Living in the Midwest, I am occasionally confronted with the need to venture outside in the cold and snow. To be honest, this is not my favorite thing. I am not a fan of either snow or cold weather, and would much rather sit by the toasty fire drinking hot cocoa. When I have to go out in cold snowy weather, I wear my Sorel boots.
Make no mistake, these are not fashion boots. They are on the large and clunky side. The uppers are tan leather, with the dark, weather resistant rubber on the foot. The soles are are thick and heavy. The boots are lined with felt, keeping the feet insulated and warm.
Sorel Boots have a reputation for holding up to cold and snow in the worst weather conditions. The company was founded in 1908 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada by William Kaufman. Sorel developed a boot that was durable, comfortable and resistant to cold weather.
Sorel was the first company to combine leather uppers, rubber bottoms and removable felt liners for the warmest, driest boots anywhere. Sorel is now a division of Columbia Sportswear Company and has been expanded.
Sorel still offers the classic Caribou, which is the original boot. Caribou is a seam sealed boot made of waterproof leather, removable ThermoPlus Liner and handcrafted rubber shell and outside. The waterproof boot is rated for temperature of minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 40 degrees Celsius.
I have owned my Sorel boots for several years. The boots do exactly what they claim to do, keep my feet warm and dry in frigid weather. The hardy boots still look rugged and nearly new. Because of their weight, I do not wear the Sorels every day. They are brought out for the worst weather conditions, or when I just need to trek to the end of the driveway to get the paper when it is snowing.
The boots are rugged and warm, but because of their heavy weight and bulk, I find them hard to drive in. These are boots make for trekking through the forest, shoveling snow, snowmobiling and other rugged winter activities. I don’t wear my Sorel boots daily,, but when I bring them out, for the worst weather conditions I am really happy to have them.
A look at the Sorel website reveals a selection of choices. Most of the Sorel boots still have a heavy,rugged wear look, but the are some women’s styles that are more fashionable and cute. Sedna is a twelve inch high suede boot faux fur trim. Ahnah is full grain leather boot with a fuzzy faux fur shaft, Sakari is a waterproof soft suede boot with Thinsulate insulations. The more fashionable boots are rated for cold weather conditions of down to 25 degrees instead of 40.
Sorel manufactures and distributes high quality, durable boots for men, women and children. I recommend Sorel Boots for people who live in frigid temperatures.
