When winter comes knocking, most of us are unprepared for the cold spells and heavy snowfall. Usually we have a decent coat or two but footwear often gets overlooked. However, there’s nothing better than a good pair of snow boots to stay warm and dry.
Having conducted our own tests and reviews, here are our top picks for the Best Snow Boots For Men that you can buy online:
- Duck Boot: Sorel Caribou Wool
- Duck Boot: Sorel Cheyanne
- Hiking Boot: Irish Setter Elk Tracker
- Work Boot: Wolverine Glacier Ice Durashock
- Walking Boot: New Balance BM1000v1
- Slip-On Boot: Bog Classic Ultra Mid
- Blucher Boot: Johnston & Murphy Shearling
- Dress Boot: Allen Edmonds Dalton Wingtip
If you’re interested in a particular pair, you can use the links above to jump ahead. You’ll also learn the typical characteristics of snow boots in terms of design, functionality and construction.
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- Style: Duck Boots
- Formality: Casual
- Pricing: $170 [Buy Now On Zappos]
Overview
Our current favourites from braving harsh snow, the Caribou boots by Sorel can withstand temperatures as low as -40°C / -40°F thanks to the lambswool lining. Featuring a duck boot design, they’re waterproof and solid with an insulated rubber sole.
How To Wear
Great for both urban and rustic landscapes, you can sport these in either the city or the countryside. They’re quite sturdy and not necessarily the most stylish footwear so we’d pack a second pair of shoes if you wear these for your commute.
Best Colors
We’re quite fond of the pebbled leather upper of the brown boots. However, you can sport these in black instead. However, they’re not going to be particularly formal!
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- Style: Duck Boots
- Formality: Casual
- Pricing: $155 [Buy Now On Zappos]
Overview
A great alternative to the Caribou, Sorel’s Cheyanne is a classic duck boot. They’re lighter and more flexible so would be a potentially easier choice if worn for shorter errands or commutes in the cold.
How To Wear
As they’re lighter and less heavy duty than the Cheyanne boots, they’re easier to wear with a little flair. Casually, these look absolutely fine. However, we’d again carry a second pair of shoes if commuting to the office.
Best Colors
Each colour variants sports a different leather upper whilst the soles are consistently black. We’re fond of the blue but there’s also black and tan.
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- Style: Hiking Boots
- Formality: Casual
- Pricing: $260 [Buy Now On Zappos]
Overview
When Sorel’s creations don’t quite cut it, we’d turn to Red Wing’s outdoor brand, Irish Setter. The Elk Trackers are impressive boots with Gore-Tex and Thinsulate lining. They also look incredible!
How To Wear
At 12 inches high, these are very tall walking boots. However, we feel that they can still be worn fashionably with the right casual attire. If it’s possible, throw in a little tweed for that rustic mountaineer look.
Best Colors
We’re fond of the brown leather as it’s easier to incorporate into a wardrobe than the black. Its natural connotations look great with wool and fur (synthetic or otherwise) garments.
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- Style: Work Boot
- Formality: Casual
- Pricing: $250 [Buy From Wolverine]
Overview
Whilst we’re fond of the Legend Durashocks by Wolverine, the Glacier Ice are much more appropriate to braving cold weather when on-site. Their Vibram Arctic Grip prevents slips on ice whilst a waterproof breathable membrane keeps your feet dry. They’re also ASTM F2413 approved!
How To Wear
We’d actually rate these as great snow boots in general and not exclusively for work. They’re quite stylish and would fare well with rugged and rustic casual wardrobes. Meanwhile, anyone undertaking any form of manual work would enjoy wearing these.
Best Colors
Available in either brown or black, we’re very fond of the former. The brown has a beautiful distressed suede look that’s water resistance. Therefore, we find it much more stylish.
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- Style: Walking Boots
- Formality: Casual
- Pricing: $150 [Buy Now On Zappos]
Overview
There are many great walking boots for the snow such as the Asolo Fugitive GTX. However, we have a preference for the New Balance boots when it comes to purely snow boots. A nylon shank ensures stability whilst the waterproof membrane keeps your feet dry and a lugged outsole prevents slippage.
How To Wear
Great for the city as well as countryside excursions, their modern design makes them well adapted to urban environments. These are naturally a very casual boot that goes best with more modern warm clothing.
Best Colors
We have a preference for the dark green and orange as they’ll look best in urban settings. However, both other colour options look pretty stylish too.
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- Style: Wellington Boot
- Formality: Casual
- Pricing: $130 [Buy Now On Zappos]
Overview
Whilst we were tempted to include classic Wellington boots, we were surprised and impressed when we stumbled upon these. Able to withstands temperatures as low as -40°F / -40°C, they’re very durable and made from hand-lasted natural rubber laid over a 4-way stretch SBR/CR bootie. We also love the handles for easy application.
