Just this morning I was bitching about how my summer-weight desert boots froze my foot during the cold snap, right?
So I went over to S&L’s after morning chicken chores, and damned if L wasn’t planning to send these to the thrift store…
S&L are from rural Minnesota, so they’re not likely to be fooled by ersatz winter boots. These are Sorels, which I never heard of.
Not new but hardly worn at all, and the right one fits the meat foot perfectly! Alas the other one won’t go on the prosthetic foot at all because of a tightly-gussetted tongue, but that doesn’t matter; with specialized footwear of this sort I only need the right one anyway. It’s like I kept wearing out socks on my prosthetic foot for years after I moved here, long after it stopped making sense to wear socks on that foot at all, because everybody knows you wear socks in pairs. So it’s not like I have to worry about my left foot getting cold, right? And these boots are heavy. So why struggle and stretch to hang one on the end of my prosthesis, which won’t in any way appreciate the extra weight? It’s not as though people will make fun of me.
Alas, here’s another piece of winter gear I need to find a summer place for.
Sorels are famously good boots! Excellent acquisition, Joel.
Just out of curiosity, do you need to balance the weight of whatever you put on your prosthetic foot with whatever you wear on the meat foot? Or do you simply adjust to the differences as you change footware?
It doesn’t seem to matter. I walked around the cabin this morning with one light desert boot and one heavy winter boot – mostly to see if there’d be a problem with sole heights – and the weight seemed to make no difference. Wouldn’t want to go hiking that way, but for chores in winter it shouldn’t present a problem.
Sorel Pac boots are one of the best winter boots a guy can get. I was issued a pair in 1992 when i started working at the zoo and I still have them. They are a little worn but so far the only issue has been the felt liner which I replaced 6 years ago. The nice thing about replacing the felt liner is paying $30 Cdn as opposed to a couple of hundred for new boots. If you look inside at the tag there should be a temp rating, mine are good to -40 which is plenty but some are rated down as far as -70. When you check the felt liner if it’s worn out it can be replaced and if you feel the need the liner can also be washed.
Enjoy!
++++++ on the Sorels… they’re to go-to boot up here in the frozen north. Like MJR said, felt replacement is easy on the wallet, & the company has improved the heat retention qualities over the years. I’ve got a 15″ pair that I couldn’t live without, in wintah.
Sounds like yet another reason to put that closet in your new addition, in order to keep them away from the rats and mousies.
I find it interesting that the ‘more simple’ one tries to make one’s life, the more one tends to accumulate specialized stuff that then makes life more difficult. (I say this as I try to fit my ex-3 bedroom house with shed into my new 1 bedroom apartment with storage unit.)
Ah, crap in a hat. I gotta stop reading blogs in reverse order, since you stated need for closet to keep mice/rat out two postings ago.
So, well, I’ll be in the corner, banging my head on the wall, slowly.
And Joel, on the closet thing: you can also suspend nets or hanging bags from the ceiling and if you put a rodent collar on the lines, even chipmunks will not be able to foil your stash of stuff, and you will be indoors, and so safe from ravens.
I have a pair of Sorels for about 30 years, then got into Baffins. I consider Baffins the ultimate in winter wear, with their double liners, foil backing, all that fancy stuff. More than you need, but super in Fairbanks whilst building ice towers. **
I love that your got all the hits on the Shrimp Creole blog. Bravo!. Also says something about how kindly humans are to each other, on a voluntary, cooperative basis, of course. Cooperative anarchy.
I don’t think you need another person to pile on the ‘Yay Sorel!’ bandwagon, but I will anyway. Damn fine footwear, and they last for decades even if abused. Those ones look to be barely broken in. Maybe a little bit of Sno-Seal or Obenauf’s LP to keep the leather supple before they get stashed for the summer, and they should last the rest of forever, and keep that foot nice and toasty.
I’ve been told one graduates from the L.L.Bean boots into the Sorels, but I have no personal experience there.
+1 on the leather treatment. I use mink oil, but anyway do hit ’em with something for the sake of the leather.
our sorels are called glacier boots and are good to minus 84 degrees. they are heavy but your feet never get cold.
kamiks, canadian made, are also good and what our daughter wore when she was little.
Here in sometimes frozen Wisconsin, the wife has Sorels, and I have Kamiks…both provide excellent service, and the liners interchange if the sizes are the same. After 20 years, the leather on my first pair is aging out, and the chain link tread pattern is mostly gone, but they are just as warm as the day I bought them at the Sears surplus store.
That right there is gloat-worthy acquisition success, when you score something perfect, discounted or free, and it lasts forever.
Sorels are the boots I have for winter in Minnesota, I would never turn down a cheap or free pair in my size. I wonder if the left felt liner can be turned inside out and worn in the right boot.
What everyone said about the Sorels, including treating the leather and buying new felt or sheep wool insoles. (If you have sheep you can felt the wool and make your own.) I have the 15 inch and for tromping around in untracked snow and minus many tens of degrees they are just fine and don’t slip. I am so old I remember when Sorel were those funny foreign boots being imported from Canada, and only the fringe hard core intense winter enthusiasts wore them. The salesman didn’t want to sell me my first pair, never heard of ’em, and they were from another country. Guffaw. Don’t know Kamiks but will certainly check them out. Love this blog. I learn so much.
For warm feet, in order from extreme cold to cold 1. Neos insulated overboots ( worn over warm boots), 2. Lacross Alpha Ice Kings, 3. Steger Mukluks, then 4. Sorels.
The standard Sorel is good to some where near -30 f. so unless you are moving to close to the arctic circle in the dead of winter, those Sorels will do for about any weather you should encounter.
If you put the Neos over the Steger’s your feet should stay warm on Pluto.
Good lord I hate to keep bringing up the winter of ’08-’09, but this subject always reminds me that that was the winter that made me glad I only had one foot, because then there were only five toes to hurt that freaking bad, day after day.
With all this encouragement, I will henceforth guard that boot with my very life.