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They probably won't be BIFL, but I recently bought the Lems Summit Waterproof boots. They have a "foot shaped" toe box and a relatively wide fit. I should be able to let you know how they fare on ice and snow within a couple of weeks.
They list a bunch of Canadian stockists on their website on the store locator page. I won't give a direct link because my comment already sounds enough like an ad.
Ah sorry damn I forgot to add I dont buy from lem's shoes. Ever again.
Bad experience?
veery bad. I oost 900 dollars cause of them....
Well this just makes me want to know more! I don't know that much about the company, but I didn't think they had any shoes or boots that expensive. Or was it a multi-pair fiasco?
Ya I bought 3 pairs and I tested them on carpeted floor , as they said, and when I returned all the shoes cause they didmt fit they didnt refund me for ANY the shoes. And remmeber that lem's return policy says no exceptions for international orders that are returned and not refunded for so.....
Check out Kodiak - they’re made in Canada iirc
I don’t know if they’re BIFL, but I bought a pair of Farmer Boots from RealFoot a few years back. Like all leather goods, they need proper care, but five years in and the only real sign of wear/tear is colour changes in the leather.
Doh! Sorry my fault I should have been more specific. Something that I notice about that boot is that there lat met to med met based on this picture of a foot https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Foot-sole-area-measurement-The-surface-areas-of-9-different-individual-regions-were_fig3_325610182
My feet are extremely wide through it s entirety .
From the lat arch to med arch of my foot that is probably wider than the distance from the lat met to med met for my foot.
My feet are slightly wide, all the way down, but very thick. These boots are the only ones I’ve ever found that actually fit well, probably because the boot itself is very flexible and malleable.
I don’t know if they’ll fit your “extremely wide” feet, though. They do have a few sizing guides that might help you answer that question?
huh now that I think aboit it you might be onto something . Cause my feet at wide so should the malleability of those soles be able to make my feet fit? Huh Ill see what I cam find on their website about this. Thank
Also I was wondering what is the lowest tempersture you have walked around in these boots in? I plan on walking like 10 or 20 KMs in -30 °C weather with these almost every day.
Wolverine 1883 Felix rain boot - leather, fur lined duck boot
Maybe a Sorel or LL Bean boot. They are only water proof up to a certain depth, but they both do pretty well in the winter.
It would help to know when you plan to wear them, what activities are you with them?
I plan on walking like 10 or 20 KMs in -30 °C weather with these almost every day. Yes in the snow, mud, rain, or ice. Whatever I encounter.
Depending on the depth of the snow, you may want to consider gaters.
As for the boots, you might be able to use a good pair of leather boots with lots of insulation (buy a size or 2 above what you need and wrap your feet up well). The advantage of full leather boots is that they can be maintained and repaired, whereas rubber will wear out eventually. Wearing the insulation will be better than having it built into the boot. Worn out socks are easier to replace than built-in insulation.
Regardless, look for Merrell out soles or plan to use crimp-ons for icy conditions.
or should I just get it custom made at this point?
I was thinking the same thing and was about to ask you what's your budget, cause they are super expensive. Another solution could be some boots made as work equipement. And sorry for not having something more specific, like a brand
Now that I think more about it, when we talk about boots that last forever like, this means to me that they will need to be repaired at some point. Why not ask a shoe repair service near you this too?
Actually Ill prbably just ask a shoe repair service how often the boots I get will probably need to be fixed
I bought iron rangers, thats classic bifl. But they are heavy and expensive and need some maintenance once a year and you need to wear thick socks inside for them to be comfortable. Bought them 5 years ago and so far they have not made any trouble. Can be resoled too.
Thanks.
Now when you say yearly maintenance....
I already have thick wool socks so I have that covered.
Yeah like cleaning and some leather fat to keep the leather from drying out and becoming brittle.
Does beeswax work well on leather in the plsce of leather fat ?
Or is beexwax more expensive than leather fat and therefore not worth considering when it comes to rubbing a waterproof layer on the leather?
Also what about vegetable oils, mineral oil and other oils if you happen to know about them please? I sae a dude create a waterproofing solution for his clothing where he xombined beeswax, paraffin wax, and mineral oil and it was flexible wuth the clothing and it worked!
