need opinion on Cabela winter boots.

I want to buy new pair of winter boots. I need your opinion on these boots from Cabela.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templa...&id=0020833


http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templa...&id=0058928

Do thinsulate insulation provide warmth in extreme cold ?

I've not tried the boots, and I've only limited experience with Thinsulate.

But, in my encounters with it, I've always come away less than pleased. Seems like I always had cold spots, it binded up on me, it's useless when wet... the list goes on. Granted, my experiences were about 10-15 years ago, with gloves.

Maybe it's gotten better? I dunno, but I'm not about to waste more of my money on a product I've written off in my head.

Perhaps others have positive experiences.

The main challenge with winter boots is moisture management. That's the difference between cold feet and warm feet.

Some of my winter hiking boots have a light Thinsulate lining. It works, to a degree. They're good enough for an active half-day trip in temperatures above -20C. I buy them with room for double wool socks and if possible an additional felt footbed. As a rule, I throw in a change of socks too. When I get home, I have to dry everything out.

For serious cold, a removable liner is the only way to go IMO. That allows you to dry out your primary insulation in the field. This can be done carefully by a fire, or even in a sheltered, sunny spot. I just prop my feet up while having tea, wearing both socks and boot liners, and watch the steam come off of them.

I haven't tried the Predator™ Extreme Pac Boots, but based on the link they look pretty good to me.

My $0.02.

What is "extreme cold" because yours may not be the same as others, this will give us a good idea.

Also do you want hiking boots ? Hunting boots? Pac boots, etc ? This also will determine which type of boot.

I use these when the snow gets high and I have to get wood, or taket he dog out, or go on an ATV ride
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/8572,75327_Kamik-Norway-100-Pac-Boots-For-Men.html

I paid $40, and so far they are well worth it.

I would not want to walk more than maybe 1/2 mile in them... they are HEAVY and not for long walks, but for riding or slipping on quick to go outside for a lil chore they work great.

I also got the Cabelas Cowboy boot closeout, they have thinsulate and are leather and were $19.95 normally $79.95 they are not 100% water proof, I believe they leak around the seam but for $20 I got 3 pair and am more than happy with them for light snow, and muck. I plan to seam seal, and snoseal them.

I have Thinsulate in my Georgia boots too, I can tell they are warmer than non-insulated, they are also stiched in so they don't move around. I also have them in some sorels... thinsulate works for me, but how much determines how much you got.

extreme cold is below -20 degrees celcius

what is pac boots?

I want boots with firm rubber sole for grip in snow. My current winter boots has soft rubber soles that cause the soles to flex when I walk in powder snow.

I just ordered myself a pair of these ...

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/mens-guide-gear-400-gram-pac-boots-black.aspx?a=573602

... for around the yard use in snow. They have not arrived yet. At this cheap price, I don't expect much, but at this cheap price, I can replace them easily. Playing with the dogs in the snow, shoveling the driveway, etc. are the uses I was after. I figured $26.97 was worth a shot at these.

I have been pleasantly surprised at the quality of stuff I've bought from Sportsman's Guide before. I paid rock bottom "this has got to be cheap junk" prices, and come out with some really really good stuff. So I've learned not to ignore something like these inexpensive boots just because they seem "too good to be true". Most retailers I will follow the too-good-to-be-true rule, but not necessarily with Sportsman's Guide. I don't know how they do it with their special prices. Or maybe I've just been lucky so far.

"Pac boots" have a rubber/leather/nylon outer shell and a removable liner made of felt and/or other insulating materials. Most of the Sorel, Kamik, Baffin, etc. brands are built this way. Some brands of mountaineering boots use this arrangement also, out of practical necessity.

As Todd_W suggested, it's a challenge to find pac boots that have the rigidity and support necessary for long-distance walking or snowshoeing. Most are "snowmobile boots" that are soft and floppy like bedroom slippers.

If you want a genuine hiker with a removable liner, it's not going to be cheap. I have seen some in serious outdoor stores, starting at approx. $130 CAD and going up from there. Mountain Equipment Co-op (mec.ca) often has some likely candidates.

I have also found that pac boots that are CSA-approved (green triangle, safety toe and footbed) are more rigid. Synthetic toes and puncture-resistant footbeds don't suck the heat away as fast as old-school steel ones.

BTW, sometimes you can extend the temperature range of a standard boot by wearing neoprene kayaking booties over a wool sock. My initial trials have been quite successful, but I've never tried it overnight.

The best way I've found to stay warm, dry and comfortable is to wear SmartWool socks with whatever footwear I'm doning. There are other similar brands that are probably every bit as good as SmartWool, but I don't have experience with them.

Smartwool are awesome

Get the correct ones for the weather you are in too!

For many MANY years I relied upon a pair of LL Bean winter pacs - the kind with the wool felt liner. Recently, maybe because of my age (50), I've found that the felt pac boots provide absolutely no support, and if I wear them more than for an hour or two - or with a lot of walking - they make my feet sore. They fit more like simple slippers, which didn't do me well worn on all day/weekend activities with the Scouts.

Because of that I decided to avoid the felt pac type of boot and since then have purchased a pair of Sorel Conquest boots - boots that use Thinsulate insulation.

Unfortunately I haven't yet had a chance to wear them for an extended time yet ... but I think they'll work just fine.

Here in the Boston area we have Dr. Murray Hamlet, a researcher formerly at the Army Research Institute in Environmental Medicine. He is someone who knows just about everything there is to know about being out in the cold (and I do not say that lightly). He has given being-out-in-the-cold talks at REI and the Appalachian Mountain Club.

One of his recommendations is to spray your feet with an antiperspirant (not deodorant) for a couple of weeks before going out for an extended time in a high threat cold environment. This will seriously reduce the amount that your feet sweat and keep your socks drier and thus keep your feet warmer.

It is an easy experiment to try; simply spray one foot in this fashion and not the other. See if it makes a difference when out in the cold.

Hamlet also has developed sock systems for all-weather and extreme weather situations. See http://techspun.com/whichsock.html and http://www.techspun.com/comments.html.