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I was watching ebay and saw some military issue mukluks/bunny boots as well as some fur canadian mukluks etc.. For tall winter boots not hunting boots whats the consensus among you serious cold weather guys?

Tex


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Bunny boots ain't mukluks.

� Bunny boots are shaped thick white felt and look like over-sized boots.

� Surplus military mukluks are virtually shapeless � leather soles with canvas uppers � and look like lace-up leisure socks.

� Either one is very, very good cold-weather foot-gear in dry snow but not much good in wet weather or wet snow.

� Real fur mukluks, the Inuit inspiration for the mass-produced military imitations, are unsurpassed for cold-weather wear � oogruk soles, seal-skin uppers, with heavy wool socks inside.


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Why aren't bunny boots good in wet weather or wet snow?

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I wear Steger Mukluks when its cold enough. I have the Arctic double-wides. If it is at all wet out there are better choices. But if it will be in the 20s or colder there is nothing better.

I was ice fishing once in 20 below and my feet remained toasty standing around for 6 hours.

http://www.mukluks.com/


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The bunny boots I'm familiar with are two layers of waterproof rubber, with wool between them. The come in black or white versions. The white version has a lower temp comfort rating.

It's not uncommon for your feet to sweat while wearing them, but they are extremely warm. Even in wet snow.

Probably too warm, for most activities....

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I can only wear mine if I am out all day (~8hrs+), standing on ice like ice fishing, or if it is 0 degrees or colder.

A friend who at the time was a graduate student in Volcanology at the Gee Whiz at UAF wore a pair of bunnies on Mt Augustine after the '75 (IIRC) eruption. Feet stayed cool and the boots came back white from the pumice scrub!

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Quote
The bunny boots I'm familiar with are two layers of waterproof rubber, with wool between them. The come in black or white versions. The white version has a lower temp comfort rating.
It's not uncommon for your feet to sweat while wearing them, but they are extremely warm. Even in wet snow. Probably too warm, for most activities....
We knew only the black version in the 1950s and called 'em "Mickey Mouse boots" for obvious reasons. (I thought they were water-proof rubber with foam between the inner and outer layers.)

The white Arctic-issue boots of old were, as I've described 'em already, white felt. I threw my Mickey Mouse boots away after one elk hunt here in western Montana � they'd collected enough foot sweat to measure with a measuring cup when I wrung-out my socks. Meanwhile, my feet were cold if I wasn't moving enough to keep 'em warm. Then they sweated, and the impervious rubber held-in all that moisture.

The felt bunny boots and white-canvas military mukluks no longer keep your feet warm when they get soaked. As long as they're dry, they're great. Wet, they're like sponges.


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In 1969 I was wearing the white bunny boots on a caribou hunt at Paxson. It was unbelievably cold!!! Froze the big toe on my right foot. Left it a little shorter than it was. I am not impressed. The sweat that accumulates becomes a huge hazard when the motion stops...
art


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I was stationed in Fairbanks in the Army a few years ago and had the green mucklucks and white Bunny Boots issued to me. The Bunny's are vapor barrier boots, so there is no air circulation, they are warm, but you have to change socks and dry your feet to prevent immersion foot, kind of like soaking your feet in warm water all day.
The mucklucks were great if you replaced the white felt with Sorel blue and put a couple of felt pads (insoles) under them.
However, we all used Herman Survivors (sold through clothing sales and authorized to wear in uniform) if we were doing much walking. The mucklucks have no ankle support and no insole support, and the bunny boots were just too heavy to walk in.
The canvas Mucklucks should be treated with a spray to waterproof them (we used CampDry) because it was available. For our own use, most the guys used either Sorel Caribous or similiar boots, oversized, and added felt packs as we saw fit.
Hope this helps.

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most folks that do extended outdoor stuff around here use boots not mukluks.... "sorel" is a popular and respected brand in these parts. Removable liners are a must (to allow proper drying), and select the style having the structure/ankle support appropriate for what you will be doing. Personally I try and buy boots made in canada.. not so much because of national pride, but because I know the rubber compound was really designed for -40oC and will not get slippery or stiff when it does get cool. The outer material of cheapo (=imported) boots often changes drastically between room temp and real use temp. I've seen some actually crack. Buy 'em with enough space to allow some air space/wiggle room around your toes, but they shouldn't be so loose fitting that your heel moves around. Fit is important enough that I wouldn't buy boots off ebay.

Anyway that's my $02... our low temps over the weekend are -24oC... "startin' to feel a lot like christmas.." <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

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"Bunny" boots are those big rubber military surplus boots that look like they belong in a cartoon. They make your feet sweat, they are heavy and they don't fit tightly so you get blisters. They are torture devices that should be agressively avoided.

