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I've always used Sorel's for winter hunting (whitetails from a tree stand or late season glassing for elk/mule deer) and occasionally some ice fishing or predator hunting. I generally don't hike in these type of boots and if I do, it's a very short distance (500 yards). My Sorel's lasted forever, but it was time to get another pair. My last pair were rated for really cold weather, but I figured I would go even more extreme. I figure why not? I wanted something with enough stiffness to be able to climb a hill. Some of the other pack boots, especially those with nylon uppers, just collapse when hiking on any type of a hill. Heaven forbid you ever need to side-hill for a bit, you'll roll your ankle or they'll slip right out from under you. So some reasonable level of support and tread was needed.As others have stated, these run very small. I typically wear a size 11.5 sneaker and in shoes I'll go 11 or 11.5. I ordered size 12 and 13 in these boots. I couldn't even get my foot into the 12 and the 13 was too tight with just a silk sock liner on. My goal is to wear a very thin sock liner and then a medium weight wool hiking sock. This is what I typically wear in all my hiking boots, even in the summer, so it's not a bulky setup by any means. That setup often fits in a size 12 boot for me. So I returned the 12s and 13s and ordered the 14's and 15's. I figured with free shipping and returns why not. Plus they were on sale for $130, so I really wanted to find a solution. The 15s were clearly too big. The 14s were good, even with the my sock setup on. After some careful testing around the house I decided to return them for a couple reasons:1) When I simulated hiking up hill the boot flexed in such a manner that the top of the boot (the rubber above my arch) would flex inward, towards my foot. This would put hard pressure on the top of my foot, above the arch. If wasn't a deal breaker per se, but it felt uncomfortable. It's just the way the book collapsed as it flexed.2) While these feel more stable and solid than most pack boots, they still didn't feel as solid as my current Sorels. (Not all Sorels are solid, they have huge differences too). These gave pretty good ankle support, but I felt I could find better.3) Liner - it's more of poly liner, almost puffy without real substance around the sides and top. Similar to a Thinsulate liner. If your foot pushed off to one side, it felt like the liner was collapsing and your foot was much closer to the rubber outside (which is cold). It may work great for warmth when sitting still and not moving, but I felt it would reduce the thermal insulating benefits for me. It just didn't have the same substance as a good solid, thick, wool liner.PROs- Good construction- Good tread for gripping the ground- Nice sharp edge lines to grip while side-hilling (rounded edges are the worst!)- Decent stiffness in soleUNDECIDED- Rates well for cold weather, but I didn't test it. So I would be curious to see how warm it really was given my observations of the liner.- Leather outside - I'm not saying it was, but it also appeared like a "pleather". It certainly wasn't the same rock solid leather I typically see in hiking boots or my past Sorel pack boots. It didn't look like it would absorb a snow sealer. So I was a little skeptical to see how they would hold up. Not a huge concern, given I don't beat my pack boots up too much, but something I would watch out for.CONs- Runs very small- While better than most, still felt there are pack boots out there that offer more ankle support- Non-wool liner, felt little too soft and wasn't holding it's loft the way a good felt liner does. Could create cold spots.I really wanted these boots to work for me and walk away feeling they were the best. While they offer a great value at the sale price, I would pay more to find a boot where I was 100% satisfied.These boots are rated for polar use and they come as advertised. I've been ice fishing with them a half dozen times since receiving them and have never had cold toes, which I had with my Sorels since the day I purchased them. Bulky as expected, but very comfortable. Well worth the money if you enjoy the outdoors in snow regions.I use the Baffin Apex treestand hunting in NW MT for elk and the upper Midwest for deer. Treestand hunting requires you to be virtually motionless and the wind also attacks the bottom of your feet. I use them whenever the temperature is below 20F and I know I will be motionless. Due to the 8-layer insulation the cold and wind has not penetrated the top or bottom of the boot and kept my feet warm to -10F over a 4 hour