$140 at Amazon
$160 at Backcountry
OVERALL
SCORE
REASONS TO BUY
Extremely weatherproof
Perfect fit
Great traction
REASONS TO AVOID
Pricey
14.75" |5.11 lbs
Our top and most coveted award went to the Bogs Workman boots. They're nearly perfect, as evidenced by our metrics (they were in the top tier for comfort, traction, and warmth) and the little details we adore: the heel collars, the modular insoles, and the handy heel studs that allowed us to kick them off after a long day.
The Workman boots have heavy-duty lugs, a supportive and firm midsole, and are comfortable to wear for long periods. And while the first model we tested (over a year ago) had some waterproofing issues, this latest version appears to have resolved those issues. These would be it if we could only have one pair of rain boots.
Read more: Bogs Workman review
We love just about everything about these boots, and highly recommend you give them a chance.
Credit: Richard Forbes
$32 at REI
$75 at Amazon
OVERALL
SCORE
REASONS TO BUY
High flood height
Solid construction for rough terrain
Deep lugs for traction on all surfaces
REASONS TO AVOID
Flimsy insole
Not warm
16.25" |5.49 lbs
Close your eyes and imagine yourself wearing a rain boot. You're probably picturing something similar to the Baffin Enduro. With a height of 16.25 inches, the Enduro's rubber shaft and solidly lugged outsole will keep you warm and dry in even the wettest and worst conditions. Because of their large circumference, you can easily slip into and out of these boots, and their price-to-performance ratio is unbeatable.
The Enduro is uninsulated, so wear thick socks in cold weather, and the included insoles aren't great, so if you're going to be wearing these a lot, a more structured insole will be best. We could happily spend entire days wearing these boots once we mastered our sock and insole game. They even kept us comfortable throughout a 14-hour workday. We recommend this boot if you want the best price and don't need the most deluxe insulated option.
Read more: Baffin Enduro review
It's hard to imagine a boot for better value - 5 years of use and they're still perfectly waterproof?
Credit: Richard Forbes
$69 at Amazon
OVERALL
SCORE
REASONS TO BUY
Most insulated boots tested
Highly protective (high shaft height)
Best traction tested
REASONS TO AVOID
Snug and a bit difficult to pull on and off
Too warm for most situations
17.6" |5.74 lbs
Most people do not need the Arctic Sport boots, and we would not recommend them to everyone. However, this boot is the top dog if you spend lots of time in truly harsh conditions (heavy rain, driving snow, and freezing temperatures). No matter how bad the weather is, we're confident your feet will be content in these dreamy boots.
We love these boots because of their heavy insulation, extra-tall shaft, and secure-feeling weight, but they're also quite uncomfortable when you're just strolling around town on a warm fall day. Our feet began to sweat immediately when we wore them in temperatures above 40 degrees. While the tighter shaft keeps the warm air in, you'll have to reach down to put them on and take them off. These boots are for you if you are out in truly inclement weather. If you are not, consider a more casual boot.
Read more: The Original Muck Boot Company Arctic Sport review
This is an impressive boot that's well-worth the price tag if you need the warmth!
Credit: Richard Forbes
$186 at Amazon
$260 at Backcountry
OVERALL
SCORE
REASONS TO BUY
Solid performance
Best looks in test
Great for cool temperatures
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
6.7" |2.93 lbs
If you want your rain boots to do double duty — to keep your feet dry in the wet and look good — the Blundstone Thermal Chelsea is a great choice. Its cozy sheep's wool insoles and Thinsulate lining will keep your feet warm despite chilly weather, and they perfectly balance between workboot (with their heavy-duty outsole and seam-sealed leather) and stylish boot (with their premium hand-crafted leather.)
The only drawback to these boots is that they're not as tall as some of the other options in our test. If you need a boot with a shaft higher than 10", consider one of the other award winners. Otherwise, if you're interested in a stylish boot with few drawbacks, the Blundstone Thermal is the way to go!
Read more: Blundstone Thermal Chelsea review
The thermal Blundstones in our test are some of the most comfortable waterproof low boots out there.
