I actually don't wear boots all that often in winter either (haven't yet this year and yesterday marked my first wearing of an actual winter coat). I do own a pair of bulky, Arctic-type boots in case of dire cold but I only wear them when temps make them absolutely essential for my safety because they weigh a tonne and that plus the rigidity of their soles make my ankles and the bottoms of my feet, respectively, ache horribly if I walk much further than the four-block round trip to the grocery store and back (the latter ache caused by the rigid soles blocking the muscles in my feet from flexing properly). Most of the time I'm just fine with my beloved handknit wool socks and a couple of pairs of maryjane-style shoes that have the same quad sole structure as the company's construction boots (which = well insulated as well as tough) and excellent tread that is perfect for icewalking (they're actually better in slippery situations than the deep, so-called "gripper" tread on my boots). But these Red Frogs appear to be the perfect combo of nice-looking and deep-cold-proof), most importantly (to me) without the excess bulk. The actual boot is thick wool felt, which is the perfect insulator and also water resistant because it still has the natural lanolin left in it (even if the boots do somehow become soaked, wool still insulates even when wet). The leather portions are over top of the full wool boot so they just reinforce and decorate. I dislike the heel on the ankle boots ... that backward projection is bad design for walking. But the Hunter Gatherer heels aren't too bad ... they've a bit of an inward slant at the back that is walking-friendly. And the heels and soles are stacked leather so they'll be flexible and also become compressed down a bit (especially the heels) by body weight over time. Plus they're correct that unvulcanized rubber is great for ice walking ... that stuff doesn't need tread to grip. Edited at 2015-12-25 03:50 (UTC)
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Into the past