period of sitting. I am very warm blooded and do spend a great deal of time outdoors all year round. To not sweat your feet on your way out, walk very slowly or your feet will be cold in any boot. Sweating reduces footwear insulation 19-25% (30-37% in toes).Sizing: I am a size 8-1/2 dress shoe, 9 running shoe, and a size 9 Baffin Apex is tight with only a liner. Due to my very cold use requirements I went to a a size 11 to accommodate for the polypropylene liner, heavy wool sock and Bama Sockett I use to keep my feet warm for those long motionless sits. For deep snow use I also purchased the Baffin Endurance with a draw cord top cuff or you can buy extra large gaiters.FYI: I am still working on it, but from extensive reading about boot temperature measuring, it seems to only be a general reference about a 30 minute static machine test to measure a 10C drop in temp. To me cold ratings mean: -50F = cold use boot, -100F = very cold use boot, -150% = severe cold boot and don't expect to be standing in these prolonged temps with warm feet. These ratings also don't seem to take into account moisture and that every person is different in how their body regulates temperature. Best MT Elk HunterI got these just in time to wear in -10 degree temperatures with a -20 wind chill and was able to sit for three hours without my feet getting cool let alone cold. I have owned several extreme cold weather boots(Rocky, Sorel, and Cabela's) and these are easily the warmest I have worn. I wear a size 11 to 11 1/2 shoe and bought a 13. Glad I did. The boot fits perfect with a extra-heavy(Smartwool or Filson ) wool sock. Not tight, enough room move my toes inside the boot freely, but not enough room to feel sloppy while walking. I was looking for a pair of boots to crow hunt or still/stand hunting in freezing or sub zero temperatures where I am doing little to no moving and am quite happy with this purchase. I had to put sno-seal on the leather of the boot as the literature that came with the boot stated "water resistant leather". The rubber bottoms of the boots are, of course, waterproof. Not a deal breaker for me but if you need or have to have a boot with a waterproof liner like Gore-Tex this is not it. It's also not a boot if you plan on walking a lot. It's fairly light and I was amazed at how easy it was to walk around for a pac boot but it would be too warm to walk around all day/long distances without sweating. But lets face it if your looking for a pac boot your looking at it for warmth not mobility.it is amazing comfy boots, like having pillow on your foot that keeps you warm from harsh cold climate, but few things about this product: 1. the photo needs to be updated to newer model that doesn't have stitchings on the leather tongue, instead it is stamped . 2. like everybody mentioned, buy a size up as the liner inside the shoes will squeeze ur legs causing poor circulation. 3. when you receive the product check the stitching/glue worksmanship on the midfoot where leather upper and rubber base connect, mine was not properly glued to my satisfaction and felt like water would seep inside from it so i used some krazy glue to reinforce it and it is all good.These are some serious boots! I bought them for myself, I wear a size 7 ladies and these size 7 mens fit just perfect with normal socks, I doubt I’ll be able to wear think wool socks with them, but for the rating I don’t believe I’ll need the thick wool socks anyhow. They are quite comfortable even though they are kinda clunky, but that’s expected with the layers of warmth. I’m not complaining, especially won’t be complaining of cold feet this winter out getting fire wood!Supper confortable et excellente technologie afin de séparer l'humidité du pied.Prévoir 1 taille plus grande que votre pointure habituel.Un des rivets c'est détacher après ma 4e utilisations par contre.Cela dit, sa reste ma meilleur paire de botte de neige à vie ;)Full leather upper is much more resistant to aging than any fabric shell. The soft rubber tread is great for grip on icy surfaces and does not get stiff in the cold. Suggest you upsize 1 whole size, the insulation on these boots is thick! Speed laces are nice and make it easy to tighten it all up. Weight is appropriate for boots that allow you to stand around in fridgid & wet conditions and maintain comfort for hours.I have Diabetes and important to keep my feet warm and have a 1/4 Great Dane(1/4) Pyrenees dog that loves snow and walks at dog park.I expected these boots to be warm as they promote -100(-148f) durable and price was high and always heard good things about Baffin.First day I used them it was -20 out were fantastic.
