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Winter boots brands. Footwear developers, their priorities. Perfect outsole for winter shoes

Winter is coming soon. And even now the autumn weather regularly reminds of the imminent arrival of cold weather with chilly winds and stubbornly falling temperatures. And it's time to take your feet out of your favorite lightweight sneakers and move them into a warmer and more comfortable pair of shoes.

Choosing shoes for the winter is not an easy and responsible business. If the appearance and design of boots will depend on your taste, general style and lifestyle, then the heat-saving properties of shoes should be taken seriously. You know that in addition to discomfort, hypothermia of the legs can provoke many illnesses, ranging from a banal runny nose to more serious colds. And if the legs are frozen, then the whole body will be cold, despite the warm outerwear.

At the same time, you should not buy super-warm boots for every day, if severe frosts in your region of residence are very rare. Or you usually travel by car and work in a well-heated room.

Criteria for choosing men's boots for the winter

When choosing quality boots for the winter, you should take into account several postulates that will make the choice easier.

  • Style preferences... No matter how cool shoes are for all sorts of characteristics, there is such a thing: "the soul is lying or not." Therefore, if you really like the shoes, read the following selection criteria.

  • The temperature regime of your winters... The weather sometimes surprises, but in general, you know roughly what kind of winters you have. Therefore, if your winter is rare frosts and frequent slush, then you should focus on waterproof models with dense skin, high soles and cool insulation. Well, if you live in a region with strong frosts, and -20 0 С for you is the usual temperature in winter, and you have seen it stronger - in this case you cannot do without insulation made of fluffy sheepskin.
  • Where are you going to wear your shoes. Do you agree that footwear for leisure and extreme sports in combination with insulated sportswear, or boots for every day under insulated jeans, and so on, differ from each other in style, design and materials of manufacture? Therefore, it is hardly worth purchasing sophisticated functional boots for extreme recreation if you plan to wear them within the "home-car-work-home" radius. In this case, classic boots are suitable, warm, but not hot.

Slightly oversized

Of course, everyone knows their shoe size. However, when buying winter shoes, it is better to purchase a model at least half a size larger, avoiding planting your feet back to back. If the model is insulated with natural fur, then there should be a place at least a centimeter from the thumb to the toe of the shoe for fluffy insulating villi.

And if the boots are insulated with a bike or fleece, extra floor sizes will also come in handy - you can add comfort to your feet with woolen socks or a fluffy insole.

Types of shoe insulation

Note: heaters do not heat, but keep warm!

It is important to choose the right shoe insulation for your living climate. They are of several types:

  • Beaver lamb. We always wish that winter shoes were as warm as possible, and sheep fur will make your wish come true! Humanity has long learned the best qualities of natural insulation, and still uses its experience, keeping the warmth of the feet with natural fur.

Sheep fur - it is the most common natural heat preserver. Ask your grandmother and mom - they will tell you that there is nothing warmer than sheep fur for shoes.

Tsigeika is popular as a heating element due to special wool structure which creates an air layer that keeps the warmth in the boots. In addition, sheepskin is affordable and has remarkable qualities: it is hygroscopic and dries quickly.

Of course, shoes with a cigar are an excellent option for stable cold winters. But for winter slush and freezing temperatures it is not at all suitable. If the feet get wet and sweat, the sheep wool will quickly flatten and roll, and this will soon affect its heat-saving properties.

  • Wool fur(often called "sheepskin") is a combination of natural sheep wool and artificial fiber. The percentage of natural fiber to synthetics can be different: 50/50; 80/70 and other options. The basis of the insulation is fabric.

Woolen fur is cheaper than tsigeyka. Nevertheless, it includes the qualities of natural fur: "breathes" and keeps warm well. However, our man cannot be convinced: natural 100% wool is better!

  • Bike insulation ideal for shoes in frosts down to -5 0 С, but further it will be already cold. A bike is a natural fluffy fabric that is made from cotton, wool, or a mix of both. The bike is good because it is natural, environmentally friendly, dries quickly and stores heat well.

Boots with bike insulation are demanding on socks: they must be cotton and clean. Otherwise, it will be difficult for the bike to transfer heat to the feet through synthetics, and it will quickly absorb the smell of stale socks.

