Winter Footwear Advice

[Matt S]

In a follow up to my earlier European winter clothing thread, I've been trying to figure out what to buy for footwear on the trip. Over the course of two weeks I'll be walking a lot and it will probably be cold outside, but I won't always be outside. Living in Virginia, I don't really pay much attention to buying something like this very often. I have a pair of brown eight-eye Doc Martens that are probably 12 years old now but are in good shape, and I'll throw them on with some wool socks in the winter. I'll probably bring them along with a new pair of boots so I have something to rotate in case they get wet.

I'd like something comfortable, warm (I am usually cold wherever I go), somewhat waterproof, and hopefully versatile fashion-wise. I know I could probably buy something like a pair of waterproof Merrell hiking boots, but they definitely lose out on the versatility category as I wouldn't want to wear them any other time unless I am shoveling snow.

I like the idea of buying something like the Red Wing Gentleman Traveler (now Beckman) boot as they definitely fit that versatile category and seem comfortable (and have tread unlike the 1000 mile boot), but I am not sure how warm they are. I also liked the look of the Thorogood American Heritage.

Or maybe I am better off getting a hiking type boot and just storing them afterward for the next outdoor trek? Just wondering what some opinions are.

 

[goatee]

merrell was my first thought. id focus less on warmth, and more on waterproof. i mean,, is it going to be that cold while you are walking/moving around? but if you get wet??? your cold no matter what.

 

[jlanger]

If the Gentleman travelers are anything like my iron rangers or my irish setters, they'll be too cold for a lot of winter stuff, unless you have room to wear warmer socks.

What about some of the gore-tex shoes from Ecco or even Irish Setter?

 

[Drewhunz]

Keen Brixen Low or Anchorage boot if you're looking for a more casual style. However, if you're wanting to dress it up a bit more I'd recommend the Sorel Chugalug. Ugg makes some nicer winter boots, however their quality is sorely lacking from previous standards.

 

[Mojo88]

I have a pair of Gentleman Travelers and while they are great boots they are not that warm.I have a pair of Eccos and a pair of Danners that I rotate through the winter,both are gor-tex lined and they keep my feet warm and dry. I am out in the weather all day,and I have never had wet feet with either. We average 100 inches of snow and the Eccos are going on their 3rd year with no signs of falling apart. This is the second for the Danners and they are holding up well also. Danner has a website called https://www.hitthebreakroom.com/customer/account/login/ that someone suggested on this forum.. They run specials on closeouts and seconds, I was able to get a 180.00 dolllar pair of boots for half off. You can't go wrong with either boot IMHO.

 

[galopede]

Where are you going? The Antarctic?!!! You get it a lot colder over there than we do in Europe in general.

Gareth

 

[kaiseris]

You get it a lot colder over there than we do in Europe in general.

Gareth

Winters in Scandiniavia and Baltic States can get very cold. Sometimes -20 Celsius in day time where I am

 

[galopede]

Winters in Scandiniavia and Baltic States can get very cold. Sometimes -20 Celsius in day time where I am

Very true Kaiseris. I don't know where the OP is heading for in Europe

Gareth

 

[Taylor of Bank Street]

Two pieces of information will be handy in helping you out, one of which has already been mentioned:
1) ballpark at least when and where are you going? This will give an idea of temp you'll be experiencing.
2) how long will you be outside and what will you be doing while you're out, i.e. standing vs active?

It might just be me, but I'd exercise caution with wearing docs in below freezing weather. I found the rubber was far too slippery on ice. Back when I was wearing my Chelsea boot docs I took one too many near slip-and-fall in them.

 

[Go West Young Man]

How cold will it be? Will you be walking in snow or rain? And will you be staying on pavement/sidewalks or going out hiking on dirt/trails/rocks/etc?

 

[eelhc]

My preference is Danners... A pair will last a lifetime (They offer a recrafting service).

