Extreme Cold weather boots

[Jack Whitmire Jr]

Dang didn't know there was this many cold weather boots out there.


Jack

[Michigan Mark]

I prefer Sorel (Wool Pac)for the value. Wool for warmth does the job. In my opinion.
Ron How does the suede on the Mukluks hold up in wet snow ect.?   ...Mark

[Ron LaClair]

I treat the Mukluks periodically with spray on waterproofing. The are great in snow and I have never had a problem, just don't cross any streams with them. I don't break out the Mukluks until the cold and snow arrive. I have two pair one is brown and short, I like the tall ones best.

[Green Mountain Boy]

I wore sorells for a number if years and recently (three years)ago switched to lacrosse alphas and haven't looked back.  There is no comparison between the two for warmth when sitting, no to mention that with my alphas I don't ever have to wait for the ice to melt off my laces before I can get them off when I get back to camp!

[njloco]

I'll try and settle this, well maybe, Bunny boots or mickey mouse boots, are from world war two. they were used mostly by paratroopers, that is why they have an air valve on the sides ( if they are real that is ) one would blow them up before jumping out of an airplane and the boot being blown up around the ankle would prevent them from falling of due to different air pressures ( I think ) As far as I know the only Diff. between the black and the white are the color, other than that they are the same.

Now if you wear these and step into water that goes over the top and gets inside, your feet will warm up the water after awhile, will any of the other boots do this ?

One point, if you wear these boots you should install a inner sole in each boot, this gives the sweat someplace to go while it escapes out of the boot. If your a treestand hunter, when you get to your tree just take them off for a minute to let the built up sweat escape then put them back on and your in business for the rest of the day.

Also I installed those laced in zippers on each of mine, makes it real fast and easy to remove and put back on, you know the ones they use to put on army boots.

[brmorris]

Hey guys
I guess I should've checked here first before I went out and purchased a set of Whites Pacs.  Looks like Bunny Boots are winning.  I have used the Muck Arctic Sport for 4 years.  Some downfalls to the mucks...if you buy mucks, buy a boot dryer and use it more than you wear them...if you have sweaty feet such as I do, the sweat seems to break down the material...the rubber cracks out in the creases by your toes.  I have owned 3 pairs in 4 years and am trying the Whites out.  I think a removable liner is key so you can dry underneath the liner (a downfall of the mucks)  So far the Whites are holding their own, of course any new boot is good for a while, but I was tired of buying a new pair every year.  Might have to hit the Surplus Stores and try a pair of Bunny Boots.  Also I feel a good pair of socks is another key.  These new cotton/wool blends seem to be pretty good.

Good luck

[Bob B.]

Jack,

Well there have been LOTS of suggestions so far to your orignial posting.  IO acan not asy I can argue woth most of the replies.  That said I can tell you I do live in Wisconsin.  I also ice fish her as well as bow hun t and i ice fish Minnisota as well.  I have bow hnted in 20 below degrees.  So, for extreme cold ... to me that means 0 and below, I have a pair of sorels.  With good wool socks, I have hunted in a sitting position for 4 hours before I felt a tinge of cold in my feet with the sorels.  Also, Lacrosse Icemans ( old style) ae warm and easier to hike in than the sorels (tighter in the ankles and shins).   I ahve 2 sets of linners.  one I keep in the boots the other on the boot warmers.  After a day of hunting/ice fishing, I switch the linners out.  If I am active I ahve a pair of Kennetrek Grizzlies.  They are by far my favorite boot of all time at 13 inches tall they rock.  I tuck my pants in the boot but outside the linner.  I can walk and sit, walk and sit all day in weather 20 below or so and I am fine.  If I am siting still all day, I go to my Sorells.

I love being outside in the winter.  I am in the cold every weekend.  PM me if you have questions.

Those boots are great for extreme cold.

Bob.

[Ron LaClair]

They look kinda heavy to drag around...5.6lbs...each?  

  http://www.kenetrek.com/prodinfo.asp?number=KE-3428-K

[Bob B.]