Pak boots are a two-part boot, usually with a insulating felt liner and a rubber outer boot with leather uppers. The best are made by Sorrel. It's miserable to try to walk any distance in pak boots. But they work OK if you don't plan on walking; just sitting or standing.

Mukluks are insulated boots with an integral knee-high gaiter. Mukluks are more comfortable and there's a military surplus variety that's not a bad solution for cold weather hunting. But they don't really keep your feet warm when it's really cold and you're just standing or sitting.

Modern mountaineering boots are a good compromise. Mountaineering boots are similar to ski boots in that they have an inner insulated boot and an outer plastic shell. The shell has a some flexibility in the ankles so you can walk in them. They will keep your feet warm in the coldest conditions but they are intended for short approach hikes and ice climbing. It's not easy to walk in them.

For passive endeavors in really cold weather, I recommend either pak boots or mountaineering boots. If you are going to use this kind of footwear it better be really cold. Like you will be standing on ice for ice fishing or goose hunting with single digit air temps and some wind chill.

For hunting in snow, I recommend a good pair of insulated hiking boots (with a pair of OR gaiters) or the military surplus variety of mukluks.

KC


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I've never used bunny boots. I have two pairs of Sorel pack boots, one pair has leather uppers, and the other pair has cordura uppers. Pack boots are good if you aren't walking long distances. I picked up a pair of mounataineering boots this fall, and they are much better for hiking in, and crampon compatable.

It really depends on what you are doing. If you want to keep your feet tosty in a cold stand or blind, get pack boots. If you want to travel any distance, get some mountaineering boots and gaiters.

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I have about three sets of Schnees, made in Bozeman, MT, for various purposes. They are a pack boot, but made for walking. I have covered lots of miles in a day in them, without difficulty. One pair even has pointy toes for riding, and they are the only boot that has ever kept my feet warm on horseback in sub-zero conditions. If I'm going to be moving more than not, thinsulate-insulated Gore-tex lined leather/cordura boots with airbob soles work "the best" for me -- unless I'm in SE Alaska. Pack boots with interchangeable liners are much more likely to keep your feet dry and warm in cool (25-45 Farenheit) and extremely wet conditions.

Fit is CRITICAL, as has been stated. I am extremely reluctant to buy boots over the internet -- though I did order my new Hoffman corks sight unseen. They will get a test this weekend...


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I have a pair of "new" black "Mickey Mouse" boots bought from Cabela's some years ago; they are for stand hunting as they keep your feet warm and are scent free, which other boots are not. I have used a variety of pac boots for work and play here in B.C., including Sorels which I detest; they have no ankle support in steep country.

I do buy gear based on Canadian national pride, but, i am not going to suffer for doing so. While there may be equal or better pacboots I am unaware of, Schnee's in Montana are now my exclusive choice for cold weather boots after about 13 yrs. using them.

I use mountaineering boots a lot, but, I have had frostbite from them in really cold weather and find Schnee's with spare liners much more comfy and versatile.

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Quote
In 1969 I was wearing the white bunny boots on a caribou hunt at Paxson. It was unbelievably cold!!! Froze the big toe on my right foot. Left it a little shorter than it was. I am not impressed. The sweat that accumulates becomes a huge hazard when the motion stops...
art


In 1969....I was still in solution. <grin>

dave

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But were you frozen... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />


"The more you run over a dead cat, the flatter it gets."

"If you're asking me something technical, you may be looking for My Other Brother Darrell."

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<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

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I work outside most of the winter. Sorel and LaCrosse dominate the really-freakin'-cold weather market here. I would actually be afraid to try something different out of the fear becoming "JOG Nine-toes".

The ultimate test of a cold weather boot is standing in one spot on frozen blacktop or cement all day. Cold radiates up through the bottom of the boot where the lining is compressed by your body weight. Sorel or LaCrosse - tens of thousands of Minnesotans can be wrong about presidential candidates but not about warm feet.


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David
And now you find yourself merely insolvent??? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> I do! oOn't worry about the test tube thing too much though... at least you had a womb with a view!
art


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"Cold radiates up through the bottom of the boot where the lining is compressed by your body weight."

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Wrong answer!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> You just struck a pet peeve of this peevish old fool. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Trust your hide is plenty thick to handle the correction... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

No such thing as an entity or state of being known as "cold." There is an absence of heat, and heat might be conducted away through a cold part of the body, such as chilled feet, but Cold does not get radiated anywhere...

Laws of thermodynamics state energy can not move from an engine at a lower temp to an engine at higher temp unless work is done on the engine... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
art


Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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