What's new

Winter footwear?

Seeking advice on winter footwear for those less than ideal days with sleet covered sidewalks. My morning and evening commute includes a fair walk, about a mile each way. Footwear has to be comfortable and offer protection from the elements. Daily dress is business casual with either a rain overcoat or a full length wool topcoat.
 
Do you have the ability to change boots/shoes when you get to work? They are definitely not appropriate for business casual attire but I'm a huge fan of the LL Bean boots... the classic ones.
L.L.Bean Boots- The Original Duck Boots

The come in dozens of configurations... if you'd like specific advice on picking a pair let me know and I can add further thoughts.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
for those less than ideal days with sleet covered sidewalks. My morning and evening commute includes a fair walk, about a mile each way.

The key is going to be the grip of the soles.

Leather is out.
Regular rubber soles are out. They will be durable, but very hard and non-grippy.

I have long found that Vibram "Gumlite" soles ... not regular Vibram, but specifically the Gumlite ... do very well on ice and snow. They have been my "go-to". If you can find boots with these soles (AE Longbranch I believe have them) then you are pretty good to go.

Vibram has now come out with a new sole called "Arctic Grip" that apparently (I haven't tried them yet) gives even better grip, especially on wet ice.
Shop Arctic Grip Shoe Collection | Arctic Grip Shoes Grip Even on Wet Ice
 
Thanks for the thoughts and links.

Wondering about the longevity and the comfort of the Bean boots. Do you think they can handle two miles of daily walking?
 
Wondering about the longevity and the comfort of the Bean boots. Do you think they can handle two miles of daily walking?

Good question. For comfort, as long as you follow the sizing suggestions from Bean (i.e. buy them big so that there is sufficient air flow around your feet, which actually a bit confusingly means you will probably end up ordering a smaller than normal size b/c these run very large), they are extremely comfortable at least to me. I can wear them all day long and be extremely comfortable in them. The one thing is if you get one of the models that is lined with thinsulate/gortex you may get warm if you wear them inside for long periods. But as I said perhaps you might change your shoes upon arriving at work. For long outdoor wear the comfort level is very high (or indoors is good too with the less insulated models).

As for longevity, there are really two sides to that question. The first has to do with the uppers. The leather is very high quality so as long as you treat them with wax a few times per year and take care of them they will last pretty much forever. If the bottoms ever wear out you can even have the bottom half replaced to keep your broken in leather uppers if you'd like (although it does cost some $$$ to do this). The bottoms are a bit of a different story. The soles are fairly soft so it really depends on what you are walking on. They are originally intended to be used in the forest, etc., so if you wear them extensively on concrete or pavement you will eventually wear down the soles. It really depends how much you wear them. But after a few years you probably will see very noticeable wear on the heals. In any event, you have a few options if that happens... 1) you can pay to have the boots resoled as I mentioned above, or 2) if you feel as though the boots didn't last as well as they should have LL Bean has an amazing return policy that basically promises you that they will replace the shoes at any time if they wear out. Now, I don't want to start a debate about this but my personal opinion is that if you have a pair of boots and wear them every day for many many years and then the sole wears down I think it is a bit crazy to demand that a store replace them. But if you find that they are wearing down much faster than you would have thought to be reasonable you can always get them replaced, etc.

Hope this helps!
 
2 miles in foul weather is a lot of commuting for Bean boots, imo. If you can change your shoes at work, I would consider a medium duty hiking boot that is lined with gortex, or something similar.
 

tankerjohn

A little poofier than I prefer
Boots that are tough enough to hike through several miles of winter weather and still look decent with business casual is kind of a tall order. Can you wear boots to walk to work and then change into nicer shoes at work?

I've got a set of Gortex-lined Matterhorn boots I was issued in the Army that I absolutely love for hiking in winter. They are black leather, so still look passably nice with jeans. You might be able to find something like that from a surplus store/website for a reasonable price.
 
Walking a couple of miles in snow/sleet and possibly wet salt/dirt covered streets will also ruin a good pair of pants. Even business casual khaki's. I would go with what others have suggested... Switch to dress shoes once you get to work. As for boots... something completely waterproof you can tuck your pants in.
 
I can leave a pair of shoes at the office or take a pair to change into if necessary.
 
My first thought was just some rubber overshoes of some sort, that you can take off once you arrive. I have always just had a few hundred yards from the car at most so haven't done much if anything. Even on the worst days.
 
I'll echo the suggestion for Gor-Tex hiking/backpacking boots. If the option to change is there, anyway.

Asolo makes some nicer ones.
 
I opted for a pair of Ecco Chukka boots. Jack of all trades sort of shoe that should meet my needs.
 

tankerjohn

A little poofier than I prefer
Great! I hope they work out for you. Maybe a little Mink Oil or Sno Seal on em for waterproofing.
 

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
I just picked up a pair of blacksmiths which will be delivered today. I’ll let ya know. I’m an 11.5 D in everything Allen Edmonds so I ordered an 11 in redwings hoping that was right.
Good luck hope u are pleased with them. I think you did right. Mine are a 1/2 size big. OK but annoying
 
Top Bottom