  • Fleece insulation for shoes can be called an analogue of bike insulation. That is, the fleece is suitable for late autumn and warm winter with light frosts. Fleece is a fluffy polyester fabric with a number of advantages: lightweight, breathable, and retains thermal insulation even when wet.
  • Thinsulate- a modern insulation, which can compete with Tsigheika in terms of insulating properties. It is also called artificial swan down - it is so light and warm. It is compared to down due to its airy and weightless fiber structure.

Thinsulate (can be translated as subtle warmth) was developed for astronauts' uniforms, and after a series of tests, it has been successfully used as insulation for everyday wear. The peculiarity of thinsulate in thermal insulation is the ability to maintain body temperature.

And this is where the fun begins. After all, the temperature is different. If you are not frozen and you feel warm, then Thinsulate will be able to hold onto this moment with dignity, many even complain that it is hot in clothes on Thinsulate. Well, if you put boots on cold feet, then thinsulate will keep the cold.

Types of materials for boots

Most often, winter shoes are made from leather and leather substitutes.

  • Leather has been considered the ideal shoe material for many years. It takes the shape of a leg (stretches), is comfortable to wear, does not get wet (especially in combination with special care products) and retains heat well.

Leather comes in different types (pork, calf, and exotic animals) and different finishes, and of course the quality of the leather will affect the design and appearance of your boots. And different finishes: smooth, suede, nubuck, washed, aged.

The more non-standard the skin, the more delicate care it needs. For example, suede and nubuck do not like moisture and cannot imagine an attractive look without special brushes and caring sprays.

  • Artificial leather sometimes looks exactly like natural. Boots made of artificial leather are cheaper than shoes made from natural materials. However, shoes made of such material can pass water, crack in the cold and quickly become unusable.

GORE-TEX footwear (waterproof)

And this is just a pleasant exception to the rule. Shoes with this technology can be made of artificial materials. However, thanks to the special “Gortex” laminate that covers the boot from all sides, moisture will not seep to your feet.

This technology is used in footwear for various purposes, both everyday and for recreation (tourism). Be sure: in shoes with gortex technology, you will not get your feet wet in the winter and autumn slush, and you will be comfortable: dry, warm, cool. And you will know about the presence of this function by the sign sewn on the boot or the inscription on the characteristics label: "Gore-Tex".

Focus on the outsole

This part of the boots comes into contact with the ground when walking, so special attention should be paid to it, starting from the thickness, material, and ending with the relief.

  • The thickness of the winter sole should be more than one centimeter (a thin layer of the sole will give off cold to the feet).
  • It is better to select the material for the sole flexible and waterproof (rubber, polyurethane).
  • The relief on the sole protects you from slipperiness and falls in ice. Therefore, the more prominent the sole, the better. It's good if the pattern on the sole has a direction in different directions - this gives stability on ice.

Fighting slippery soles

It is this lack of shoes (slipperiness) that is to blame for falls and ice injuries. Therefore, if due to inexperience you bought shoes with slippery soles for the winter, you can fix this with special anti-ice pads or use folk remedies that make the sole rough.

This is a plaster glued to the sole, stuffed or glued pieces of felt and sandpaper.

And here's another tip. Apply Moment glue to the sole in a zigzag manner, wait for it to harden, and then sand the sole with sandpaper (or you can sprinkle the glue and sand with sand). This method will make the sole uneven and prevent slipping.

It turns out that choosing high-quality and comfortable boots is not so easy. There are so many things to consider. We hope that our article will help you decide on the choice of boots for this winter. And the slippery cold will pass for you in comfort: stable and warm.

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When light autumn coolness smoothly turns into real winter cold, it is very important to change light shoes for warmer shoes in time. This will save you from seasonal colds. For the stronger sex, in most cases, high-quality men's boots are more suitable. Winter types of shoes can be different, but boots or ugg boots are not always appropriate, and if you also have to observe the office dress code, then the problem is aggravated. I would like to combine quality, aesthetic appearance, and not overpay for such an acquisition, and for this it is advisable to thoroughly understand this issue.

Durability of winter shoes

The problem with modern shoes is that they are annoyingly impractical, and it’s very annoying when outwardly decent men's shoes fall apart in a matter of a couple of months. Winter models, which are offered in markets and in cheap stores, rarely make it to spring, and in especially neglected cases, they begin to leak water after a couple of weeks, even in relatively safe urban conditions.