Credit: Richard Forbes
OVERALL
SCORE
REASONS TO BUY
Classic aesthetic
Great durability
Warm and cozy
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Lacking traction
8" |3.91 lbs
LL Bean boots have been around for over 100 years (since 1911), and generations of Northeasterners have grown up wearing them, as they're warm, protective, and durable. The company has made hundreds of variations of the original model, and we chose to put the LL Bean 8" Gore-Tex/Thinsulate boots to the test and were impressed at both how stylish and capable they are. As a result, these are a great crossover shoe, as they're a perfect blend between the stylish lower boots and the more rugged workboots in our test.
Our only qualm with these boots is that we wish they had a slightly more incised outsole — the cable pattern does a decent job but isn't as grippy as some of the more serious workboots. However, if you need a boot that looks and performs great, we highly recommend this one.
Read more: LL Bean 8" Gore-Tex/Thinsulate review
These boots are worthy of their classic reputation.
Credit: Richard Forbes
77
$16077
$18574
$18567
$7065
$6565
$15063
$25062
$6559
$22958
$16052
$17551
$10050
$10044
$100Sometimes field testing involves getting your feet wet.
Credit: Richard Forbes
Every time we update this review, we start with market research: hours of reading, assessing the competition, and surveying all the new boots released each season. Once we've identified the most promising new models, we buy them at full price and thrash them. We practice the vaunted scientific method and create hypotheses for each boot before we test them. With our hypotheses in mind, we test the boots over several months. At this point, many years in, we've spent over 750 hours testing, wearing, and measuring various rain boots. Some tests, such as warmth, are best assessed in our high-tech lab, where we submerge the boots in a bathtub filled with ice cubes and monitor their internal temperature with bare feet. Other tests, such as comfort, are assessed by wearing the boots in various conditions over long days. We do our best to slog around in every type of weather we can find in the Washington Cascades and Western Montana Rockies (which means we get a lot of rain and damp cold). At the end of every review, we take our opinions about each boot and write them up, so read on to see what we learned.
Our comprehensive tests are divided among five rating metrics:Our comprehensive tests are divided among
This review is written and produced by Richard Forbes. Richard spends his time adventuring across the great Pacific North-wet and the cold northern Rockies –- both of which are ideal for his rain-boot-oriented lifestyle. Every day is a new opportunity to get outdoors, and he often finds himself wearing rain boots in ridiculous testing situations (from "approach rain boots" to "rock climbing rain boots" to "whitewater rain boots"). He has not yet climbed anything harder than 5.7 in a pair of rain boots, but a few summers ago, he saw a tween exhaustedly slogging toward Camp Muir in a pair of Bogs at 9,500' on the side of Mount Rainier, and he was both inspired and worried (for the tween, the boots were doing well). Richard has worked as an environmental journalist, farmer, ecological researcher, conservationist, outdoor guide, and storyteller worldwide and reluctantly admits that he is a gearhead, which means he almost certainly spends more time researching than using his gear. He's embarrassed by this, but at least he can use his skillset to advise you on your next boots.
The crossover Hunter Boots - casual or work boot?Ice bath test time!We loved the way the liner felt as we put these on - like a wool sweater for our feet.Soggy feet will ruin your day, no matter what. Throughout our tests, we consider each boot's weather protection, all-day comfort, grip, traction on wet ground, warmth, and style, writing detailed notes along the way. For every performance metric, we rate each boot between 1 to 10 (with 1 being the worst). Then we weight each score to show the value of each category — for example, most folks believe that weather protection matters more than style, so we give weather protection a heavier weighting. Let's be clear; we're not trying to give absolute ratings because we haven't personally worn all boot models in existence. Instead, each value is relative to every other boot in the review.
While we don't incorporate pricing into our scoring system (as prices constantly change), we know cost is important. However, we'll always describe the general price range of each boot and write about whether we think each one is worth its price. And rest assured, after an absurd number of hours in rain boots, we are certain: more expensive rain boots almost always look and feel better while lasting longer. In other words, you will generally get what you pay for. But this goes both ways — if you're not spending much time in rain boots or don't spend much time in nasty weather, you may not need the priciest option.
For the money, these boots are a great, well insulated buy!