How To Wear
A much more streamlined and understated boot, they’re also very convenient for quick removal. The handles make them easy to slip on and off, which is perfect when using them for a morning commute in the snow.
Best Colors
Only available in black, we would have liked to have seen other colour options for extra styling opportunities. However, that’s the way it is!
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- Style: Blucher Boot
- Formality: Business Casual
- Pricing: $225 [Buy On Johnston & Murphy]
Overview
If you’re looking for a more stylish snow boot, then we’d recommend these beautiful blucher boots by Johnston & Murphy. With a genuine shearling lining and well-designed storm welt, these will keep your feet warm and dry whilst offering the ability to recraft them. Meanwhile, the crepe rubber sole provides excellent traction.
How To Wear
Whilst not as heavy duty as other boots featured here, they’re still an excellent option for when braving the snow. Not only are they great for commuting but they’re a top choice for nights out. With their more stylish appearance, there’s no need to carry a second pair of shoes or boots to replace them when you arrive at your destination.
Best Colors
Whilst only available in brown, this would have been our first choice in colour given the style. However, a black option would have been handy for those seeking a formal boot that’s adapted to snowy conditions.
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- Style: Brogues
- Formality: Business Casual
- Pricing: $420 [Buy From Allen Edmonds]
Overview
Although not strictly snow boots, we’ve been impressed by their performance in harsh weather. These traditional dress boots from Allen Edmonds feature a Dainite rubber sole for extra traction as well as a Goodyear welt for superior water resistance.
How To Wear
These are by far the most formal boots on this list. Furthermore, they’re compatible with both casual and formal dress codes. Therefore, feel free to style them with anything from jeans all the way to a three-piece suit.
Best Colors
Without the Dainite soles, they’re available in several colours. However, you’d lose out on the benefits if you took those. With them, they’re available in either brown or black. Contrary to our usual advice, we’d recommend them in the black calfskin leather for a more stylish and formal yet hard-wearing boot.
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What Are Snow Boots?
As the name unambiguously suggests, snow boots are designed for wearing in the snow. Therefore, they feature particular characteristics in order to provide the best protection from the environment as well as a superior level of comfort.
As a general rule, they’re waterproof as opposed to general winter boots where it isn’t always the case. This prevents snow from melting on the boot and the resulting water from seeping inside.
Furthermore, they tend to offer in-built insulation in order to keep the wearer warm, which can be achieved a number of different ways. Finally, they ought to also feature improved traction in the soles, which prevents slips and falls on the ice.
However, snow boots also tend to have a couple of other intuitive features for an a higher-level of comfort.
Snow Boot Features
Asides from the above, snow boots can have other characteristics that will improve the wearer’s experience. For instance, snow boots aren’t made for a light dusting of snow but usually a few good inches.
Therefore, they often have taller and deeper soles, which ensure that the feet remain slightly above a decent layer of snow. This adds to the water resistance but also provides some stability to the wearer.
Similarly, a shank in the boot ensures an extra level of stability, which is particularly helpful in slippery conditions.
In terms of waterproofing, this can be achieved by using high-density rubbers and synthetic materials such as Gore-Tex. However, there are traditional boots that will feature high-quality leather that is much less porous than lower grades.
Furthermore, traditional boots will use welting techniques in their construction for better water resistance. For example, the Johnston & Murphy Shearling above uses the renowned Storm welt, which adds extra water resistance. Meanwhile, the Allen Edmonds Dalton feature a 360° Goodyear welt.
Although we’ve featured a variety of boots, conventional snow boots are very tall and tend to extend higher than regular hiking boots. This prevents deep snow from falling in.
Finally, snow boots will use materials like Thinsulate or natural wool for insulation. This is even present in the Johnston & Murphy Shearling but the Allen Edmonds are the only ones that don’t have such a feature. After all, they aren’t technically snow boots.
When To Wear Snow Boots
Whilst trying not to state the obvious, snow boots are best worn in snowy weather. However, they don’t need to be worn in particularly severe blizzards to be beneficial for the wearer.
Snow boots will provide both protection from hidden ice as well as comfort even when there’s only a light coating of snow. When the snow begins to melt, it can also get particularly wet and slushy. In these situations, snow boots are still desirable and even necessary.
Furthermore, it’s becoming increasingly common to see them being worn in the city. After all, they offer much better safety than regular boots. Those who live in urban areas with harsh winters will often rely on heavy-duty footwear just for regular errands such as shopping.
What Next?
Having now explored the best snow boots for men, consider checking out some of our related shoe and boot guides:
- Best Men’s Winter Boots
- Warmest Winter Boots For Men
- Best Winter Boots Under $300
- Best Men’s Snow Boots Under $100
"Warm and dry feet. A great selection of boots with different styles and budgets!"Rating: 5.0 ★★★★★
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Thanks for this very nice and helpful review, Now I can select the best one.
You’re welcome!