Quality footwear can help you a lot come winter time, especially if you’re the type to leave your house despite the weather outside. Easier said than done, mind you, mostly because of the sub-par models that have flooded the market over these past few years.
So if you want to be warm yet elegant and comfortable at the same time, your best choice is to invest in a reputable brand, or at least in a pair that you know will meet your every need. To help you in this regard, we put together a list of the ten best winter boots the market has to offer at this point in time.
Best Winter Boots For Men
10Merrell Moab Polar Men’s Winter Boots
Merrell Moab winter boots are the ideal boots for anyone that is looking to enjoy both comfort and warmth alike. This is courtesy of their construct that comprises fabric, synthetic materials, and leather. With a standard 6.5-inch shaft not to mention a 1.25-inch heel, these boots guarantee enhanced stability when trekking on ice. Moreover, they also include a unique DRY treatment (M-Select) and a shielding shell bootie all which ensure they always remain dry.
9Columbia Liftop II Men’s Snow Boots
Looking for the ideal balance between thermal insulation and comfort? Columbia Liftop II boots are the ideal fit for you. Why? Besides coming with a properly laced-up front, its upper is also seam-sealed and waterproof not to mention their padded collar/tongue. They feature a 2-INCH heel, a 4” shaft and a characteristic rubber sole that provides proper grip, especially where there is an awful lot of snow and ice. What’s more, these boots are made using synthetic material and which together with their exclusive cushioned outsoles (TechLite), make them completely waterproof.
8Sorel Conquest Men’s Boots
These are cold-weather rugged boots that are designed to ensure you remain warm even at -40 degrees temperatures. Besides boasting an underlying leather material, they also feature rubber soles that ensure your feet remain warm not to mention their 400g Ultra insulation (Thinsulate) that also ensures your feet are dry at all times. Finally, it also comes with an inbuilt gaiter characterized by a typical barrel-lock enclosure and bungee drawstring to safeguard you from fairly deep snow.
7Sorel Caribou II Men’s Boots
Perfectly designed to suit extremely cold conditions, Sorel Caribou II are premium grade rubber/leather-made boots that not only safeguard against humidity but also guarantee that your feet remain warm even where you trek on thick snow. They also come with detachable ThermoPlus inner provisions that you remove when the weather is pleasant. Not only that but these boots can be expected to hold out humidity much better than pretty much any other pair of boots out there, a waterproof standard few other boots can match.
6Columbia Bugaboot Men’s Snow Boots
Columbia Bugaboot snow boots are exclusively designed footwear accessories for both winter and snow seasons. They include a non-marking Omni-grip outsole which offers it firm stability and a cushioned Techlite midsole for comfort and warmth. What’s more, they feature a waterproof seam-sealed upper to ensure your feet remain dry no matter the weather plus a lace-up secure shaft characterized by quick-lace hardware designed to ensure the boots firmly remain in place. Columbia Bugaboot boots also feature a shaft 6” for enhanced stability, an exclusive 2” heel that keeps your feet off the cold ground, plus Thinsulate insulation (200g) that also ensures your feet remain warm.
Best Winter Boots For Women
5Glacy Snow Sorel Women’s Boots
Glacy Sorel boots are perfectly durable and functional boots that are made using high imported leather quality. It has a 1.2-pound rubber material crafted from hard rubber to ensure ease in wearing no matter the weather. What’s more, it has a 13-inch opening that caters for virtually any foot size and a subsequent 9-inch shaft from its top down to the arch. Last but not least, these boots come accompanied by an extremely durable outsole and is ideal for any possible terrain.
4Joan Of Arctic Sorel Women’s Boots
Accredited as among the most popular winter boots with women, Joan of Article Sorel boots are wonderful boots that are made using the finest available leather. In addition, they also boast a typical rubberized sole –which makes them easy to wear and take them offer where necessary. Astoundingly, with these shoes, you can easily remove and recycle the felt which lines these women boots. Moreover, these boots are extremely cozy and waterproof ascertaining that they can be worn over long time periods.
3Bearpaw Emma Tall Women’s Boots
Bearpaw Emma women’s boots are quality and durable boots made using premium grade imported suede. Their durability is characteristic of the underlying material where the makers combine quality wool and sheepskin. This together with their 12-inch shaft that comprises a fairly flexible platform make this a standout foot accessory. In addition, these boots feature a unique design made from logos and woven heels to give them an appealing look. Finally, these boots besides being comfortable for all-weather conditions are also extremely lightweight-which explains their popularity.
2DailyShoes Military Combat Women’s Lace-up Boots
With a high-end construction made from the finest pure leather, DailyShoes women’s boots are amazingly among the best women winter boots. These particular combat boots also feature soles made using hardened rubber to ensure long-term durability. Surprisingly, they also feature an extra feature-a zipper pocket(3.5-inches) which is not only convenient for the storage of cash, but also for the safekeeping of many other simple items you may need to keep safe such as credit cards and jewelry.
