LAKOTAGAMBILL84 December 2019
// BY ADRIENNE DONICA AND JAMES LYNCH //15
The Warm,
Waterproof
Boots You Want
This Winter
proofing, durability, style, and (in
the case of the dedicated winter
boots) warmth of each pair. We
hiked for hundreds of miles on
dirt, grass, and gravel trails, on
sunny days and after rainstorms,
across the Northeast and national
parks in the West. To assess water-
proofing, we held the boots in
several inches of water for at least
10 minutes to measure how much,
if at all, they leaked. Finally, we
tested how well the snow boots
insulate by measuring their inter-
nal temperature with an infrared
thermometer before and after
placing each in a cooler filled with
ice water for five minutes. Yes, we
were hard on them, but that’s how
we know they’ll hold up.T
HE PREVAILING TREND
among boots this winter?
Lightweight, low-profile,
comfortable designs that
don’t sacrifice perfor-
mance, whether you’re
wearing them to tromp
through deep snow drifts, get
out for a quick hike in what little
sunlight there is, or simply stay
upright on icy sidewalks. Here, we
review the best snow, casual, and
hiking boots this winter.
Before hitting the pavement
and the trail, we consulted with
experts, read customer reviews,
and searched for the season’s top
options. In the course of testing,
we evaluated the cost, weight,
traction, support, comfort, water- When you aren’t quite sure where your
adventures will take you, it’s not a bad
idea to have a pair of La Sportiva’s
Nucleo on your feet. The burly high-top
boot might look intimidating, but it fits
beautifully, striking a good balance of
support and cushioning without a ton
of bulk or weight. The grippy Vibram
sole is designed with what La Sportiva
calls the Impact Brake System—a set of
grooves running along the width of the
heel—which it says increases traction
by 20 percent while reducing impact
on your body. The large toe cap and
Gore-Tex Surround waterproof lining
protect you from rugged and wet con-
ditions. Our one complaint? The laces
will slip off the top hooks if you tie them
too loosely.HEIGHT
HighWEIGHT
1 lb. 0.7 oz.
UPPER
Leather and syntheticEDITORS’ CHOICE
LA SPORTIVA
NUCLEO GTX
$199Most boot makers use synthetic insulation—
such as 3M Thinsulate, PrimaLoft, or their
own proprietary material—because it works
better when wet than wool or down. It traps
your body’s warmth in air pockets within the
fabric. Engineers intertwine strands of syn-
thetic fibers (often polyester) within the boots.
The smaller the strands are, the more air pock-
ets there will be. And that retains more warmth, explains Ken Cox,
lead application engineering specialist at the 3M Thinsulate Global
Design Lab. It also means that insulation is often comprised more of
air than anything else—the Thinsulate used in footwear is made of
microfibers with diameters of six microns (human hair measures 25
or more) and is about 95 percent trapped air.How
Insulation
Keeps You
Warm