Even cheap boots designed for one season should hold up in acceptable condition from the onset of cold weather to the warmth of spring, but in practice this is extremely rare. It turns out that it is more profitable to buy high-quality shoes that will last more than one season, ideally at least two or three years. Since men's shoes are less susceptible to fashion changes, there is hardly any loss on the aesthetic side.

What boots are needed in a winter city?

The modern metropolis presents quite contradictory conditions. On the one hand, there are asphalt roads around, on the other, the sidewalk can quickly and unobtrusively turn into impassable mud, and the mixture of sand makes shoes unusable in record time. So what should be men's winter boots in order to reliably protect feet from cold and moisture, and at the same time so that their quality matches the stated price?

On average, footwear should be comfortable and warm enough so that the owner can spend several hours outside at a temperature of about 20 degrees below zero without compromising health and well-being. Trying on will become the starting selection criterion, and if the boots are too tight, the feet will freeze in them. Therefore, you need to try on winter shoes, while you should be able to move your fingers freely.

What are the parameters for evaluating quality winter boots?

You need to evaluate everything, and first of all it is important to know the classification. Men's winter boots are enough to reach the beginning of the ankle. The so-called low shoes open up the ankle joint and are suitable for relatively dry and not too frosty weather.

Genuine leather of high quality outperforms any types of synthetics, calf leather is better than pork leather, and pressed leather belongs to the lowest grade among natural materials. Also, a warmed lining is highly desirable - fur or high-tech synthetics, which sometimes cost more. According to this description, you can draw up brief characteristics, according to which high-quality winter boots for men - genuine leather, natural fur. And don't forget about the material and structure of the outsole.

The grooved "tractor" sole, which provides reliable traction even on slippery pavements covered with snow, shows itself best in winter. In this case, the projections of the sole should be large enough, with deep and wide grooves between them. A thin leather sole is suitable only for movement in a car, maximum - a few steps along the sidewalk from the car to the office door.

You also need to evaluate the strength of the seams, the number of parts, the quality of the sole attachment. There are no trifles in this matter.

and other materials for winter boots

As mentioned above, high-quality winter boots for men - genuine leather, natural fur, plus a semi-rigid tractor sole. Leatherette shoes may look good, but they are not suitable even for greenhouse conditions.

Calfskin is the most expensive, but also one of the most durable options. For winter boots, leather is thick enough, which is additionally processed for increased water resistance and resistance to surface damage. Pigskin is less practical, but it can last three to four seasons on average, especially with proper care.

A special issue is the elegant suede boots. As a rule, they look great, they are pleasant to wear, but in the wet city winter they quickly lose their decent appearance. It is much more difficult to clean salt stains and dirt from suede. However, this is not an excuse to skip your purchase, it is just advisable to leave your suede boots for clear, dry, cold days.

Outsole material and structure

An expensive and elegant shoe may have a leather sole, but this is only suitable for offices and well-groomed alleys. Sticking on prevention will not solve the problem. Rubber or polyurethane soles are suitable for good wear-resistant shoes, but different manufacturers use very different materials for this. Low-quality polyurethane becomes hard in the cold and can burst under a certain load. However, serious firms use better quality raw materials.

The sole is fastened by vulcanization. This is one of the best options. ECCO shoes are made in this way. If the usual firmware is used, then you will have to additionally process the boots to increase moisture resistance, but not the fact that the result will suit you.

The best results have been achieved with structured outsole from brands such as Vibram. This company produces athletic and semi-athletic shoes, including for long trekking. The service life of branded boots can easily exceed ten years.

Which lining should you choose?

Any artificial fur can be immediately considered a decorative application designed to mislead the buyer. He warms up very relatively, quickly falls off, wipes off and "loses weight". If you choose synthetic insulation, let it be a special structured material that is used in branded athletic shoes. It reliably isolates from moisture, while leaving the opportunity for air microcirculation.

Quite good winter boots with fur are made of leather lined with natural sheepskin. This is a rather dense and warm fur, over time it falls off slightly on the insole, forming something similar to felt, which has taken on the individual characteristics of the foot. But rabbit or hare fur, despite all its naturalness, can be considered a waste of money. Such a heater "goes bald" in a matter of weeks.

Laces or other types of fasteners?