1Dr. Martens 1460 Eight-Eye Originals Lace-Up Boots
A product of imported quality leather, the Dr. Martens 1460 boots are an all-weather, durable and appealing pair of boots. These boots come with synthetic soles which are built to ensure they are both sturdy and flexible. Moreover, these boots also come with 1.25-inch heels which are specially designed to not only ensure the feet remain warm but also suit the fashion-oriented women. Furthermore, these are made using Goodyear leather, therefore, guaranteeing their lifelong durability.
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Winter Boots Buying Guide
You might not think much about strategy when it comes to buying winter boots, but given the sheer quantity available these days, you definitely should.
While some people simply buy whatever’s expensive and be done with it, there is no reason why you shouldn’t get roughly the same quality at a much lower price, just as long as you do your research.
After taking into consideration the brand, materials, design, and build quality of hundreds of popular models, we figured out the parameters one must always consider when buying a pair of winter boots.
Types of Winter Boots
For someone who doesn’t know much about the subject, a pair of winter boots should look and behave a certain way. In reality, however, there are many different types of winter boots to choose from, varying in design, construction, materials, height, and waterproof index. While we can all agree that high-quality boots all share similar properties, the sheer diversity of what you can expect can be overwhelming. In this regard, winter boots can be:
Pac Boots – These boots are designed in the style of old-school mukluk and kamik shoes which Inuits used in the old days to survive the harsh northern conditions. By design, these boots are comprised of a soft and flexible inner liner that usually slips inside of an outer waterproof overboot similar to a ski or snowboarding pair of boots. For this reason, these boots are commonly known to be very warm and well insulated.
Slip-on Boots – We call slip-on boots any model that doesn’t require laces or velcro to secure the boot on the feet. These boots can be made from almost any material and are generally known to be highly comfortable by all standards. We should also point out that these particular boots are much more comfortable than Pac-boots or any other type of boot for that matter, not to mention how more convenient they are when it comes to putting them on in a jiffy.
Insulated Winter Hiking Boots – Much like the hiking boots of summer, spring, and autumn, most winter hiking boots have to be first and foremost durable. Their resilience makes them slightly heavier than slip-on boots or Pac boots, yet much tougher in regards to withstanding the cold weather outside and the terrain you would be using them on. Due to the fact that they are designed to carry you over long distances, you will always have to wear a correct fit for maximum comfort. The only real downside to these type of boots is the materials used in their making, which is sometimes more impervious to humidity.
What To Look For When Buying Winter Boots
Along with the general inquiry into how comfortable and durable a pair of winter boots are, one must also look for things that might be hiding beneath the surface. In this respect, the deciding factor is usually whether a pair is waterproof or at least water resistant, cozy, and known to last. When delving into the issue with a critical eye, you are advised to pay attention to a handful of characteristics that usually determine if a pair of boots is worth your time or not.
Size – Given how much larger and thicker most winter boots are than regular walking boots, finding a proper fit is paramount. If you have unusually shaped feet, you should perhaps invest in a pair that is at least half a size bigger or wider depending on your individual needs. It is also important to always keep in mind that different types of boots are designed for different purposes. So a loose boot might offer great warmth and comfort but it might render the journey uncomfortable if you wear it for too much time.
Insulation – You want a pair of winter boots to offer the greatest insulation possible, no matter the cost or risks. To keep your feet warm in freezing weather, the boots have to be able to retain your body heat as efficiently as possible without causing you any discomfort whatsoever. Combined with an outer waterproofing material, good insulation can make all the difference in the world when trekking through the snow.
Water Resistance – A good pair of winter boots has to withstand humidity to an acceptable standard. This is because wetness is your biggest enemy when walking through the snow, an issue that might cause a wide array of problems in the long run. Fortunately for you, most high-end winter boots are water resistant by construction, with almost all of them boasting an outer membrane to keep the water out.
Lacing – We should also point out the importance of quality lacing when it comes to winter boots or any other fastening mechanism your preferred boots might use. As long as you’ve chosen a good fit for your boots, lacing is what determines just how comfortable you will feel when wearing the boots for hours at a time. It is common for hiking winter boots to use speed lacing eyelets at the top of the boots while standard models use them only around the ankle via lacing hooks.
Weight – Last but not least, a pair of winter boots has to be lightweight and comfortable. No matter what your intended use for them might be, a good pair of winter boots should never slow you down or cause you any discomfort when worn for hours-on-end. On average, winter boots range from 2 lbs to more than 5.5 lbs depending on how thick they are. It is also understandable for tall boots to be slightly heavier than low-cut boots, so make sure to choose a pair depending on how you plan on using it.
