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Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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Learn more about our product testing
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Despite how expensive they were, the UGG Men's Butte had lower overall quality and were made of cheaper materials than some of the brands we tested. Read More
If you live in an area with cold winters and plenty of snow, you know how valuable a good pair of winter boots can be. Whether you need to shovel the driveway, walk to school, or take the train to work, good boots will get you there warm, dry, and in style.
To find the best winter boots for men, we tested twelve of the most popular winter boots around. After weeks of shovelling out of 20-inch snowstorms, long walks in frigid weather, and a punishing dunk in ice water, the Sorel Caribou Pac Men’s Boot (available at Amazon) came out on top. Stylish, durable, warm, waterproof—it’s everything a winter boot should be.
They might be a little chunky, Sorel's Caribou Pac Boots will keep you warm and dry in the harshest of winter conditions.
We tested each pair of boots in this guide for warmth and how resistant they were to water seeping into them.
I’m TJ Donegan, the Executive Editor for Core Content at Reviewed. I’ve worked for Reviewed, for close to a decade and have reviewed a lot of products in that time. Living where I do, a good pair of winter boots is a must, as eight months of the year, you may have to deal with a sudden snowstorm.
To find the best winter boots for men, we called in 12 of the most promising models, based on their features, materials, and temperature ratings, to submit to a full suite of tests.
For each pair of the boots, we made notes on how well they fit and, how easy each was to take on and off. In particular, we noted boots that required you to size up or size down to get a good fit, which are difficult to break in, and which come pre-broken.
The most time-consuming process was breaking in each of the boots. I spent hours wearing each pair around town running errands, running after my kids, or in the yard. Once I felt that the boots were as comfortable as I could reasonably make them, I tested them on multiple three-mile walks on pavement, snow, and ice. While testing each pair, I noted issues with comfort, fit in the ankle and toe box, any areas that caused hotspots or blisters, and which pairs were easy to take on and off (both with and without gloves on).
Next, we moved the tests indoors to Reviewed’s labs in Cambridge, Massachusetts. To ascertain how well the boots were able to keep out water, we left each pair to sit in a brew of water ice and rock salt—a simulation of the icy slush that you might step in, during the wintertime–for 15 minutes. At the end of each test, we took note of whether or not any moisture managed to seep into the boots.
However, most people don’t stand in a puddle for a quarter of an hour. As you walk around in a pair of boots, their materials and stitching flex and move. This provides an opportunity for water to get in. In order to test whether or not each of our pairs of boots would let water in while the wearer is on the move, we donned each pair of boots and marched in place, in four inches of our homemade slush, for 15 minutes.
Finally, using temperature logging i-Button devices, we tested the temperature retention of each boot by first testing its internal temperature and then tracking how quickly the internal temperature of the boots dropped, over time, when they were placed in various depths of ice water.
A great pair of insulated boots should be versatile, capable of helping you track through deep snow on a hike through the backwoods, or of keeping your feet warm as you walk your dog around the sidewalks of your neighbourhood.
You’ll want to match the temperature range of the boots you pick with how cold it gets where you live. If the boots you wear are too warm, your feet will sweat. This can lead to them feeling cold and getting blisters. If they’re not warm enough, your feet will, not surprisingly, be cold.
You should know that there’s no oversight for measuring the temperature rating of boots: every manufacturer uses their own means of testing temperature range. A large part of this is due to the fact that there are so many different types of boot insulation materials out there:
Synthetic Insulation: some synthetic insulations, like 3M’s Thinsulate, are practically household words. Others, such as Primaloft, Optiwarm, Heatseeker, and Zylet, not to mention the proprietary insulation used by outdoor brands like Keen and Columbia, might not be known as well. However, they're all designed to do the same job: keeping your feet warm. No matter the kind of synthetic insulation in your boots, most work in fundamentally the same manner. The insulation, made up of artificial fibres, creates an insulative layer, designed to trap your body heat inside of the boot.
Natural Insulation: Natural insulative materials such as felt, shearling (the tanned hide wool of a yearling sheep), and wool (the fibrous layer of hair shorn from a sheep) work in much the same manner as synthetic insulators do. When used to line a boot, will help you to retain your body heat and keep your feet warm.
Breathability and waterproofing play just as important a role in keeping your feet warm as a boot’s temperature range does. If your boots aren’t able to get rid of the moisture inside of your boot, such as sweat, the boot’s insulation will become damp and, in some cases won’t be able to keep you as warm as it would if it was dry. The same goes for keeping water out: if your boots aren’t waterproof or at least water-resistant, water from puddles, slush, and melting snow will get into the boot, lowering the temperature inside of it, making you feel uncomfortable.
Materials such as Gore-Tex and other membrane fabrics allow water vapour from inside of your boot to escape, but won’t all liquids to get in. Rubber has been used to waterproof boots for years. It may not allow water vapour to escape a boot, but there are few materials better for keeping the elements out.
If you decide to buy boots other than the ones we recommend, take the time to research the materials used in them to keep your feet dry before pulling the trigger on a purchase.
No matter how warm or waterproof a pair of boots may be in theory, they won’t do their job well unless they’re properly fit to the individual wearing them.
A well-fitted pair of winter boots should be tight at the heel, to keep the boot from moving around as you walk. If the boot has laces, they should be able to be tied tightly enough to provide additional support to your ankle, but not so tightly that it cuts off blood circulation to your feet. A loose boot provides no ankle support on uneven or slippery terrain, which can lead to injuries. That the boot is too loose can also lead to the person wearing it developing hotspots or blisters.
You’ll want the boot’s toebox to provide an air gap between the boot’s interior and your toes, allowing for blood circulation. As you walk, the air gap will warm, thanks to the body heat you generate, adding to the boot’s overall insulation.
Finding a pair of winter boots that fit well can be difficult. As such, you may have to try on multiple pairs to find a boot that works for you. This is easy to do if you plan on buying them from a brick-and-mortar store. If you’re shopping online, it can be a lot more difficult. Many retailers, including Amazon, let you try on boots and return them as long as you haven’t worn them outside. When taking a new pair of winter boots for a spin, be sure to wear the sort of socks that you plan on using them with, as the thickness of the sock can have a significant impact on their fit. A thick pair of rag wool socks, for example, will take up nearly a half-size in your boot.
Plenty of traction
Keeps snow out
Provides good warmth
Gusseted tongue is too short
Feet can get wet
Thick rubber sole
Removable wool lining
Stylish
Not completely waterproof
Stiff
Omni-Heat insulation
Ankle protection
Uncomfortable
Low insulation airflow
TJ is the former Director of Content Development at Reviewed. He is a Massachusetts native and has covered electronics, cameras, TVs, smartphones, parenting, and more for Reviewed. He is from the self-styled "Cranberry Capitol of the World," which is, in fact, a real thing.
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