Winter boots - advise needed...

[jakunen]

With winter just around the corner, and a few possible plans afoot (Ahem! No pun intended!ops: ), I'm looking to get a pair of boot suitable for winter use that will my toes nice and toastyI do suffer from cold feet (you've gotta love low blood pressure).

:chill:

I'm either looking for something that has been designed for winter use and has thermal lining, or a general boot that you can COMFORTABLY wear thermal socks/2-3 pairs of socks in.

Cheers,
Jak.

[Gary]

Jak personaly I just go a size bigger in my boots and wear two or three pairs of woollen socks - not synthetic but 100% wool these work well for me and soon I'll be testing them in Norway where its really cold!! :chill:

[tenbears10]

Start with some good wool socks. Terra nova (or wild country can't remember who make the accessories now) do mountain climbing socks which have an all wool toe and are long to keep your lower leg warm as well.

Sorel boots are very warm but expensive in this country.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/xq/...qx/product.htm

They do sheepskin lined ones as well but the above are rated to -40.

Bill

[tedw]

Outdoor boots are like knives, everyone agrees you need a good one but disagrees on everything after that! First point - are you looking for winter mountaineering boots, i.e. will you want to use crampons? If so, you'll need a stiff-soled pair and are probably better off getting a purpose designed boot - find a good climbing/outdoors shop near you and get their advice. Be prepared to pay around £150 ish if you go that route - I've just got a pair of Salomon Super Mountain Experts (thinsulate lined) in a sale for £99, normally they're £160. They're way too stiff & heavy for general use, if that is what you're after, so next question is - how wet is it going to be? If you expect to spend a lot of time in a very wet environment, you might look at the Lundhags-type hunting boots, where the lower part is waterproof rubber. Otherwise, just go for a god pair of ordinary boots that you can get a couple of layers of good, wool-rich socks into.
Good luck!
Ted W

[jakunen]

Tedw,

Totally agree, everyone on here has their own "This is the best..." which is what's so great. Everyone gives their own view, and its up to the person posing the question to sift through the answers and find the right answer for them. That's one fo the things I love about this forum.

Anyway, my ice climbing days are LONG gone, so its just for tramping around in the cold and snow, and hopefully my crampons can stay up in the loft or with whoever borrowed them last...

While I don't intend doing anything too acquatic (I do want them for winter use), crossing shallow water is a possability.

I'm looking for something that would keep my toes attached to my body and not frozen, for walking trips during the winter in places like Slovenia.

[Ginja]

everyone agrees you need a good one but disagrees on everything after that!

Spot on ... boots are such a personal thing! I'm currently wearing a pair of Scarpa SL (£150 odd) - would highly recommend them as a good all-round 3/4 season boot, though they do take a bit of breaking in at first. A friend of mine swears by his Scarpa 4 season boots (can't remember the name - they're blue, if that helps!).

In my experience, socks are definitely the way to go - 'course the actual boots themselves are important, but good (or bad) socks can make a HUGE difference (I used to 'manage' in a pair of knackered, old Dutch Army boots that I bought for £2, wearing £20 'techno' socks ... no problem!).

And if you're out to make a saving, Millet's are currently selling off their own brand 'Peter Storm' boots for around £45 (at least they are in Manchester ...) - a helluva good boot for the money, with great waterproofing (used to own a pair myself until lost them ... long story!).

As for socks, as mention previously here, 100% wool are my personal choice. Keep yer feet toasty, even when soaking wet.

Hope this helps.

G

[leon-1]

Start with some good wool socks. Terra nova (or wild country can't remember who make the accessories now) do mountain climbing socks which have an all wool toe and are long to keep your lower leg warm as well.

Sorel boots are very warm but expensive in this country.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/xq/...qx/product.htm

They do sheepskin lined ones as well but the above are rated to -40.

Bill

As every one else says gor for a decent set of socks, Bill the clothing side of wild country/terra nova are called extremities.

If you can get hold of them look for Fox River socks they are made in Merino Wool and are superb (not made by BRKT), I bought some three or four years ago from taunton leisure and I would say that they are well worth the cost :-)

[tenbears10]

Fox river are my favorite as well. I recently got some smart wool socks in the lakes and they are looking pretty good too. All wool but you can wash them in the machine don't ask me how.

Bill

[jakunen]

For socks, I was thinking along the lines of maybe silk thermal inner socks, then something like a couple of pairs Bridgedale or similar (merino or pure new wool).

[alick]

Jak, I can't think of a better recommendation than good leather boots and wooly socks either. Scarpas, Meindle, whatever. It does help if you keep the water out though, so adding a pair of gaiters - especially the scarpa / yeti type that come right down and seal round the rand of the boot pushes the warmth up. I've no experience of silk liners or goretex socks, and generally do fine with wool / nylon loopstitch socks. Just be wary of wearing too much and not leaving room to move your toes !

Cheers.

[EdS]

If its general ploding around in this country when cold and wet:

- cool max liners (wick very well), Thorlo heavyy trekking socks (also do a mountaineering sock but I cann't stand sock over my ankle) and a pair of good wellies.
you can even get lace up ones.

