loading . . . Winter boots advice Not too long ago, I saw a thread over at r/BuyItForLife about winter boots. And as someone who likes the (even though often unrealistic) ethos behind that subreddit that’s also a Norwegian, I obviously have thoughts.
## How cold is cold?
To be clear: Even though I live in Norway, I don’t live in the coldest parts. I also don’t stay outside for days at a time! If you’re working in the arctic, or something, you probably need something even warmer than what I’m about to recommend. **But’ve had no problems with my boots, down to like -15 °C** (5 °F)**.**
## The principles
While I will recommend some specific brands/models — the advice is generalisable:
1. **Materials:_Leather_ uppers, _rubber_ soles, _wool_ on the inside*.**
2. **The boots should be _resoleable_.**
3. **They should also be _unlined_ — so you can get wool socks and soles separate from the boots themselves.**
4. **Get them pretty _roomy_!**
5. **And you should get more than one pair.**
My boots. As you can see, I haven't touched them up for the photo shoot!
### Why those materials?
The main reason I love leather is that it’s one of the few things that gets _better_ with wear. (More comfortable and more beautiful.) **So much of what we’re sold today, especially garments, are made to be at their best when you look at them in the store — and then they just get worse and worse.** Also, if you treat leather well, it’s both weather-resistant and long-lasting.
Good rubber soles are great for traction, and hold up all right. And wool is just magic…
### Why resoleable?
You wouldn’t buy a car where you couldn’t change the tyres — so when the tyres wore out, you would have to throw out the entire car.
**Boots are the same.** If you have a pair of leather boots, the soles wear out much faster than the uppers. So if you have a pair that’s been broken in, and has moulded to your feet, you should just get new soles (when they’re worn out) instead of a whole new pair of boots. **However, not all boots are created equal — and they need to be constructed in a way that makes them repairable.** The most common construction that allows this is _Goodyear welt_(r/goodyearwelt is nice) — but there are others as well.
However, as I've touched on previously: While there is _some_ truth to _theSam Vimes theory of socioeconomics unfairness_, **I can't promise that buying resoleable boots will save you money**.
There's more profit in waste — so mainstream brands don't bother with repairability. So the original boots are more expensive. You also have to pay for the labour, probably local (and more expensive), to get them repaired. What I _can_ promise you though, is that you'll get more comfortable boots that you'll actually care about. It's also better for the environment, and supports good business practices.
### Why unlined and roomy?
But do you know what wear out even faster than the soles? _Wool liners_. So even though boots with fuzzy lining are cozy and enjoyable, **it’s much better to get the boots unlined, and then add the wool separately**.
Depending on how warm you need to be, you can vary the thickness of your insoles and socks. I use these insoles myself — and I couldn’t find something that looks _as_ good that’s more easily available. But cutting these 🖇️ into shape seems like a viable alternative!
**There are two reasons the boots need to be roomy:**
1. To give room for the insoles.
2. Because wiggle room for your toes is both good for your toes and for the warmth.
**And speaking of “two reasons” — there’s also a second reason having unlined boots is a great idea: You can use your (expensive) boots for a larger portion of the year because they don’t _have_ to be warm.** When it’s raining during summer, I’ll wear my boots with no wool. And during spring and fall I’ll go for just wool socks, but no wool insoles.
What _could_ be a problem, though, is that the boots are too large when you remove the wool. The solution here is to not just remove the wool insoles, but to _replace_ it with a leather one. I use these from Saphir 🖇️ — but there seems to be other good ones 🖇️ as well.
#### Pro tip:
**Size up when buying insoles.** In my experience, they usually run small. And they can always be cut into shape.
My well-worn insoles. As I have high arches, I like structured ones.
### Why more than one pair?
Let’s say I had one pair of boots that lasted me 1000 wears, and then I bought another pair that lasted the same amount. Then I’d get 2000 wears from two pairs. However, if I instead bought both pairs at the same time, and alternated between the two, I would potentially get a total of 3000 wears from two pairs instead.1 Wearing them in parallell is better than in series!
