When we think about innovations, normally we think about the tools that we use, our guns, our broadheads, our bows, our bullets …
That’s what’s going to bring us success, right?
For me, what’s going to bring me success is if I can hunt harder and longer. And at the end of the day, if my feet are happy, I’m going to be happy.
If you’re planning on hitting the field and search a whitetail deer in cold temperatures, you’re definitely going to have some warm clothes and warm Pac boots to take with you.
I think I found the solution to happy feet and came up with a list of 5 best Pac boots for hunting you really have to check now.
CABELA’S SASKATCHEWAN
- New Solarcore Aerogel heat retaining technology.
- Removable 13mm Texel liners.
- Moisture-trap footbeds wick away perspiration and condensation.µ
- 1/2″ layer of EVA foam in the nylon covered Phylon midsoles.
- Triple-layer abrasion resistant toe guards and rubber toe caps.
- 15″ boots have silent Tietex outer shells and Tec Tuff camo uppers.
- 8″ liners allow room to tuck pants inside the boots.
- Nylon snow-guard cuffs and one-pull Ball-bearing lacing system.
- Heat pack pocket.
Related:
Best Leather Boots For Hunting
5 Best Rubber Hunting Boots Reviews
KAMIK GREENBAY 4
The Greenbay is made in men’s and women’s. If you’re looking for a durable winter boot that does it all, the Kamik Greenbay 4 is a really good choice.
BOTTOMS
Kamik made this boot with really durable rubber bottoms. These are nice because you’re going to be able to kick things, stomp on things, and just be very active and they’re not going to fall apart.
The other thing Kamik did which is really neat is they’ve made the rubber bottom more flexible. So you’re still going to be able to walk in them and be comfortable in them but they’re still going to have that durability that you’re looking for.
WATERPROOF
The Greenbay is a waterproof boot, which is probably the most important thing. You’re going to be able to walk out in the snow and the slush, play with the kids and do whatever you have to do and your feet will stay nice and dry.
-40 °F
The other thing about this boot that is very impressive is that it is cold-rated down to -40 °F thanks to a removable felt liner on the inside that provides a ton of warmth. The Kamik Greenbay is very warm in even extreme temperatures.
FELT LINER
The felt liner on the inside is really nice because if you’re outside playing with the kids, snow can get down inside the top and you can just pull the liner out when you go inside and it’s going to dry really fast.
CONVENIENT FEATURES
Two other features that make the Greenbay really convenient are the drawstring tab and the velcro across the center. If you’re in and outside a lot and you’re pulling your boots on and taking them off, these are really convenient features because you can just reach down and pull the boot on very easily, grab the velcro and pull it across to keep it secure around your foot and then you can sinch the drawstring across the top very easily to keep snow from getting down inside.
The style on the Greenbay is very classic especially in a solid color like black. The Greenbay is rugged and you’re going to be able to wear it every day and you’re going to be to wear them forever.
HEIGHT
The height on the Kamik Greenbay is 12 inches from the bottom of the heel to the calves so that’s going to hit most people right about the mid-calf.
SIZING
As far as sizing goes, the Greenbay runs true to size but it does only come in whole sizes. So if you’re a true half size or if you plan to wear very thick socks you may want to consider sizing up.
SOREL CARIBOU
Sorel boots are as ubiquitous to the wintery Midwest as snowmobiles and sleds.
But I bet you didn’t know that in the year 2000, Sorel parent company Kaufman Rubber went bankrupt.
So are the new Caribou Sorels as good as the old ones?
Let’s find out…
Let’s just talk basic design of the Caribou. You’ve got leather uppers with large aggressive D-rings. It’s a nubuck leather which is a top grain leather. Underneath the ankle is a rubber shell which is handcrafted and vulcanized. On the inside of the boot, you’ve got a felt liner.
Basically, it’s an aggressively winterized design.
OUTSOLE
The outsole is made of the same piece of rubber as the rest of the lower shell. It’s made out of what Sorel calls an Arrow Track design. It’s clearly a non-loading design meant to shed snow easily.
The Caribou is basically a pair of LL Bean boots infused with some polar bear DNA. And that’s no surprise since that’s what Sorel has been marketing since they introduced the first Sorels in 1962.
LEATHERS
Let’s discuss the leather choice used in the upper.
Nubuck leather is a top grain cattle leather which has been sanded and buffed on the grain side, that is the outside of the leather. This gives the leather a slightly suede-like appearance.
Is this an ideal choice for winter boots?
This is not an ideal choice because it’s going to be hard to clean and hard to apply an aftermarket waterproof or two.
Another concern to keep in mind is that if the outsole gets worn out, Sorel doesn’t offer presently any sort of recrafting ability to the lowers.
So once these rubber lowers get worn out, they’re basically not good anymore.
OVERBUILT
Most people are not going to worry about that too much because these boots are so overbuilt. There’s a huge triple stitch all the way around the lowers, gigantic D-ring eyelets which are each individually stitched to the uppers along with very thick laces that are easy to be tied with a pair of gloves.