 

[ReAndyMator]

Army surplus. Warm, pretty much waterproof, solid, comfortable, and they polish up nicely. I prefer the German ones. I usually pay about £30/pair, and they seem to last for about four years (after that, the leather's still fine, but it's cheaper to buy a new pair than resole), and I regularly walk 15 miles a day in them. I wear them all year, for pretty much everything.

The only real downside is that they take a fair bit of breaking in.

 

[kaiseris]

Army surplus. Warm, pretty much waterproof, solid, comfortable, and they polish up nicely. I prefer the German ones. I usually pay about £30/pair, and they seem to last for about four years (after that, the leather's still fine, but it's cheaper to buy a new pair than resole), and I regularly walk 15 miles a day in them. I wear them all year, for pretty much everything.

The only real downside is that they take a fair bit of breaking in.

Do you mind posting a link or a picture of them. I'm curious

 

[Doc4]

I doubt you will need too much insulation in your boots unless you will be spending a lot of time outdoors in very cold weather being inactive.

If you are moving about, the blood will flow more, keeping your feet warm. Wearing good long underwear will warm your feet more than insulated boots, as they keep the legs warm, and so the blood flowing to your feet keeps its warmth rather than dissipating it to re-warm the legs.

 

[Go West Young Man]

I doubt you will need too much insulation in your boots unless you will be spending a lot of time outdoors in very cold weather being inactive.

If you are moving about, the blood will flow more, keeping your feet warm. Wearing good long underwear will warm your feet more than insulated boots, as they keep the legs warm, and so the blood flowing to your feet keeps its warmth rather than dissipating it to re-warm the legs.

Us Canadians know our footwear! I second Doc's thoughts - for the average activity you're going to be engaged in, keeping your feet DRY is going to be more important that keeping them warm. You can throw some thicker wool socks on if need be, as long as your boots are keeping outside water out and are breathable so that sweat doesn't stay in.

 

[Taylor of Bank Street]

Us Canadians know our footwear! I second Doc's thoughts - for the average activity you're going to be engaged in, keeping your feet DRY is going to be more important that keeping them warm. You can throw some thicker wool socks on if need be, as long as your boots are keeping outside water out and are breathable so that sweat doesn't stay in.

Keeping your extremities (feet, hands, ears etc.) covered up with insulated/warm gear is an absolute essential in very cold weather unless you want to lose bits and pieces of your body to the cold. Keeping your core warm is key, but your body is already going to be doing what it can, at the cost of your less vital bits like your toes to preserve your core.

The qualifier was given that the advice that you don't need insulated footwear only applies if you're not out in very cold weather for extended periods. I agree with that, and chances are that unless the OP is planning on doing some ice fishing in northern Sweden, he might not need the heavy duty gear. Short jaunts in and out of stores, pubs, museums etc or short strolls outside in many European cities doesn't necessarily require outfitting oneself in traditional Inuit garb. True too, socks can be a good insulating layer. Even in Ottawa though, I know that I'd probably be short a toe or two today if I was outside for a couple of hours in a pair of uninsulated leather boots (without thick socks) on a -20 or -30C day.

I invested in a little boot dryer a year or two ago that slowly warms and dries the boots over a period of hours without damaging leather. Starting the am with dry boots has greatly improved their function. It's also not just from outside water getting in, but also any perspiration absorbed in the lining of the boot whilst wearing them.

I take the winter gear serious. I'm built like a human heat dissipation unit but live in a city which can be Hoth/Winterfell-like at times.

 

[cluelessdude]

Keeping your extremities (feet, hands, ears etc.) covered up with insulated/warm gear is an absolute essential in very cold weather unless you want to lose bits and pieces of your body to the cold. Keeping your core warm is key, but your body is already going to be doing what it can, at the cost of your less vital bits like your toes to preserve your core.

