What boots do you use for winter backpacking?

Planning on doing some overnight High Peaks trips and wonder what folks have worn, oe would reccomend wearing.

Search the site for terms like "winter boots," "Koflach," "Limmer," "Scarpa" and "Thinsulate." Have also heard good things about Salomon, Raichl and Columbia (mileage will certainly vary).

I have Limmers. I boil snow/water & fill a couple Nalgenes. Each water bottle gets a wool-sock wrap, gets inserted into a boot. The boots each get their own supermarket bag, and get put into the bottom of my (extra long) sleeping bag. Still warm in the morning.

I tried Koflachs once and am determined never ever to do that again.

Why's that? Too heavy; unweildly?

I apparently experienced a common problem called 'shin-bang.' They were difficult to walk in, added too much height to my already tall frame (and now add two more inches of crampon), were ungodly hot (it was warmer than absolute zero), didn't fit quite right, and were just unpleasant.

Others will show up (in your thread search) singing their praises, and I'm sure they're right: if you're above 14,000 feet, colder than Antarctica and need an immobile crampon platform, well, they have their place. Having successfully wintered in leathers, I'll wait on plastics.

Again, this is a well-trodden discussion. 'Search' is your friend. Good luck, and check out http://limmerboot.com/. I stumbled on them via eBay five years ago, and am now breaking in my first pair of customs. Good people, old-school boots.

Did almost all my winter 46 in a pair of Sorels and loved them - comfortable, warm, and you can actually use them out and about, unlike plastic mountaineering boots.

But, as was mentioned, if you're doing a route that requires crampons (a slide, for instance), a plastic boot with an immobile sole is the way to go. Yes, I've experienced "shin-bang" with them too, on long, gentle approaches. Just leave the laces loose on the flats to minimize that. The thing about them is that when tight, they put your shin canted forward slightly - great for climbing, not for walking. Kind of like a downhill ski boot, if you've ever worn them around the lodge. Comfortable for walking up stairs, and not much else. So, plastic might be a good option for a trip like Giant, where you're climbing from the car. But something like the Sewards, with its long, relatively flat approach, I'd find a lot more comfortable in my Sorel's.

Anyway, that's my two cents.

Craig,

Excellent points and post. Concur.

--M. said:

... and I'm sure they're right: if you're above 14,000 feet, colder than Antarctica and need an immobile crampon platform, well, they have their place.

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--M., you may have been in the Arctis Expes, they are much warmer than the Degres.

I "figured out" my Degres because plastics were required by some of the climbing courses I've taken, but it took some effort. After a couple different boot sizes and a few different liners I can now walk in them for days. The laces do need to be freakishly loose, beyond intuition, like barely hanging on and I can tighten them down to climb when necessary.

I love my plastics

(Scarpa Invernos)
I'd wear them all summer if they weren't so hot...never had 'shin bang'.
My guess is that right fit is critical.
My only wish is they were a different color.

Bob said:

(Scarpa Invernos)
My only wish is they were a different color.

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Hey, it takes a real man to wear hot pink boots. You should probably take the Barbie stickers off though.

I have the Degrees and love them. I picked up some Arctis Expeds and will give them a try this winter. No shin bang here, right from the start, and they are as comfortable to walk in as my leathers, as long as there's snow on the ground. I don't even mind the weight as they're very similar to my Danner's. It definitely needs to be cold to use them though, otherwise your feet will sweat to death.

North Face Lifty - Just picked up another pair on clearance at EMS for $15

$15 ??? Which store ?

Nanuet, NY ....... but there all gone.
Keep your eye out on ebay as I may sell these as I don't really need them. I just couldn't pass on the bagrain.

I have a pair of old north face that I wear all seasons.

For long hikes in winter that may require crampons, I'll take one of two types.

My La Sportiva Nepal Evo leathers or my La Sportiva Spantiks (hybrids, similar to double plastics). The Spantiks are one of the warmest boots made, I love them. No shin bang, minimal break in time, climbs beautifully.

Honestly, I love my north face boots and would choose to hike in those above the others if weather permits.

The debate is usually leathers vs plastics. For every pound on the feet is 5 in the pack as the saying goes. Leathers for winter backcountry hiking and my plastics for ice climbing.

I use a pair of Asolo TPS backpacking boots in winter. These are heavy summer boots, not winter boots, but since I go through a pair a year, I buy my new pair at the start of the winter season. That way the leather is unscuffed and takes the waterproofing well. I use a thick coating of sno-seal or nixwax and they serve me well on most winter days. For extreme conditions I use a pair of plastic Koflach double boots. Regardless of which pair I wear, I pack a pair of down camp booties in case I have to stay out late.

ColdRiverRun said:

Hey, it takes a real man to wear hot pink boots.

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I must have been a real man...cuz I wore these for a while until I turned into a wuss and went Dayglo

I will vary boot selection by the parameters of my trip. For instance, I could go snowshoeing in North Face "-40" lightweight boots if I am going around Lincoln Woods for an afternoon...or Koflachs if I am going over the mountains for a few days. Sure the Koflachs will work on a Lincoln woods loop, and they can be made comfortable, but who wants to push all that weight around.

I am really disappointed with my Montrail Olypumses...these are the boots with the built-in crampon receptable for the Montrail crampons. (The crampons have been taken off the market due to a recall). These things are freezing.

As with most things outdoors-related, "it depends...."


-Dayhike, no crampons needed: Columbia Ice Dragons (leathers)

-Dayhike, 'pons required: Asolo AFS Guidas (double plastics)

-Overnights: the Asolos, regardless of terrain

-Short snowshoe/run: Salomon low hikers (need to get some Gore-Tex ones, though)

-Ice climbing: the Asolos