots
Microspikes
Snowshoes

I carry extra pairs of socks and generally hike without the overboots, except for stream crossings.

If my socks are dry the overboots seem to add a lot of warmth for standing around in camp even if they're wet on the inside.

This has worked better for me than snow boots changing to down booties in camp. Off topic but – I also carry a couple of pairs of tyvek booties to slip over socks before I slip on my wet trail runners for nighttime nature calls.

I'll say it again, Cabela's has absolutely THE laregest selection of winter boots on the planet.

Go there and look and compare features.
BTW, I dont' think Colombia is that high in quality in footwear. Only mediocre.

Does anyone make Goretex socks as I need something that is a size 15 and my Rocky Mountain 14s are not big enough?

Eric, You are right. Cabelas and the hunting market has the largest selection of winter boots. What experience do you have with their models? Can you compare any of them?

Hunters are crazy. I'd never want to sit in a tree, in a dense forest, in -20, in the east, waiting to kill wildlife. But I appreciate their winter boot technology.

I am using these shoes from Icebug. Every shoe has got 16 spikes for better grip

http://hrxxl.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/icebug-speed-bugrip/

Jack,

I'd just look at teh Rocky insulated boots in Cabela's B/C they seem to be the best out there in Thinsulate insulated boots at the moment. Choose the pair that suits you best and then buy a good pair of VBLs like the Stephenson's VBLs.

Keeping sweat out of the boots will also extend their life as it keeps body acids out of the inside of the leather. Treat the outside of boots with a good DWR like Revivex.

I've got a pair of Schnees (actually four pair :) ), but they are heavy (and often too warm->wet)- I'm thinking about giving a medium height hiking boot style a go- 200 gm insulation

the Keen Growlers have become almost extinct, ditto for the Salomon Deemax- anyone try the Merrell Thermo 6? looks like they were designed as a snowshoe boot

tia

I use Steger Mukluks with the Stephenson VB liners. Works well for me in the MN Frozen Tundra.

The Mukluks are lightweight, feel like slippers on your feet, flexible bottoms (stimulates blood flow in your feet) and is what Will Steger obviously wears for his expeditions.

I wear them for Snowshoeing, Back-country / X-country skiing, trail running, and everyday cold weather use.

A couple more thoughts on the mukluks. They are not waterproof, so only work in temps below about 25F for highs. If you know you won't be hitting wet rainy weather or melting snow, you could get by at warmer temps. For stream crossings, make a pair of double layer tyvek overboots that you could uses as waders… I haven't had a need to do this yet as all the areas I hike in either have bridges or it's frozen.

My size 13+ Ojibwa Short model weigh in at 26 oz (723g)each. These are the only foot insulation I bring so I wear them hiking and around camp. These are so comfortable, I bring along a plastic grocery sack to put over them when I crawl in my sleeping bag. Extra bonus because they are not all frozen up when I get up in the morning.

My wife gives me a hard time because I sometimes wear them around the house as my slippers.

Is there any other boot you can do that in??

I'm going to give these a try, about the same weight/height as the Keen Growler, Polartec lining and 200 grams of Thinsulate, d ring for gaiters and snowshoe binding ridges

pretty reasonably priced – found them on sale for $67

I've got 4 days of snowshoeing under my belt w/ the new shoes and thus far I'm very satisfied

they are relatively light, pretty warm (temps in the 20-40's), kept my feet dry (some moisture from sweat) and were very comfortable

I bought mine a 1/2 size larger- they are pretty true for fit, I can probably add a thin liner sock and still be OK

the heel strap gizmo actually works and the little d ring for gaiters was nice

I wore them for non-snowshoeing activities (we had a two day training session mostly outdoors in snow and mud) and they were very comfortable for walking as well

with only 200 grams of insulation you'll probably need something in addition for very cold weather or snow camping, but these should be a good foundation