Elad, after reading all the great suggestions, I think something was potentially missed. If the snow is crusty enough to hold your weight, or conditions are icy, you might really like to have some "hiking crampons". When we hike in the winter, we always bring Yak Traks along. We used to use something a little different in the past, but these have really worked well for us the last few years. That said, they are not perfect. You can still slip, so be careful even when wearing them. For really big winter boots, we sometimes use a product called STABILicers. These work best on boots like the Sorel pack boot. I'd also recommend hiking poles too if they are available. While we generally only use them for serious backpacking, I find that on snow and ice, the extra two points of contact often prevent me from making unintentional contact with the snow- if you know what I mean. And don't forget to take pictures of your trip for us!
Verry good point! Makes me wonder why I didn't recamend my other favorite snow boots; www.edcforums.com/threads/korkers-snowjack-winter-boots-with-interchangable-outsoles.92165/ They have one set of outsoles that are carbide studded.
Yeah, works great. I've worn them probably 50% of the last two winters, depending on needs. Its more that they snap into the boot than onto or over like traction aids/yaktraks etc. I've yet to have them ever shift or move at all in use, can't tell its not a normal integral outer sole. They still snap into place perfectly when changing them too.(and the straps are still hard to stretch and a P!TA to get off at times, haven't stretched out any)The attachment loops are Very low profile, haven't had them snag on anything, or if they have I didn't notice, and it didn't hurt them any... I found them worth their weight in gold the last two summers, with the studded treads on them for cutting firewood; walking on slick/shifting/loose logs and wood piles the traction is great!
Sound advice! Also, many skiing pants have a sort of built in gaiter. These work pretty well for anything but basking in truly snorkel deep fluff.
I have been thinking about getting a pair of these or the Zigzags. Actually, thought about getting the Zigzags in both low for summer and high for winter. Sucks I haven't found them locally. Not a big fan of buying shoes online.
Ghuns, these are available in lots of brick and mortar stores. Don't know where you are in Indiana, but if you go on Danner's website you can probably find the company's distributors near you. For icier stuff I use the Yak Trax, too.
Yeah, we have 2 specialty stores locally that carry Danner. One is geared towards work boots and doesn't stock the ones I would want. The other is a large hunting/fishing store, just across the state line in Michigan, and I choose to give them my money as a result of some prior purchases that I was less than happy with. Amazon has them and has a pretty decent return policy so it's not that big of a deal.
I stood ankle deep in sea water with snow floating on it while photographing a harbor seal in my leather LL Bean Crestas. I didn't figure out I was in water at all until I started back toward shore. So. There's that. Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
I'm old-school. I like LL Beans Maine Hunting Boots (insulated) for winter treks. Good traction, water repellency and warm. Lost mine a couple of years ago, but plan on replacing when I'm up in Maine in January.
No kidding! I was born and raised in an arctic climate, and you couldn't get me into Maine in Jan. at gun point!
Yeah. Business trip to Portland which is about an hour from the LL Bean Mothership in Freeport. I think. Never been to Maine and I sure wish I could delay this trip until July. I can't imagine it looks much different or is much warmer than Wisconsin this time of year.
No, it's probably very, very similar. Maine is actually beautiful regardless of the month. We like to ski and board at Sunday River. That L.L.Bean store will knock you socks off, that's for sure. There are three tabs on our Weather Channel page. Our local, Denver, NC (because of relatives), and Ashland, ME (because we are desperate to move). And I also sometimes watch a web cam from Pittsburg, NH.
Columbia bugaboots, had mine for three winter seasons moving furniture, I spray them with silicone about twice a season.
Weather aside I'm really looking forward to the trip. I was hoping to see Acadia National Park but that may have to wait until next time.
I wear a pair of Oboz Wind River II hiking boots everyday here in Upstate NY with a pair of Darn Tough Vermont heavy weight wool socks. The boots have a waterproof membrane and have a good outsole. The insole is like a high end aftermarket insole. It has a really sturdy arch support and a good layer of padding. They keep my feet warm too even though they are un-insulated. It was around -6 F here this morning. They have a big enough toe box for wider feet and thick socks if you need them. They are more reasonably priced than a lot of the competitors especially when you figure in the price of a good aftermarket insole which is included with the Oboz. I researched boots for a long time before purchasing the Oboz boots. I've gone through a lot of trial and error and tried many different boot and sock combos. I've finally got the right combo and couldn't recommend it enough. If stuff is going to get real messy and deep I go for my Muck Boot Co. Muckmaster Pros. They are a 16" tall rubber coated neoprene boot with a lug type sole. The ones I have are un-insulated as well and with the right sock combo keep my feet pretty warm in the winter. They also make an insulated version called the Arctic Pro I believe. I would recommend any of these not knowing what you may be up against. I'd also recommend a good pair of wool socks. Socks in my opinion are just as important as whatever boot you choose. There's no sense in buying a $200 hiking boot and pairing it with an old pair of cotton socks. No matter how good the boot is you wont be comfortable or warm in cotton. A High end boot needs a high end sock with it, you get the most out of both that way. I hope this helps