UPPERS
The tongue, of course, is stitched to the rest of the uppers so that snow isn’t going to easily get in. It’s not the cleanest attachment to a tongue to the rest of the upper that I have ever seen, but it is going to work and the tongue is nice and tall.
MADE IN CHINA
The Sorel Caribou is made in China and the lack of craftsmanship does come out when you examine the inside of the boot. The inside appears to be painted with some sort of rubber substance along the tongue as well as in the heel box. And you can clearly see the leather quality is not great and the grain isn’t very even.
The entire rubber unit for the lower of the boot is lined with a very thin and cheap fabric. It’s probably not as big of a deal because you are going to have that liner in there.
Another fault is the thickness of the leather choice. It’s a fairly stiff and thin leather. The liner has that faux shearling liner at the top of the liner that is not particularly soft, though.
OLD vs NEW SOREL
One nice innovation to the old boots is the use of the neoprene to give the liner a little bit of stretch. Old Sorels were really hard to get your feet into and that’s no longer true.
The boots also have a full liner at the bottom of the foot which the old ones didn’t have.
Last but not least, the Sorel Caribou is true to size.
SCHNEE’S HUNTER II
The Hunter II is the original authentic mountain Pac boot that has earned legendary status in the world of Western big game hunting.
For more than 30 years, it has been used and trusted by serious hunters and outdoorsmen around the world.
Beware of cheap imitations and attempted knockoffs because there’s only one Schnee’s Hunter II.
UPPERS
The upper is constructed from Schnee’s exclusive hand-selected 6oz. oiled tanned top grain cowhide. Take good care of your uppers and they will withstand years of hard use.
Hooks and eyelets are milled from 100% solid brass rods for uncompromised strength.
BOTTOMS
Schnee’s import only the world’s finest hand-laid vulcanized bottoms for unsurpassed comfort, strength, and performance.
GOODYEAR OUTSOLE
The outsole consists of Schnee’s exclusive cleated Goodyear advantage bottom with Schnee’s proprietary air-bob traction lugs for incredible traction in the worst terrain.
CAMBRELLE LINER
The hand-made removable liner is quilted from Cambrelle which wicks away excess moisture with a combination of Thinsulate and wool felt for unbeatable insulation.
TASLAN LACS
Only the best ultra durable Taslan laces are used. The Hunter II is comfort-rated 0°F inactive and -20 °F active.
Like all of Schnee’s Pac boots, every Hunter II is handcrafted in their Bozeman Montana factory.
Available in 10, 13 and 16-inch heights, all boots are completely rebuildable.
BAFFIN SNOW MONSTER
If you’re looking to add a couple inches to your height and keep your feet toasty warm all winter long, the Snow Monster might be just the boots for you.
Baffin is a Canadian company that has been specializing in footwear and apparel made for extreme polar conditions for many years now.
-70 DEGREES CELCIUS
The Snow Monster is part of Baffin’s epic series. These are footwear which are designed to withstand temperatures as low as -70 celcius and keep you from freezing your foot off.
Looking at the size, the Snow Monster is a huge boot that comes in two different colors, the basic all-black version as well as the brown leather version.
HEIGHT
It’s a 12-inch boot from bottom to top of the boot and if you measure that from the inside, you’ll only get 10 and a half or so. This means you’ve got a good inch and a half to two inches of height from the bottom to where your foot sits in it, which keeps your feet well insulated from the cold.
The boot is made of a range of different materials.
BOTTOMS & UPPERS
Starting with the bottom, there are different rubber compounds, which gives the Monster its flexibility and comfort even at really low temperatures.
As you move up the boot, you might think this is synthetic but it’s actually contoured leather, which makes the boot very durable through many years of usage.
As far as the bottom and the grip goes on these boots, if you are walking on ice, you have what they call an Ice Paw Gripping technology gripping points.
What that means is there’s a fairly a high number of contact points which will minimize slipping on ice.
INSIDE
On the inside, there’s a nice kind of nylon strap or loop to help you pull the boot on.
Looking at the boot in even more depth, the liner is kind of a silver foil thermal lining.
WATERPROOF
The outside of the boot is fully seam sealed and waterproof all the way up. So going into deep snow and in the running water like creeks and streams, you’ll never any water penetrate the boot keeping your feet dry and warm the whole time.
CONCERN
I do have one concern about the Snow Monster and that’s the laces. I don’t know why they made the laces so long. Once you’ve got the boot on and tightened up, you’ve got a lot of extra lace hanging out. I just wrap the excess lace around the boot and tuck it under the front part of the shoelace.
CHARITY
In addition to making solid footwear, I’m happy that Baffin is actually investing back into the community. They put money into projects in the far north and they’ve also invested in projects such as in Nepal as part of the Edmund Hillary Foundation to assist the Solu Khumbu Sherpas of Nepal in the areas of reforestation, education, and healthcare. So it’s great to know that some of the money you’re putting to get good footwear like this is helping others as well.
Overall, the Snow Monster is big and bulky but it does an amazing job of keeping your foot warm and comfortable.
Playing around in the snow after a snow storm and just shoveling the driveway, taking out recycling or just playing in the back creek in the woods, the boots are warm and dry and keep their flexibility even in the cold weather.