There can be practically no disagreement here: the zipper on classic men's boots is inappropriate, as well as Velcro or tightening. Variants are possible only on the corresponding sportswear or even in combination with reliable laces. For example, "Adidas" winter boots for men are high-quality and comfortable footwear, but they don't match with a formal suit at all.

Choice of boots by price

In the lower price segment there is a market, cheap shops and partly a chain like "Tsentroobuv". The determining criterion when such budget winter boots are purchased is the price. Men's models for 2,000 rubles cannot be worn for a long time by definition, but if you're lucky, they will last until mid-winter. Of course, we are talking about daily wear in different conditions, including bad weather.

Practicality leaders

With modern materials and the latest shoe-making techniques, visual differences between shoe types can be blurred. For example, they can look quite modest and laconic, almost within the office dress code, but at the same time they retain a high degree of practicality. For everyday wear with a semi-formal suit, these shoes are almost perfect.

According to customer reviews, of the companies represented in our market, the leadership is held by the three companies - Columbia, Garmont and Merell. For three to five seasons, such boots withstand perfectly, it is enough to take care of them regularly. They are followed by the brands Caterpiller, Salomon and Ecco. The products of all of these companies use Vibram, GTX, Gore-tex or Sympatex technologies, which have already been tested by consumers, and not only in urban conditions, but also on long passages of medium weight over rough terrain.

When choosing winter boots, it is better to pay attention to the products of reputable companies that rely on quality and their own reputation, and not on immediate quick profits.

Once a solo project - British Grenson Shoes. It was started by a man named William Green. He learned shoe making from his mother when he helped her sew men's shoes, with which the family provided all their neighbors. Over time, Green moved away from his mother and started his own business, and in 1866 he decided that it was time to hire workers for sewing, so that he could take orders, search for materials and sell himself. The next step was the official registration of the William Green & Son company. In 1884, Green opens the Greens Yard factory. Soon Green & Son became Grenson as it is known today, becoming one of the first trademarks registered in the UK.

The Great Depression crippled the company's business somewhat, but demand for Grenson boots returned again when the British army needed to shoe its soldiers, who were sent to the fields of World War II. By the end of the 1940s, production had increased exponentially, and the factory workers had grown by 400 people.

Green's family led the company for nearly a century, until William's great-grandson decided to sell the family business in the 1980s. Since then, two captains have changed at the helm of the company, but the quality of Grenson products still meets the requirements once formulated by its creator. Not only is the company now making what is arguably the neat and most elegant of traditional working class boots, but it is also engaging in creative alliances that are beneficial to itself. For example, the equally venerable Barbour brand, known for its waxed jackets. Especially for this experiment, both companies have combined their best signature features: the aristocratic light skin of the Grenson brogues is crowned with a waxed insert of colored cotton.

Red Wing Heritage 6 Classic Moc Toe Oro-iginal

Now this brand of traditional American footwear is an immutable guarantor of quality and a symbol of masculinity. But the first pair of Red Wing boots in 1905 sold for only $ 1.75. Shortly before this, Charles Beckman, a shoe dealer from Minnesota, noticed that the shoes of the local workers were no good. Their work is difficult, and they need shoes to match - capable of withstanding any stress and not letting them down in the mine, in the field or at logging sites. At the same time, the boots should be comfortable enough not to be remembered in the midst of work. And so Beckman, with fourteen investors, opens a company whose slogan is short and simple: "Work is our work."

The company was named after the city where Beckman was from - and that, in turn, bears the name of the Indian leader Red Wing. His image in the mid-1910s became the company's logo. For more than a century, she has never moved: in the old building, where the first pair were once sewn, there is an office in which models for the Red Wing Heritage collection are developed. The boots produced in it exactly repeat the design of fifty, sixty and even eighty years ago - for example, the so-called chiefboots, they are also "farm".

Despite the obvious day-to-day orientation of the brand, some models are not devoid of a militaristic spirit. Take the same Red Wing No. 16: It was in these that the American infantry was shod during the First World War.

Frye Locke Lace Up

The characters of the True Blood series suck blood in boots of this particular brand, and one notorious teenage bespectacled teenager fights against dark magic in them. Apparently, the magic of this shoe hasn't changed since 1863, when John Fry of Marlborough, Massachusetts, made the first boots. They were neither a style icon, nor the last word in design, but they did an excellent job of the main task - to provide hundreds of factory workers in New England with comfortable shoes. And when, at the end of the 19th century, these hard workers and their families went west in search of a better life, they set off in Fry's boots.

