For the last three winters, when the temps fall into the lower 20’s, I reach for my pair of Sorel Conquests. Whether it’s snow-blowing the drive, snow-shoeing or riding my pugs, these boots keep my feet warm and comfortable. The Conquests combine exceptional warmth with technical fabrics and comfortable fit. They feature full-grain leather and synthetic upper that is seam sealed for a completely waterproof construction, and is lined with 400g Thinsulate™ Ultra for high-warmth, low weight insulation rated to -60° below zero…..but I’ve only been out as low as 10° below zero and they kept me toasty. I ride flat pedals in the snow for a lot of reasons that I’ll spare you (for now) and the rugged lugged soles on these boots really provide a stable grip on my platform pedals. The soles are plenty stiff, unlike other Sorel models, like the more traditional wool-lined Caribou. When I wear these out, I’ll go right out and look to buy another pair.
Sorel Web-Site – http://www.sorel.com
Alaska advice: For super cold weather or if the Sorel Conquests still aren’t warm enough for your frigid bits, look to the most popular winter biking boot in Fairbanks, Alaska – the Keen Summit County.
400g of insulation in the body, 600g in the toes. Super, super lightweight and ultra comfortable, as it’s more like an insulated trail runner than a winter sport boot. I’ve biked and hiked in mine hundreds of miles and have never gotten cold toes, even while fatbiking at -45F. Granted, some of those times I was only out for a few hours, but still. Pretty good for such a lightweight boot. Even camping at -35F, when used with a vapor barrier liner, my toes were actually uncomfortably warm.
http://www.keenfootwear.com/us/en/product/fw11/shoes/men/trailhead/summit%20county/dark%20shadow%20!%20yellow
Love it! Sven swears by his Keen Boots!
Thanks! That’s great to know, since I just bought a pair of them this Summer. Looking forward to Winter now.
PSA- If you want to follow Josh and Sven’s recomondation. The Keen Summit boots are going on sale starting 11/18-11/27 at REI.
Are you sure you are talking about the Summit Country? The specs you list are for the Brixen or Winterport. The Summits are 350g and 450g in the foot. That is good to know they are warm enough for Fairbanks but I was leaning towards the Brixen for that 400/600 fill down in southcentral AK.