Credit: Richard Forbes
Do you need to pay more for the ultra-protective Muck Arctic Sport, or do you want a boot that bucks the trend and works perfectly despite its lower price, like the Baffin Enduro? If we're talking straight dollars vs. performance, the Enduro (uninsulated), the Kamik Icebreaker, and the insulated Kamik Forester are the best value boots in the test.
Lugging around 30+ lbs of boots for testing is a great workout.
Credit: Richard Forbes
Rain boots must be water- and weatherproof; otherwise why pay for them? The world of waterproofing can get surprisingly complicated if you get into it (dive in for a few hours by researching hydrostatic head testing), but we define waterproof practically. Something is "waterproof" if we can stand in water up to the top of the shaft for 10 minutes and not get wet. We've tested these boots' weather protection by wading in the chilly Clark Fork River of Western Montana, the Puget Sound on a blustery 25° F day, the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River on a month-long river trip, the Yakima and Snoqualmie Rivers as they flow out of the snowy Cascades, and in the Atlantic Ocean on the Maine Coast. When boots failed to be waterproof (as a few did), we had a bad time, so we were always thankful for the boots that worked.
We put each boot into all manner of waterways, from creeks and ponds to the ocean, literally all over the United States (at this point, we've tested in every region of the Lower 48, as rainboots come on every single trip we go on). Our final test is a standardized ten-minute wade. Almost all the tested boots are waterproof except our faulty Bogs Sauvie model. For all waterproof boots, we assign scores as a function of boot flood height, measured as the lowest point at which water can enter. Any boot that isn't waterproof gets docked severely.
Gotta make sure they'll keep the water out!
Credit: Richard Forbes
With their impressive 18" high shaft, the Muck Boot Wetland boots eke out the win in the weather protection category, their height preventing accidental splashes and easily protecting your feet from rain, deep water, and dumping snow.
If you know you'll be out in a lot of water, rain, or snow, these boots are a solid buy.
Credit: Richard Forbes
We tried fly-fishing in the high-shafted Baffin Enduro boots and only got water in them when we chased some trout into a deep pool. The Arctic Sport are the second-highest boots (just under 1/2" shorter than the Wetland) and are significantly warmer than all other boots in the test, with their microfleece lining.
Fly fishing in the Baffin Enduro in a mountain stream east of the Cascade Crest!
Credit: Richard Forbes
Our tested boots feature a variety of shaft heights. Pick your boots based on your intended use — the different boot heights will lend themselves to different uses. This list is in order of height:
Calf-height Boots (16" or higher)Calf-height Boots (16" or higher)Mid-calf Boots (approximately 12" to 16" tall)Crossover HeightLow Boots (lower than 7")
A caveat about the low boots: they're practical as long as you won't get into deep water, as some are only waterproof to a few inches. But low boots like the XTRATUF Deck Boots or the Kamik Lars Lo come into their own if you'll be using them on strolls through town when there's soggy (but not inclement) weather. Low boots obviously won't keep you as dry as a taller boot, but they have their place for more casual use cases.
Testing rain boots at dawn on a farm outside Seattle!
Credit: Richard Forbes
Our testers are lucky enough not to have any major foot problems but sometimes get sore feet like everybody else. Our comfort tests are designed to replicate long days on your feet, so we wear each boot for hours on concrete and other hard surfaces. Ultimately, our tests let us know which boots to buy when you know you'll be wearing them for long days (the Bogs Workman and Blundstone Thermal Chelsea, among others) and which boots you won't want to wear for more than an hour (sorry Hunter Original Tall).
77% of Americans experience foot pain (as found in a 2014 study ), and 51% of Americans say they have to adapt their activities due to foot issues. However, this same study shows that only 25% of people take the time to address their foot health.For some reason, people tend to ignore foot pain and assume that it's somehow inevitable. Let's be clear: foot pain can be solved. Sometimes it's complicated, but it's worth taking the time. Help us change the trend! If you suffer from foot pain, take this category seriously. Rain boots (and shoes in general) aren't supposed to hurt you, and some of the models we tested are a genuine pleasure to wear. Consider supplemental insoles, and if you've got a lot of trouble with your feet, please see a doctor or physical therapist; both will help dramatically. Take it from us; happy feet will improve your life.