The qualifier was given that the advice that you don't need insulated footwear only applies if you're not out in very cold weather for extended periods. I agree with that, and chances are that unless the OP is planning on doing some ice fishing in northern Sweden, he might not need the heavy duty gear. Short jaunts in and out of stores, pubs, museums etc or short strolls outside in many European cities doesn't necessarily require outfitting oneself in traditional Inuit garb. True too, socks can be a good insulating layer. Even in Ottawa though, I know that I'd probably be short a toe or two today if I was outside for a couple of hours in a pair of uninsulated leather boots (without thick socks) on a -20 or -30C day.

I invested in a little boot dryer a year or two ago that slowly warms and dries the boots over a period of hours without damaging leather. Starting the am with dry boots has greatly improved their function. It's also not just from outside water getting in, but also any perspiration absorbed in the lining of the boot whilst wearing them.

I take the winter gear serious. I'm built like a human heat dissipation unit but live in a city which can be Hoth/Winterfell-like at times.

WTH is that ahead of you? Looks like a robot.

 

[Matt S]

Thanks for the responses, too busy yesterday to get back on. Where I am going would probably be helpful.

I'm going to Germany, outside Stuttgart. Plans so far are to possibly head down to Switzerland, into France, maybe Prague, or some other somewhat nearby countries as we'll be there for 2 weeks. It will be Christmas market season, so we'll be hitting up a few of those too. I might go to a VfB Stuttgart match in town. My thoughts is that I'll prepare for several hours a day outside sightseeing, on foot.

According to the weather averages, average high in Stuttgart at the beginning of December is 38F, low of 27F. It looks like there is a decent chance of rain or snow as well according to the Weather Underground trip planner that aggregates historical data for a guess at the future.

I grew up in Upstate NY, I'm not a stranger to cold and snow, and I know I'll require something warm on my feet, as I tend to get cold in my extremities. I wear wool hiking socks almost all winter even in Virginia and have searched high and low for dress socks that can offer some warmth without being too thick for the office. My Mom is the same way, and apparently she was told by a doctor that we have some sort of overactive response to cold, so I guess my body thinks it much colder than it is and starts "conserving" the warmth too early, leaving my hands and feet cold. My feet become freezing sitting in the office somedays when the A/C is on too high. They are old right now as I sit in my air conditioned house with the thermostat set to 77 (this room is colder than that though). With that said, in the past when I've spent significant amounts of time outside in Upstate NY, I was usually not comfortable. The mitigating factor was that it was over at the end of the day, and I could go home and relax the next day. That won't be the case on this trip, so I'm looking for something better.

So maybe I can't have everything. My holy grail of a warm, comfortable boot that looks good with a pair of jeans might not exist. But I'll be checking out what was posted here. As others mentioned, dry is important and I don't mind using socks to ratchet up the warmth element. Comfort too as I don't want to be 4 days in and not wanting to walk anywhere anymore. Nothing worse than that. So I guess if I can get a boot that is warm, dry, and comfortable, looks would be last on the list.

 

[ReAndyMator]

Do you mind posting a link or a picture of them. I'm curious

There's plenty of different variants, but I'm not so keen on the newest ones with the DMS soles. My preference is for the older type (with the flexible bit above the heel), but not the really old type (without the flexible bit)

Those aren't mine. Mine are shinier. Much shinier.

My holy grail of a warm, comfortable boot that looks good with a pair of jeans might not exist

Erm. See above? (IMNESHO)

Another option (but need real breaking in) is a pair of jackboots. I've been wearing mine for a few years now, but they're surprisingly comfortable (as long as you wear some nice thick socks), and (after some treatment) totally waterproof, to the point that a few weeks back, I tucked my jeans inside them, and treated them as wellies, to get me home in the downpour we were experiencing (the road was 6" under water).

 

[kaiseris]

According to the weather averages, average high in Stuttgart at the beginning of December is 38F, low of 27F. It looks like there is a decent chance of rain or snow as well according to the Weather Underground trip planner that aggregates historical data for a guess at the future.

IMHO you don't need anything special for that kind of weather. You need waterproof footwear not extra-warm.