Together with Fry's family, his company grew. In 1938, during a trip to Washington, the founder's grandson, John Fry Jr., met with an admiral. He lamented: they say, it became difficult to find your favorite "wellington" - waterproof leather boots, the predecessors of modern rubber boots. Fry Jr. kindly offered to personally sew him a pair. After that, orders poured in from all directions, especially during the Second World War. Fray's Wellingtons, also known as jetboots, have walked all over the world, from Normandy to Okinawa. Even the infamous American tanker General Patton had one pair. No less popular were the cavalry boots, which later became so fond of bikers - Frye Harness Boots. And the Smithsonian Institution selected the Campus model as one of the most significant artifacts in America in the 1960s.

There is often a debate on the Internet about what to wear shoes from "working" shoe brands. Answer: almost everything. Jeans, chinos, cargo, sweatpants and even an office suit, if desired, can be combined with workboots - for example, with the same Locke Lace Up.

Clarks Desert Boot

Price: 5000 rubles (Clarks stores)

Perhaps the boots are not the toughest of character, but definitely the most loyal - despite the suede nature. It all began in 1825 in the British village of Street, Sommerset County, where Cyrus Clark made sheep skins, and his brother James made house slippers from them. All of the Clarks' sewing was done by hand, until the Singer sewing machine appeared - with it, things went much faster. And when the Hygienic line was released, the models of which followed the natural contour of the foot, the brothers were finally able to boldly position themselves as manufacturers of truly comfortable and wearable shoes. "

In the middle of the 20th century, Nathan Clark, James' great-grandson, developed the Desert Boot model. As a basis, he took ordinary shoes, which his comrades, military officers, found in the bazaars of Egypt during the Second World War. The British found the shoes very suitable for desert operations - hence the name "desert". Due to their simplicity and versatility, the boots quickly gained popularity among buyers, and they can still be purchased at a fairly reasonable price - just £ 70. There is a version that "deserts" are a subspecies of Chukka boots, allegedly invented a little earlier. But true connoisseurs argue that "deserters" have the right to be called exclusively suede boots with two pairs of lace holes, while "Chukka" is the same thing, only in leather, with a stiff sole, abundant lacing and narrower in ankle.

A decade later, when the passions for "deserters" subsided, Clarks creates another classic model - Wallabee, solid-looking suede loafers. In the 1970s, the company invested heavily in technical research, creating a new durable and lightweight outsole known as the crepe sole (the term has nothing to do with pancakes - this is the name of a special kind of soft rubber).

Doc Martens 1460

These world famous British boots were invented by a German young doctor Klaus Mertens. One day, during an unsuccessful skiing, he broke his ankle. The Second World War had just ended, there was no other footwear, except for army boots, and the injured leg did not feel very comfortable in them. Then Dr. Mertens designed the first prototype of the legendary boot: he took and sewed pieces of a car tire to the sole. This relieved the pain of stepping on, but the walk was still uncomfortable, and the doctor continued to improve even after the leg was gone.

In 1947, Mertens met an old university friend, Herbert Funk, and together they came up with a double sole with an air cushion, patented an invention, and set up a shoe business. The soles were made from rubber obtained from the Luftwaffe bases, the insoles were made from shoulder straps, and from one pair of leather officer's trousers, blanks for two pairs of boots were obtained.

By the late 1950s, Mertens and Funk's products had spread throughout Germany, with three quarters of sales going to women in their forties - can you imagine more practical buyers? The target audience changed dramatically when the British footwear concern R. Griggs Group Ltd. bought the rights to manufacture footwear in the United Kingdom. The head of the concern, William Griggs, anglicized the name of the brand, slightly changed the shape of the heel, added the corporate yellow stitching and finalized the structure of the sole, later patenting it under the name AirWair. The first British Martens were produced on April 1, 1960, and the 1460 is still unchanged. The footwear was incredibly popular with policemen, postmen and factory workers, and since the 1970s it has become hugely popular with marginal youth movements.

American Chippewa Boots started out as a forestry shoe company. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, there was a huge demand for timber and lumber - the country was actively being built, thousands of new buildings were being erected. Accordingly, the army of lumberjack workers grew, and they all needed sturdy shoes. The factory producing it started working in 1901 in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, on the very border with Canada - the Indian name was inherited from a tribe living in these parts. At that time it had 175 workers, mostly women, and produced 1200 pairs daily.