A boot's material plays a big role in overall comfort. Leather boots generally feel more comfortable because leather breathes better, tends to weigh less, and breaks in, molding to your feet. Leather's drawback is that it's less durable than a thick rubber boot. And while you might think all "rubber boots" are equal, we've found a fair amount of variation after wearing so many different boots. We don't have degrees in rubber chemistry (though if we'd spent the last eight years better, we probably could have gotten at least one Ph.D.), but here's what we know. Boots made with foamed neoprene uppers (Bogs Classic Ultra High and Bogs Sauvie, among others) stretch and bend perfectly when walking on rough surfaces.
In contrast, boots with fully rubber uppers tend to buckle against the ankle when on the same terrain. And while we don't know all the scientific terms to describe the different types of rubber, we know that there's a difference in ankle comfort between stiffer rubber boots (like the Baffin Enduro which bends in to push at the front of our ankles) and higher quality rubber-like the more flexible XTRATUF Legacy 15" material, which flexes smoothly across our feet. But the thicker your socks, the less you'll notice these issues. Finally, the LL Bean 8" Gore-Tex/Thinsulate boots blend the flexibility and comfort of leather (on the top) and the waterproof durability of rubber (on the bottom), which worked impressively well.
The LL Bean Boots are both waterproof and flexible, thanks to their hybrid rubber/leather construction.
Credit: Richard Forbes
To test for comfort, we spent 20+ hours in every boot, prioritizing long stints (over 5 hours) and time on harder surfaces to ensure the test was as difficult on our feet as possible. Insole construction is an important variable, as there's a lot of variation in insole sturdiness and thickness. Some boots have thick, cushioned insoles like the Bogs Classic Ultra High and the Bogs Sauvie. One pair of boots, the Blundstone Thermal Chelsea, went even further and added sheepskin to the top of their insoles, which makes them positively plush. We're disappointed by other boots' flimsy offerings (come on, Hunter boots!), which means they don't fare well in the comfort ratings. The Kamik Forester and Icebreaker are odd, featuring bulky removable liners without insoles (and can't fit aftermarket insoles). They're very nice and warm but don't have much support underfoot.
The amount and quality of insole in each boot makes a huge difference.Boots from the update in order of insole support from left to right - Servus boot, Kamik Larslo, and The Original Muck Boot Company Chore. Check out the individual reviews for a closer analysis of each insole.Our testers have high arches and generally wear green Superfeet insoles for general use. Once we'd finished testing the standard insoles, we'd often put Superfeet in our favorite pairs, making the boots more comfortable. Depending on your arches (and how exhausted your legs feel after a whole day on your feet), consider talking to a doctor or footwear specialist about whether you'd benefit from a pair of supplemental insoles. They make a big difference for us.
The Superfoot insole couldn't fix every boot, but it did make hard-to-wear boots a bit more manageable.
Credit: Richard Forbes
For testing, we also wear rainboots during our general day-to-day lives. They come along as we go to grad school, work, grocery shopping, and voyaging up into the mountains every few days. The Bogs Workman and Blundstone Thermal Chelsea both lead the pack in comfort thanks to their snug fit around the ankles, which minimizes the sloppy fit we find in some other boots. Other particularly comfortable boots include the Bogs Classic Ultra and the LL Bean 8" Gore-Tex/Thinsulate.
If they're your style, we're confident you'll like how these boots fit and perform.
Credit: Richard Forbes
Stiff-shafted rubber boots can be uncomfortable, and it helps to wear thick socks. Otherwise, they can cut into your shins as they buckle when you bend your ankles, like the Enduro, Hunter Original Tall, and the XTRATUF Legacy Series 15".
The left boot (Bogs Ultra Classic High) is way nicer than the Servus on a cold morning as we organized our gear for a fall backpacking trip.
Credit: Richard Forbes
Weight also plays a big role in comfort — have you heard the idea (popular for ultralight backpackers) that a pound on your feet equals six pounds on your back? Lighter boots (especially the Blundstone and XTRATUF 6" Ankle Deck Boot) are more comfortable for long days but generally less protective, leading to an obvious trade-off. Ensure you're doing the calculations — do you need the extra protection? You'll feel a lot less tired with a lighter option.