[Hoodoo]

Steger mukluks are the warmest and most comfortable footwear I've ever worn in the outdoors while alternating between being active and inactive such as snowshoeing. They breathe, which lets moisture escape, and your feet keep dry. Amazing footwear. Not good for wet conditions though.



Steger

[arctic hobo]

For walking/mountain use, Scarpa SL's have no competitor. They are simply the best that money can buy (and are not as much as some inferior models too!). For more info read last month's TRAIL magazine - 49/50!
I have just bought a pair - they've replaced my Nanok Endurance -25 as the best bit of kit I own - and they are simply superlative. Nothing can vie with them - and only £150. GET THEM! :-)

[mmcniven]

Just to stick my oar in, i have never really been a fan of leather walking boots with socks no matter how good a sock you use, i was caught out in finland once on a week long husky trip with very cold feet the whole trip wearing scarpas and the best socks money could buy. Since then i have always gone for a more dedicated winter boot something like the Meindl Solden, try cotswold http://www.cotswold-outdoor.com/Cat/102115 although i dont have this actual boot i have one very similar and would never be without them in the winter.
Hope you find this useful

Michael

[jakunen]

Michael,

Those look ideal. When I get back from the desert(sp?) I'll pop into my local store and have a good butchers at them.:biggthump
Add some silk inner socks and some merino socks and my toes should be nice and toasty.

[ssj]

Depending, of course, on what you're planning on doing- I've found the following combination to be useful for working outside ( all day), snowshoeing, snow shoveling, walking around town, and hunting in cold, wet, and snowy weather in Colorado: Smartwool socks(they come in a multitude of thicknesses), Columbia Bugabootoo boots (rubber bottoms, leather tops, about 6 inches high). Really comfortable for me and my feet don't seem to get wet from sweat (due probably to the wool socks). They might not be as good for really steep conditions or situations that need a stiff sole.

My experience with Sorels and other felt lined boots has indicated to me that there is little foot support and they become very uncomfortable after standing or walking for a while. There may be comfortable ones but I haven't tried them.

Steve

[jakunen]

Like I said, its just for tromping around the forests, not anything daft like ice-climbing (tried that and after have three falls decide to break with me halfway up, I decided someone was trying to tell me something...), so a combination liek that sounds fine. Getting those boots could be fun though...

[ssj]

The Columbia bugabootoos and smartwool socks can be found here-

http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/st...berId=12500226

Steve

[jakunen]

Cheers Steve, they look quite good. Might have to have a chat with my rather silent brother...

[Rod]

OK time to lob this in..

German Para Boots are the mutts knuts for just about most things at lower levels (IMHO). They have a full length bellows tongue, are calf length - so great if you have to go bog-trotting. They are flexible in the sole, but supportive in the ankle.

Years since I had to buy a pair, but army surplus stores should be the place to start.

Bridgedale/Extremities/Fox River/Lowe Alpine socks all good with these, but always use a liner in winter to keep feet dry & warm

Boreal make some good, comfortable, non goretex boots that are well priced in my experience. Not readily available in the UK but there is a website somewhere.

hope this helps

[Swampy Matt]

As part of my job i regularly kit people out with footwear for cold environments. Everything from scotland in the winter through to -40C cold weather car testing stations. This is the outline we use:

1. Merino Wool socks, eg. Smartwool Expedition treking or Mountaineer. These have a merino wool content of between 75-85% and are probably the most wool rich sock that you can buy. 100% wool socks are useless as they will wear our far too fast. the higher the wool content the less durable the socks become. If this isn't warm enough, add a Smartwool Liner sock. these are around 55% Wool, but are far better than any others for insulation including silk.
Man made fibers eg coolmax or polypropalene will insulate, but not as well as wool and man made fibers rely on your feet being hot in order to move moisture away from your feet

2. Replace the insole of your boots with a Superfeet Footbed. These start from around £32, but make an huge amount of difference to the comfort of your feet, in numerous different ways. How they work would be impossible to explain on a forum, but one of the things they can do is improve the circulation to the feet - thus improving the body's ability regulate its temperature.

3. Ensure your boots are correctly fitted. I'd take a guess that most peoples boots, whilst acceptably comfortable, probably don't actually fit properly. I measure around 50-100 pairs of feet a week as and at least 60-70% of these feet are wearing the wrong size shoes.
Tight shoes restrict the circulation. Loose shoes make the feet work harder, therefore they sweat more(at least 50ml, per foot, per day when at rest ). When your feet are sweatier, they will feel colder.

The key to all of this is to get your boots fitted by a shop that follows the Phil Oren Fitsystem for footwear fitting. This is an internationally recognised level of bootfitting expertise and will ensure that problems like cold feet or blisters are practically eliminated.

There are Phil Oren Fitsystem qualified shops across the UK and the US, so most people should have one near them.

Sorry if this is a bit long or seems like a bit of a rant - it's not meant that way. It's just that feet and footwear is my job, and I see people everyday who have had their feet destroyed by being in outdoors environments in the wrong footwear. I hope that this advice will prevent any of you ending up with destroyed feet