**The reason is that it takes longer than you might think for shoes to become properly dry after wear** — not only from rain/snow, but also sweat. And if you wear the same pair every day for a long time (so they never get 24+ hours to dry out) they’ll become worn out before their time.
Using shoe trees, for instance made from cedar wood, can help them dry out faster — and also helps them keep their shape.2 I use trees similar to these, from Cobbler’s Choice 🖇️. And they also have a variant 🖇️ specifically made for boots!
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**I didn’t buy my two pairs at the same time, though!** Shoes like these are an investment — so maybe you, like me, need to save up for a while. You should also be a bit picky and wait until you find the right pair (as you’ll have them for a long-ass time).
I’m someone who wears both black and brown leather (although obviously not at the same time! 🧐) — so I knew I wanted one black and one brown pair. But I didn’t get around to buying the black pair until two years after I bought the brown ones According to my own advice, this wasn’t optimal in terms of wear and tear, of course. But stuff like is never as black and white as it may appear online! Another example is how it’s perfectly fine to use the same pair several days in a row from time to time!
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**I also believe my boots show another pro of having more than one pair: Variety — in styling (and more).**
Oh, and having non-boot-shoes that handles “a bit of weather” is also a way to give your boots a rest. For instance, I’m often able to wear these shoes from Paraboot: 👇🏻
This amount of snow = no problem!
## Summarisation, and the mentioning of some brands
**So, get (more than one pair of) roomy, repairable, unlined leather boots with good rubber soles. Then add wool socks and insoles depending on the weather. Also get some leather insoles that take up about the same amount of space as your wool soles, so you can wear the boots all year round.**
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You can absolutely find good rubber soles from many brands. **But two famous makers are _Vibram_ and _Dainite_. So if you see those logos on a pair of boots, that’s usually a good sign.**
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**When it comes to the boots themselves, there are also many alternatives.** And I can recommend browsing r/goodyearwelt to find some good ones. Look for a repairable construction and decent leather!
My black boots are from a local brand in Oslo called _Skomaker Dagestad_ (the best shoe store in Oslo, if you’re ever visiting!). **While these are good quality for the price, I honestly can’t say the same about my brown boots!**
The laces are these kangaroo leather laces.
I love them to bits, but I still can’t really recommend them. These are the _Indy Boots_ , from _Alden_ — and they’re quite overpriced for the materials and craftsmanship… **However, I think they are the best-looking boots out there, and the last fit my weird feet perfectly.** (And them being the shoes worn by Harrison Ford, as Indiana Jones, doesn’t hurt their appeal either!)
The yellow mark is from Vibram. The Indy boots didn't come with a coarse sole like this — but I had a cobbler put them on after the original ones got some wear. The beauty of modular garments!
**If you want to find some good boots for yourself, here are a couple of brands I can recommend!** Some of them are more rugged, while others more refined. I’ve also tried to highlight stuff in different price points — but you can’t get shoes of this level for fast-fashion prices…
The best thing is, of course, to try them locally — but that’s not always possible. If this is the case, spend some time taking good measurements of your feet, and communicate with the store. You should also budget for return shipping. **As you’ll have them for a long time, putting in the work to get it right is worth it!**
Getting garments of high quality is, sadly, often harder for women. The grip of fast-fashion is tigher here… But it's not impossible! Most brands below have great options for smaller feet as well.
* _Thursday Boots_ creates good stuff for the price.
* _Beckett Simonon_ is also a good value option.
* _Red Wing_ is slightly pricier, but also good.
* _Grant Stone_ shows that you can get terrific quality made in China. Not cheap, but great value!
* I like _Paraboot_ and their sister-brand _Heschung_.
* _Meermin_ and _Carmina_ are also good sister-brands.
* If you want something really rugged and high-quality, have a look at _White’s_ and _Nicks_!
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**There are obviously many more alternatives! But this is a starting point. And as long as you follow the principles, things can’t go very wrong.**
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1. The numbers are simplified and made up to explain a point! ↩︎
2. This is especially useful for shoes with thinner leather, like dress shoes. ↩︎
https://havn.blog/2026/01/01/winter-boots-advice.html
