Recommendations for size 15 winter hiking boots

January 29, 2018 7:02 PM

A friend urgently needs a replacement pair of hiking boots. Strong preference for full leather boots over synthetic/mixed upper. Good quality lug soles, and fully waterproof during long periods of immersion in snow, are both essential.

He wears a size 15 shoe, which is seriously limiting his choices in brick & mortar outdoor stores. A custom order would likely take too long to arrive (a multi-day trip in snow is imminent). Therefore online shopping seems to be the way to go.

Any suggestions for brands or retailers that cater for larger sizes?

We're in Los Angeles, CA.

posted by gin and biscuits to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (14 answers total)

Leather and snow is a terrible mix, is there a reason he wants leather? The synthetic materials FAR outperform leather, that's the reason you are not finding leather winter boots. No one makes them anymore.
posted by fshgrl at 7:08 PM on January 29, 2018

Best answer: I have some size 15 Keen boots; they worked very well when I trudged through a recent 10-12" snowfall.
posted by thelonius at 7:12 PM on January 29, 2018

This is a confusing question because there are few “hiking boots” that are built for snow.

The only all-leather snow boots I can think of are not hiking boots but mukluks. Are you trying to find mukluks?

Steger Mukluks do come in men’s 15 as a standard size. Not sure how fast they ship.
posted by littlewater at 7:21 PM on January 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

Sorel has some leather upper boots but these wouldn’t be my first choice for hiking. Here in Minnesota these leather upper Sorels are like a dress boot. They look fancy so you wear them to work or dinner out to impress the ladies that are all wearing the cute fur-topped Sorel Joan of Arctic boot at the hipster restaurant. (I’m not kidding.) They aren’t really hiking things because the leather would get ruined. And they are pretty heavy. But some of the other Sorel boots might work.
posted by littlewater at 7:31 PM on January 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I've liked my Columbia Newton Ridge Plus II. Amazon has them for a good price (and yes, I wear a 15). I'm not sure that they'd really stand up to a multi-day trip in snow - my usual winter environment is more very wet, puddly and stream crossing, and I get some water infiltration. My Keens haven't held up to water quite as well though.
posted by wotsac at 7:39 PM on January 29, 2018

Response by poster: Not mukluks. Maybe "mountaineering boots" would have been a better description, rather than "hiking boots". Think of backpacking with a combination of hiking and snowshoeing. The KEEN Pyrenees are on the right track; possibly the Columbia Newton Ridge boots too. Synthetic parts are ok, what I'm being cautious to avoid is "breathable mesh" that inevitably breaches and can't be repaired.
posted by gin and biscuits at 7:52 PM on January 29, 2018

zappos.com is a pretty good start - if the link here does not work, you can easily search by size and application. There are over 200 styles in a men's 15 for winter and snow boots.

If you don't find something there, maybe some parameters on price, or specific boots that are desired but not available in a 15.
posted by enfa at 7:59 PM on January 29, 2018

I recommend Dunham, either the Cloud or Lawrence both of which are waterproof, have no mesh and come up to size 18 and in wide.
posted by Requiax at 8:00 PM on January 29, 2018

I have those Keens, I'm on my second pair as the sole tends to wear out and fall off and they are not at all repairable. It's a thin leather skin over a synthetic lining and insulation, like a leather marshmallow. I love them anyway as they are super comfortable.

They are also not at all suitable for a multi-day backpacking trip in the snow. They are too short and the cuffs are wide, the soles are too rounded and soft to side edge, they absorb foot sweat like its their job and they take forever to dry. After a few days below zero they'd be solid lumps of ice. If you have warm lodging at night to dry them out and are not doing any challenging terrain you might be OK but I'd strongly not recommend those for a winter backpacking trip. And I've worn mine in the snow a LOT and done many winter trips (not in these boots). Multiple days below freeing is a unique challenge foot wear wise, even ski and mountaineering boots ~with removeable liners~ are very hard to dry out enough. Every winter hut you ever go has socks and boots hung everywhere to dry. If you do decide that your trip is mellow enough for them I'd highly recommend spikes as you can't kick steps. Gaitors will be a must for snowshoeing too.

It concerns me that you are thinking these are similar to mountaineering boots. If you showed up at the parking lot in these on a trip where mountaineering boots were required for the conditions I would not let you come along, that's how concerned I'd be. The issue here isn't repairability, it's coming home with all your toes.

Honestly I'd just go back to the nearest store and be really honest with the staff about your planned trip and experience level and buy what they recommend. Or you can give us more details. If you are planning short excursions above snowline and have a place to build a fire at night my answer would be very different than if you're planning to stay high and camp the entire time.
posted by fshgrl at 8:47 PM on January 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

I don't like Zappos anymore. They're usually overpriced. Amazon is great for shoe shopping if you have a Prime account. Here's a link to all of their size 15 men's snow boots available with Prime shipping.

I like the look (and the price) of the first pair of Sorels.

(And if he doesn't mind something that's been tried on before, here's all the Warehouse Deals shoes in his size - there's a couple of good looking pairs of Timbs on there that might work for less than $70.)
posted by elsietheeel at 9:03 PM on January 29, 2018

If you want to give brick and mortar another shot there is an REI in Manhattan Beach. They carry all of the brands mentioned upthread. You could call to see what sizes they normally stock, and most stores these days have free shipping. That way you could try out a bunch in store.

Otherwise, in other situations I have ordered several different shoes from zappos and just kept the ones that best met my needs. I agree that they are more expensive, but you're paying for the convenience of not having to run around town, particularly when your needs are unusual and specific.
posted by vignettist at 4:26 AM on January 30, 2018

Danner.com makes size 15 full leather uppers and some mixed material uppers. Check out the Mountain Light series and the Crater Rim series.
posted by TomFoolery at 10:58 AM on January 30, 2018

this is the boot. srsly. i climb colorado mountains in winter.
posted by j_curiouser at 11:28 PM on January 30, 2018

shit. dint see the size 15. my son wears 15s (custom ordered). he did quandary peak in january. i'll check the brand/model.
posted by j_curiouser at 11:51 PM on January 30, 2018