Some boots are also mysteriously heavy — why does the uninsulated Baffin Enduro weigh more than the burly and heavily insulated 17.6" Arctic Sport? And even more mysteriously — how did Bogs make the Workman 15% lighter than the Bogs Ultra Classic while adding more insulation and a burlier outsole? We know they credit their "seamless" technology, but we suspect some magic may be involved.
The Blundstones are so light that they float!
Credit: Richard Forbes
Let's also be clear that comfort and warmth can be overlapping and competing variables — depending on what weather you find yourself in, you may sometimes need extra insulation to be comfortable but remember: in warm weather, too much insulation makes things sweaty. And while we'll cover this more in later sections, you can always change the insulation by changing up your socks (up to a point). However, we want to keep each metric as separate as possible, so we'll discuss how insulation affects general comfort in the warmth section below.
The XTRATUF Ankle Deck boots were uncomfortably flexible, making us feel every stone underfoot.
Credit: Richard Forbes
We generally don't wear rain boots when there's nice weather. Rain boots are for nasty conditions when comfy sneakers aren't enough. And when it's nasty, it's generally slippery, so we want to make sure whatever boots you get keep you up and on your feet, not slipping around and making a scene. Some boots feature deep-cut lugs that grab muck and snow easily, like the Bogs Workman, while others have less textured outsoles better suited for flat pavement and casual use like the XTRATUF 6" Ankle boots.
We test our boots in various unstable conditions: soaking grass, mossy wood, sucking mud, slippery asphalt, rocky riverbeds, (shallow) lake beds, and on ice and snow. The Arctic Sport is a clear leader with its mega-studded sole, allowing us to feel secure no matter the surface. The Baffin Enduro and Bogs Workman also perform impressively well in this category, thanks to their heavily lugged outsoles.
The Enduro boots have particularly good traction even in snow, due to their aggressively studded outsole.
Credit: Richard Forbes
Casual boots are easy to recognize — they have shallow (or no) lugs on the outsoles and less flexible rubber. As a result, casual boots do noticeably worse during traction tests. While wearing less grippy boots, it was harder to stay upright on ice, snow, and mud. In particular, our wet grass hill-running test lets us separate the slippery wheat from the grippy chaff. The low-scoring XTRATUF Ankle boots and Hunter boots made us look like beginner skiers (as we skidded awkwardly down hills), while grippier boots made us feel like we were wearing crampons.
This photo illustrates the obvious difference between the low-grip XTRATUF Ankle Deck Boots (top) and the extremely grippy and studded Original Muck Boot Company Wetland boots (bottom).
Credit: Richard Forbes
We love to get into the literature thanks to our scientific background, so we spent a few riveting hours reading scholarly articles about warmth and workboots. Who knew — there's a devoted segment of the scientific community committed to learning about feet and ergonomics (which studies people's efficiency while working). And according to this literature, feet get colder than other body parts for three reasons:
1) The feet feature lots of surface area without having much mass1) The feet feature lots of surface area without having much mass2) Feet are extremities, which means they get less priority than your core and your brain
3) The feet contain no big muscles to produce heat during exercise, just lots of fiddly tendons and ligaments
Maybe it's just us, but we love learning about how the human body responds to cold stress.
Too long; didn't read: Shockingly, your body doesn't heat your extremities as well as it heats your core, so your feet will get cold if it's cold outside.
We realize this isn't news, but getting the scientific take is nice.
As a result, insulated boots make a big difference, especially during active work, when your body heat (thanks to your mitochondrial inefficiency) gets caught and contained by the boot. We looked at another study that measured foot temperatures during cold exposure which stated that, according to Sweden's version of OSHA, cold conditions make work significantly harder, and that over 70% of cold injuries are caused to the hands and feet. In plain English, many people get cold feet when they're out in the cold, which is unpleasant. We realize the references might be excessive, but the point of all these citations is to prove that you need to take your foot warmth seriously.
