Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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The Kamik NationPlus Boot provides great protection against winter elements. However, they are heavy. Read More
The Sorel Caribou 1964 Pac Boots are warm, offer good traction and feature removable felt liners. Read More
These stylish boots will fit in whether you're having a night on the town or hiking in backcountry Read More
Hailing from Australia, the Blundstone 1461 offers a stylish look and flexible protection. Read More
Muck Boots are known for their ability to keep your feet warm and completely dry. Unfortunately, the Muck Boot Men's Arctic Sport Mid is not a good style for everyday life. Read More
It doesn’t matter if you’re shoveling ice and snow, taking your kids sledding, running errands, or walking to work—a great winter boot needs to be comfortable, waterproof, warm, and offer exceptional traction on snow and slippery surfaces.
Unfortunately, not one boot in this guide proved to be fully waterproof. Nonetheless, we feel comfortable recommending the Kamik NationPlus Boot (available at Amazon for $70.60) as our Best Overall pick. They’re warm, sturdy, and proved to be head and shoulders above other winter boots for men when it comes to keeping water outside, where it belongs.
If you’re interested in maximum warmth, the Sorel Caribou 1964 PAC boots are the way to go. They’re merely water resistant, but they offer great heat retention in the most frigid conditions.
Here are the best men’s winter boots you can grab online now.
The Kamik NationPlus Boot offered the best combination of warmth, traction, and water-resistance of any of the winter boots we tested.
A wintertime classic, the Sorel Caribou 1964 PAC boot are the warmest pair of boots we tested for this guide.
Completely waterproof
Neoprene fleece lining
True-to-size
Tight on calves
Not stylish
Easy to get off
Waterproof zipper
Not for harsh winters
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 neighborhood.
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 there’s no oversight for measuring the temperature rating of boots: every manufacturer uses their own means of testing that range. A large part of this is due to the fact that there are so many different types of boot insulation materials out there.
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 fibers, creates an insulative layer, designed to trap your body heat inside of the boot.
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, it 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 vapor from inside of your boot to escape, but won’t allow liquids to get in. Rubber has been used to waterproof boots for years. It may not allow water vapor to escape a boot, but it’s great for keeping the elements out.
If you decide to buy winter hiking 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.
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 toe box 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.
Jonathan Chan currently serves as the Lab Manager at Reviewed. If you clean with it, it's likely that Jon oversees its testing. Since joining the Reviewed in 2012, Jon has helped launch the company's efforts in reviewing laptops, vacuums, and outdoor gear. He thinks he's a pretty big deal. In the pursuit of data, he's plunged his hands into freezing cold water, consented to be literally dragged through the mud, and watched paint dry. Jon demands you have a nice day.
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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