Fellow Extreme Weather Lemmings, what are your Buy it for Life winter boot suggestions?
We got my husband some Helly Hansen boots the year before last and we noticed a hole in them last year. I am right pissed. If I'm dropping hundreds of dollars on boots, I expect to get my money's worth. What are your awesome boot suggestions to help me do just that?
The honest truth is that there are no buy it for life boots. A foot of snow, road salt, etc will wear down all boots. Water always wins eventually. Always.
However! There are lots of great recs here, and you can't go wrong with many of the suggestions (keen has done me the best over the years), but no matter what you go with, you will get years of extra life out of them by investing in TAKING CARE of them.
Oil and condition the leather at least annually. Get some boot trees or a boot dryer and use it. Check outsoles and keep them clean and grime free. Speaking of grime, wipe your boots down when you come in, don't just bang them off, leave them by the door and think they're good. Towel them off, and make sure they're somewhere they'll stay warm enough to dry. Good boots are tough, and they'll stay that way a long time if you treat them well.
Yeah, buy it for life was too ambitious, but I used to get ten years out of my $250 boots, now that's a base price for shit that won't last a year. Care is generally not a concern for us, we take good care of our expensive shit because we need it to last as long as possible.
It might be worthwhile to check out some boots marketed toward military personnel. There's LOTS of opinions out there about military boots because tons of us wear them.
I know Danner makes very nice boots. I wore the Reckoning cold weather version and loved them so much. They're lined with goretex to keep the wet and the cold out as best as possible.
I wore them nonstop for about 2 years. Every regular day of work, weeks or months in the field, even climbing Mount Fuji. Those things lasted a long time until I replaced them with...
the Danner Jungles, which are very much the opposite of cold weather boots. They're made for hot and wet climates. I love these even more but that's probably because they're designed specifically for this type of area.
Kind of a random question, but what is a good way to wear good boots like those as a civilian? I mean fashion-wise. I want to change my wardrobe up and I have stuff like boots and a trench coat that I've never been able to figure out what to wear it with.
Thank you!
I really like my Keen winter boots. They're warm enough for the worst Michigan can throw at me.
+1 for keen as a company in general. My young kid had a pair of keens where the rear pull loop failed right away. I emailed them and they sent her a new pair for free! You pay more but that convinced me they're worth it.
They are very nice! I don't think they could handle the large piles of snow we have to traverse though.
I moved to Montana from east coast and my shoes were like lol fuck that so my gf ordered me a pair of royal canadian. Paired with darn tough socks they get it done.
Those are great and I might bet my own pair from there, unfortunately they seem to only have one style for men.
I just noticed that. Usually it's the opposite!
I call it "don't live in a place where the air hurts my face"
But actually, XtraTuf boots are great.
If I could afford to live where it is warm I'd be on that shit like a fly.
And thank you 😊
No problem! They worked great for me for a few years in Alaska, highly recommend them for snow or wet areas. They make insulated ones, but I never had an issue with the uninsulated ones if I doubled up on socks.
You will, however, get some weird looks if you wear them in an airport outside of the PNW
Some highly rated combat boots. Just rember to change out your socks.
That's where I am leaning I think.
I'm a big Solomon brand fan. Idk if you can buy it for life winter boot and use it too but the Solomons I have had wear well and last as long as I have expected them to
Yeah,buy it for life might be too ambitious nowadays, but I don't see why we can't get 10 years out of a pair of boots like I used to.
I would have said a good set of Marmot boots. But I haven’t bought a set since I got mine years ago, so I don’t know what today’s quality is.
Extreme weather? Find a pair of legit US military "Mickey mouse" boots. I've worn them in 8hr shifts at -20° F and never felt cold.
Just know that they're not work boots. If your husband need something steel toe or with a special sole, these won't work. They're also ugly as sin. But for pure cold weather protection, they're the best I've ever worn by far.
Edit: you may be able to find them cheaper but here's what I'm talking about
Coleman's U.S. G.I. Extreme Cold Temperature Boots, Unissued
Those are nearly the ugliest boots I've ever seen, but they do seem suited to Northern British Columbia, and I can't argue that price, even with the exchange rate.
Absolutely, they're not winning any beauty contests, but as someone who works outdoors year round, they're hands down the warmest boots I've ever worn. I believe there's a V.2 model that's rated for even colder temperatures but I've never tried them
Edit: I believe These are the newer models rated for -60°F
We call those bunny boots here in Alaska. They used to be white, at least most of the ones I've seen were. You could get them from military surplus stores regularly 20 years ago, but I think the new black ones maybe aren't an actual military issue?
I believe the white ones are the Arctic V.2 versions that were developed later and can withstand even colder temperatures than the earlier, black V.1s that I linked
I’ve had the same pair of Rockport boots for 20+ years.
I farm and I'll wear Mucks. They eventually wear out and the neoprene gets snagged with barbwire, but they'll go for about 3 winters of daily use for 6 months IME before it'll get a hole around where the neoprene meets the rubber. Leave room for a good pair of wool socks and I've worn them to -43 as long as I'm moving around. But I'm also not very susceptible to cold, so YMMV.