At the origin of work footwear, Chippewa Boots is committed to producing the finest boots and shoes in the United States. In pursuit of the perfect boot, she made her famous Logger Boot, designed to facilitate the difficult and dangerous work of American lumberjacks - the very ones who, in their prime, could process almost half a hectare of forest in a day for a couple. Nowadays, the company's products extend much further than the ancestor boots: motorcycle, cowboy - the range includes more than one hundred models. In addition, all Chippewa boots and boots are equipped with the developments of such respected brands as Thinsulate and Vibram, which means that the shoes are not threatened by temperature extremes, moisture and other misfortunes.

A giant takeover corporation that managed to acquire, in addition to Timberland, brands such as Hush Puppies, Patagonia and Harley-Davidson Footwear. The Wolverine brand has been on the market since 1883, and its creator J.A. Krause became famous for the fact that in order to open a tannery in Rockford, he founded an electric company that was supposed to bring electricity to the city and provide energy to a new production. Is it any wonder that the energetic entrepreneur in a short time brought the daily production volume to 300 pairs of shoes, which for their durability have been nicknamed the "1000 mile boot". They were made of horse skin, hence the name of the company: it does not go back to the wolverine, but to the horse breed.

In 1919, the Wolverine Shoe and Tanning Company began to conquer the world, but these plans were buried by the Great Depression. And again the war intervened: during the Second World War, the company develops pigskin gloves for the American fleet, which remain on sale even after the victory. Apparently, this success forced Wolverine to reconsider the production technology. The transition from horse leather to pork skin turned out to be very successful: the boots became much softer, which immediately affected sales.

In the late 1960s, the Wolverine Shoe and Tanning Company buys a newcomer to the market, the Hush Puppies brand, which breaks all sales records: statistics show that one in ten American adults must have at least one pair of these shoes. In 1992, Hush Puppies introduced the Durashocks, "the first truly comfortable work boots." Available now, with cushioned heel and toe cushions and a signature Vibram outsole, this shoe is truly flawless to wear.

Perhaps the first serious boots to enter the Russian market. You say "tractors" - you mean Caterpillar. But to achieve such a stable association, the company had to go a long, winding path. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Californians Benjamin Holt and Daniel Best began independently supplying crawler tractors. Realizing that agricultural machinery is in demand more than ever, the partners merged their companies into the Caterpillar Tractor Company. Simultaneously with the United States, Caterpillar equipment appeared in Tsarist Russia, and later in the Soviet Union: the company supplied us with diesel engines.

The Caterpillar empire grew rapidly: more than 150 countries of the world were supplied with tractors, tractors and other brutal equipment. It was then that the need arose to create strong and practical footwear for workers. For this purpose, Caterpillar Footwear Co was founded in the 1980s, licensed to manufacture professional footwear under the CAT brand. The first models did not differ much from the modern ones: from the very beginning, manufacturers relied on strength and reliability - a thick track sole and protective steel inserts in the toes. Such shoes quickly gained popularity among hard workers, and after 1994, when CAT Footwear became part of the American corporation Wolverine World Wide, and among the rest of the population.

Born on the construction site, CAT footwear has quickly become one of the leaders in the hiking, sports and casual footwear market. Now a yellow nubuck couple literally hangs out of the TV, waiting for us on the street and meeting us at the club. Model Mardy, for example, is especially dearly beloved by Keira Knightley: photo chronicle shows that the actress actually merged with them.

Winter is a wonderful time when you can skate, sled, ski, build a fortress out of snow or throw snowballs. But to enjoy winter activities, you need to be properly dressed and shod. A warm hat, a windproof jacket with down or fur, and of course, comfortable and warm winter shoes. If you want to know how to choose the right winter shoes, then you will learn about it from our article.

What kind of shoes to wear in winter to keep your feet warm and dry? The answer is obvious - quality... But how do you make sense of this abundance of offers from different stores? How do you choose the best shoe for your feet?

So, the first thing you should pay attention to when choosing winter shoes is the material from which the shoes are made.

What should be the interior and exterior of a good winter shoe?