Mr.LaClair,

I respect you too much to argue your opinion.  I will say this, they are MY go to boot and I do not seem to mind the weight, they are just a great boot in my opinion. I have shot a lot of deer in them and caught a lot of fish in them.  I guess my feet/legs just like those old boots.  We have seen a lot of timber together.  I have use them at work when I guided 8 "at isk " youth on the ice age trial near Medford Wisconsin in the dead of winter  mile after mile.  I guess they should be a bit heavy as they are insulated.  However,they fit my feet and ankles well on 5 to 8 mile hikes with a pack.  I like them a lot and have hunted them hard and not found them to be overly heavy.

I guess I should have stated they are a great boot for me personaly, that does not mean they would be for everyone.  I personmally do not find them heavy although they may be.

Bob.

[sdlane]

Bunny boots work by keeping a moisture free felt lining sandwiched between two layers of rubber between your feet and the environment.  They are only effective if the moisture vapor barriers are intact and the felt remains dry.  The air valve on the side is opened when in flight to equalize the air pressure in the enclosed envelope with the ambient air pressure so they do not swell  and rupture.  Each bunny boot has a molded in "dry weight" imprinted on the side of its sole.  If buying used boots check to see that the boots weigh what is stated.  If they are heavy then usually the lining has cracked somewhere or the air valve has been left open for a long time in a humid environment and the felt has moisture trapped in it.  The boots will still work but not nearly as effectively as designed.  The only place I needed to use bunny boots was when I was working under the South Pole Station in a culvert like space that stayed at a steady -58 below F (reflects the mean annual temperature) everywhere else I used the standard Sorel with felt liners.  The key thing with the Sorels was to have three pairs on felt liners so two could be drying out while you wore the other.  I didn't like the wet clammy feeling I got from sweating in bunny boots (vapor barrier) even though my feet would stay warm when wet.  I also found them heavy and clumsy when climbing ladders although many of my co-workers lived in them.  Lots of different boots for different tastes and environments.

[njloco]

sdlane,

Thanks for clearing up the information in my post.

[Jack Whitmire Jr]

Thanks guys I'm shopping to see what I want . I want to have different ones in my hands so I can try them on for comfort . Thannks to all who posted .

Good LaCrosse pac Boots are the best thing....removable felt liners so you can switch to a dry pair often..Keep 'em dry and they will keep you warm...IMO, the Micky Mouse boots are too heavy and damn big - not too much fun if you will do any amount of walking.

The guys that do a lot of ice fishing will use the MM boots almost exclusively.

[michigan bill]

yeah, you sure don't want to show up at the deer hunters' ball wearing your bunny boots.
but for standing on a tree stand at dawn in the dead of winter i don't think anything can beat bunny boots.
one really good thing about the black mickey mouse boots is that i think i paid 20 bucks for "used, like new" ones and i couldn't tell that they were used - they looked brand new.  i wear those here in texas and have retired the white bunny boots since i left michigan.
but you wouldn't want to show up at the deer hunters ball with the mickey mouse boots either.
bill

[michigan bill]

Hmmm.  I looked at Mr. LaClair's Arctic Mukluks With Ribbon and I do believe you could wear those to the Deer Hunters' Ball - not the plain ones without the ribbon though!
In fact it appears they have a Mukluk Ball to attend.
Those do look like they would be both very warm and comfortable.
Bill

[JockC]

Having frozen my feet a few times I bought a pair of Camuks this year.  I had to send the first pair back and get a size larger.  I really like them, and there is a review video on youtube that talks about being up to the top in swamp water with no leakage...maybe, maybe not.  They aren't cheap (in fact, they are badly overpriced until the first time you blow a hunt or fall with numb feet) but they are light, give better traction and mobility than you would expect because of the sole's flex, aren't bulky, and are made in America.  I also have a pair of white bunnies that I wear if I'm going to be immobile for a long, long time.  Incidentally, the black bunny is not rated for the same kind of cold as the white, but it's likely better to walk in.  I loathe walking in my white ones.  Lots of good options, and with toewarmers and bootblankets not much to complain about!

[rraming]

Cabelas Pac Boots - I have heard the WHITE boot thing is good too

[Mack Marine]

Mickey Mouse Boots any day of the week for me.

[calgarychef]

One thinng that's changed lately is the "felt" in many liners isn't wool felt anymore.  It's sadly become made of polyester and that stuff aint the same!!  I've written to some manufacturers and complained about these new "non-felt" liners but haven't even been given a response.

[Jack Whitmire Jr]

This what I love about trad gang 4 pages on keeping our feet warm -thanks guys and gals.