The Bogs Ultra High are delightfully warm in snow
Credit: Richard Forbes
To bring it back to practicalities: where will you wear these boots? How cold does it get there? Make your purchase primarily with that assessment (and boot height) in mind. We've lived nationwide and needed to prioritize different types of boots in each place.
Once you've thought about your intended climate and your intended use cases, keep reading.
Two Bogs boots out for a chilly day of testing.
Credit: Richard Forbes
The warmest boot isn't always the best, as rain boots are generally bad at releasing heat since rubber does not breathe well, which is partly why it's so protective. If you want to wear the ever-toasty Arctic Sport at 60°F fall sports games, prepare for sweaty feet. Though if you wear those same boots in foot-deep snow at 15°F, you'll stay comfortable thanks to these boots' almost knee-high microfleece-lined neoprene.
If you know you'll never see snow or cold temps in your boots, go with an uninsulated model like the Baffin Enduro or the XTRATUF Legacy 15" — your feet will thank you when you're doing chores on warm and wet fall days. If you want the best of both worlds, go with the Bogs Workman boots or the Wetland boots, both of which are warm enough for snow use but also tolerable (though not wonderful) in warmer temps.
Decisions, decisions: how warm is it? Do we want to wear sandals or boots?
Credit: Richard Forbes
Boot material makes a big impact on warmth/breathability. Rubber boots don't breathe very well. While leather tends to be more breathable, both leather boots currently in our test have additional insulation (the Blundstone Thermal Chelsea and the LL Bean 8" Gore-Tex/Thinsulate). As a result, neither is ideal above 50 degrees.
That shearling wool feels great against cold feet!
Credit: Richard Forbes
To compare boot insulation, we did warmth tests in an ice bath with ~20 lbs of ice and a half-pound of salt to lower the freezing point of the water. We wore each pair without socks (to keep things standardized and properly uncomfortable), then submerged each pair of boots as deeply as we could without water getting in (slightly less deep than the measured shaft height). We kept track of the time from initial immersion until "the cold set in" — a temperature that we tried to standardize, which meant that our bones started feeling sad. We warmed up our feet in between tests with jumping jacks. We set a cut-off time at 20 minutes so we wouldn't have to sit with our feet in an ice bath for too long (though only one boot has ever made it to 20 min — the Arctic Sport). This test was about as hard on the boots (and our feet) as it could have been — we were sitting still, so our feet cooled down quickly in the less insulated boots. We prioritized the ice-water test in the scoring, but we also tested boots in real-world situations — in the rain, snow, ice, sleet, graupel, and every other type of cold precipitation. Ultimately, we considered each boot's ability to keep us warm during these practical tests when determining overall scores.
We can't say that the ice test was our absolute favorite, but it told us a lot about how warm each pair truly is.
Credit: Richard Forbes
The boots with the lowest scores did not keep our feet warm at all and almost instantly cooled our feet to discomfort. Those models were the Hunter and XTRATUF Legacy 15" boots, both of which feature thin rubber and no insulation. Their low scores in this category are not disqualifying, though — poor insulation makes them strong candidates for use in reliably warm and wet weather. On the other side of the spectrum, the Arctic Sport is the reigning champion and lasted 20 minutes in the ice test. The Bogs Workman came in second and kept our feet warm enough until 18 minutes into the ice bath. The Kamik Forester was another standout for warmth.
Boots closer to the middle of the range are the generalists — generally comfortable in various ambient temperatures but not great at extremes. Remember, our ice-water test is designed to be easily standardizable and hard on the boots, but it's not realistic. We hope you never have to wear your boots without socks on (it's uncomfortable), and socks dramatically affect a boot's insulation. So if the boots you want didn't do well in this test, just put on a thicker sock (as long as you have a large enough size to fit it in)!
With heavy mountaineering socks, we could wear uninsulated boots like the XTRATUF Legacy 15" down to 25 degrees, as long as we don't have to stand still for extended periods. So if you're looking to stretch a boot into a wider temperature range, socks can make the difference
While rain boots are typically designed for function above all else, our testers (and fashion consultants) think certain models look better than others. As this metric is quite subjective, it's weighted at only 10% of the total score, but we still think it's important to discuss.