The best material for shoes that you will wear in winter is leather. This natural material will help keep your feet warm. In addition, leather is also a particularly durable material, so these shoes will serve you for a long time.

However, not all manufacturers make shoes from this material. Some people pass leatherette as natural leather. You can distinguish artificial leather from natural leather by looking at the cut. In real leather, it will be fleecy from the inside out, in leatherette - fabric. Another method is to place your palm on the surface of the shoe. It is believed that if you feel warmth, then this is real leather, if the surface is cool, then this is an artificial material.

Timberland winter boots

The best shoe leather is chrome leather.... It retains heat remarkably well, is waterproof and wear-resistant. The second place is firmly taken by fatty leather. It is frost-resistant down to -30C, elastic and has good hygienic properties (maintains the correct microclimate for the foot). The most unsuitable material for winter shoes is leatherette, chevret, velor or patent leather.

So, winter shoes must be made of leather, which will retain heat, will not crack in the cold and will be strong enough with prolonged wear. Now we need to deal with the rest of the finishing elements.

Insulation.

Any winter footwear should be insulated. It can be natural or artificial fur, as well as felt or membrane. All these materials are good in their own way. It is worth knowing only that natural fur perfectly keeps warm, but makes shoes more bulky, and the membrane perfectly allows the foot to breathe, but is not designed for severe frosts. Based on the fact that the shoes for you will be the right one that meets your needs. For example, if you spend most of the winter time indoors or in a car, then it is best to buy light boots or boots with membrane insulation. If you are often outdoors for a long time, then leather shoes with natural fur and thick soles will be ideal for you in winter and on ice.

When choosing shoes for the winter period, you should also pay attention to the accessories. If your winter boots are equipped with a zipper, then in no case should it reach the very sole. In addition, it must be closed from the outside with a valve so that cold air does not penetrate inside through the zipper teeth.


winter shoes with fur

The insole in the right shoe must be removable. This is necessary in order to dry it if it gets wet or for hygienic purposes. It is desirable that the insole is made of natural material (fur, felt, woolen). If you bought a shoe, and there is no insole, you can purchase it separately.

We look at the sole or how not to slip on ice.

How to choose the right winter footwear so that it fulfills its functions one hundred percent? Be sure to look at the sole! In order for your feet not to freeze, winter shoes must have a strong sole, at least 1 cm in thickness. So that the cold does not penetrate into the boot or boot.

Another rule for choosing high-quality shoes for winter is the peculiarity of attaching the sole to the base. Strongest, waterproof and frost-resistant - injection-molded outsole... However, in case of wear or damage, it will be impossible to repair such a sole. Ranto-glue method of fixing the sole in winter shoes provides heat protection and foot hygiene, therefore it is ideal in terms of price / quality ratio. If you are offered winter shoes with a conventional glue fastening, then you should not go for a high level of durability or moisture resistance.


grooved sole at the shoe

When buying, also pay attention to the sole surface itself. In order not to be afraid to walk down the street in ice, you need a grooved sole. The more different grooves and depressions such a sole has, the more confident you will be on your feet, even in the worst ice.

In addition, another enemy of winter ice is a stable low heel. In any winter shoes there is no place for high heels, let alone stilettos. Improperly fitted shoes can cause injuries and falls in winter.

If you really want to wear high-heeled shoes even in winter, then pay attention to the instep support. If, when trying on, you press on the instep of the shoe, and the heel "slides" back, then it is clearly not worth purchasing such a pair of shoes for the winter. Putting on these shoes in the ice, you run the risk of falling and breaking something for yourself.

Price and quality.

Some shoe manufacturers often use tricky tricks to save money on footwear and materials. So, you can see various offers of the assortment of winter shoes made of artificial leather, with thin soles, with a small layer of insulation made of faux fur or felt, as well as with a zipper that is not covered with a protective flap. All these characteristics significantly reduce the price of shoes for winter. However, along with the price, the quality of such shoes also decreases. The proverb says:

"Miser pays twice".

Perhaps this correlates with the choice of winter shoes. By betting on the price, you lose in quality, and therefore in warmth for your feet. Good and proper winter shoes cannot be cheap, as quality materials such as fat leather, natural fur and injection molded grooved soles are expensive.

The choice of winter shoes depends only on you and your needs / capabilities. But you should always be smart about buying shoes in order to save your health and money.

all photographs are taken from the site Google.Images.ru