Most boots go the practical route (most blatantly the rubbery and pebble-patterned Baffin Enduro boots, which pair easily with our oil-stained Carhartt overalls). Some boots, especially the low leather options like the classy Blundstone Thermal Chelsea pair easily with most clothes and are much more reasonable when the weather's not too bad, and you're just wearing them out and about. The LL Bean 8" Gore-Tex/Thinsulate boot is an impressive blend of workboot and style icon, while other boots, like the Hunter Original Tall, seem to be designed only as fashion statements.
A classy and high-performing boot, the Blundstone is worth it's high price tag.
Credit: Richard Forbes
To get an objective idea of the stylishness of each boot, we asked a diverse panel of male and female friends to rank the boots from worst to best, asking them to make their decision about whether they'd be happy to wear them (or have their SO's wear them). We then averaged these style scores. Some boots were controversial (in particular, the Baffin Enduro, which received a wide variety of scores) and ranked differently depending on who was doing the ranking, and how much each consultant liked rain boots.
It's hard to tell they're rain boots and not just shiny Chelsea boots!We love splashing through puddles in pseudo-dress shoesOur most valuable style consultant is a New Zealander, where rain boots (called "gumboots") are the unofficial national footwear and shine to their fullest potential when paired with rugby shorts - an aesthetic that we briefly experimented with before abandoning due to our lack of confidence. He's an Aucklander, not a country boy, so he's not as deep into the gumboot life as we've gotten during our stints on farms down there, but gumboots still run in his blood.
Our Kiwi agonizes over which boots are the most stylish.
Credit: Richard Forbes
We don't want you to feel that this style assessment provides any definitive takeaways, so please wear whatever strikes your fancy!
We are footwear nerds. We take sizing and fitting shoes extremely seriously, and we spend many hours deliberating which shoes fit perfectly, from backpacking boots, climbing shoes, ski boots, trail running shoes, to approach shoes, and even casual shoes like flip flops. But the truth is that you probably don't need a super technical fit from your rain boots, so save your fit obsessing for the technical gear.
The water distortion makes these boots look like clown-shoes - we promise they're not that ridiculous looking.
Credit: Richard Forbes
But if you're a tricky case, or if you just like talking and thinking about boot fitting, let's talk through some terms we've learned in our years of research:
In general, don't wear shoes (or rain boots) that match your measured "foot size." Your feet change size as you stand on them, and you also want extra room for thicker socks. So try to go up a half-size (or if there aren't half sizes, go up a full size — bigger shoes are better). And shoe sizes are complicated, so don't expect them to be consistent from brand to brand (or even model to model).
Our reviewers get US size 13s for every model except the Baffin Enduro (which our research suggested runs larger than average, and we've been happy with a size 12). All our boots fit pretty well. To be clear about what we're working with: our head tester has almost exactly US size 12 feet (though one is slightly longer than the other), and has a standard D width. These measurements are from a Brannock device, which can be found in any American footwear store. We generally wear 13s to ensure a healthy amount of toe space while keeping enough room to wear thick socks and in case we want to add insoles (socks and additional insoles generally add warmth and comfort).
A large part of our year is spent carrying rain boots from one testing ground to another.
Credit: Richard Forbes
If your feet are on the narrower side, take a look at the narrower Bogs Sauvie or the XTRATUF Legacy 15" (which feel just a bit narrower than standard). And if your feet are truly wide (EE or wider), the Bogs Workman features modular insoles that let you make the boots wider if you need it!
We call this one "Test Boots on Driftwood." Submitting to the curator of the Seattle Art Museum for possible inclusion...
Credit: Richard Forbes
If you spend a lot of time in wet and chilly weather, you owe it to yourself to get some rain boots. And if you haven't tried a pair on since the miserable days of clunky childhood rainboots, we promise that things have really turned around. There are some great models out there, give one of our award-winners a try. And, if you need a great pair of shoes geared towards water sports, we've tested the top-ranked men's water shoes , too.
If you have any questions on food processing boots, chemical resistant work boots, rubber rigger boots. We will give the professional answers to your questions.