ricky racer
Well-Known Member
While walking back from hunting this morning after a 3 hour sit (12-15 degrees outside), I thought I'd make a post about an inexpensive boot combination that I have used the last few years with great success in cold weather. These are US Military surplus N-1B Extreme Cold Weather Mukluk's. The boots can be purchased off of Ebay for between $20-$60. They come with a wool felt liner which I remove and replace them with a pair of Wiggy's Sun Walker 2, pack boot liners https://www.wiggys.com/footwear/sunwalker-2/. Mine also came with 2 wool felt insoles in each boot. I've kept them in the boots.
At first glance, you may wonder why the boots are made of canvas with no insulation built into the boot. The only insulation is the liners and the 2 wool felt insoles that mine came with. The reason for the canvas is to allow the perspiration from your feet to permeate through the fabric to keep your feet dry. The insulation you choose is up to you. You can keep the wool felt that they come with or opt for some other insulation. I choose the Sun Walker 2's because of the Lamilite insulation which I feel is far superior to any other insulation made. The Lamilite doesn't absorb the moisture from your foot, it passes the moisture on through the insulation allowing it to escape and evaporate. That in conjunction with the canvas exterior to the boot allow all foot moisture to escape keeping your feet dry. Of course I wear Wiggy's Lamilite socks https://www.wiggys.com/specials/15-off-sale/13-lamilite-socks/ instead of wool socks again because the Lamilite moves the moisture away from my feet instead of holding it like the wools socks did that I've tried with this combination.
Prior to using these Mukluks I sprayed them down with Atsko Silicone Water Guard. It doesn't make them waterproof but it does help water to roll off of them when I break through the ice and step into the water below. One thing I like about them is I can lace them up tightly for walking making them much easier to walk in. If I'm on stand and I'm afraid that my feet may get cold, I can loosen the laces up to allow the Lamilite to loft more increasing its insulation capacity but in the few years I've used this combination, I haven't had to do that yet. If I were out in subzero weather I would probably pack my Wiggy's Mukluks, https://www.wiggys.com/footwear/wiggys-mukluks/. The N-1B's (size large 11-12) won't quite fit in my Wiggy's Mukluks (Large 10-12) but if needed, I could slip my feet out of the N-1B's and slip my foot with the Sun Walkers into Wiggy's Mukluks. There's no way my feet could ever get cold in those. If I were to do it all over, I would have purchased the Wiggy's Mukluks in size XL (13-15) and the N-1B's would have fit nicely in them. One other thing that I really like about these N-1B's is they are light weight, not near as heavy as the old Micky Mouse boots I wore decades ago.
Again, these N-1B's are canvas and not intended for warmer, wet weather. Like any Mukluk, it's made for dry cold weather. If you choose to wear these in say, 35 degree weather and have to wade through snow, they will likely get wet from the wet snow as will any Mukluk. All Mukluks are made to be worn in dry cold weather (below freezing) since all Mukluks are made to be vapor permeable to allow your feet to stay dry.
At first glance, you may wonder why the boots are made of canvas with no insulation built into the boot. The only insulation is the liners and the 2 wool felt insoles that mine came with. The reason for the canvas is to allow the perspiration from your feet to permeate through the fabric to keep your feet dry. The insulation you choose is up to you. You can keep the wool felt that they come with or opt for some other insulation. I choose the Sun Walker 2's because of the Lamilite insulation which I feel is far superior to any other insulation made. The Lamilite doesn't absorb the moisture from your foot, it passes the moisture on through the insulation allowing it to escape and evaporate. That in conjunction with the canvas exterior to the boot allow all foot moisture to escape keeping your feet dry. Of course I wear Wiggy's Lamilite socks https://www.wiggys.com/specials/15-off-sale/13-lamilite-socks/ instead of wool socks again because the Lamilite moves the moisture away from my feet instead of holding it like the wools socks did that I've tried with this combination.
Prior to using these Mukluks I sprayed them down with Atsko Silicone Water Guard. It doesn't make them waterproof but it does help water to roll off of them when I break through the ice and step into the water below. One thing I like about them is I can lace them up tightly for walking making them much easier to walk in. If I'm on stand and I'm afraid that my feet may get cold, I can loosen the laces up to allow the Lamilite to loft more increasing its insulation capacity but in the few years I've used this combination, I haven't had to do that yet. If I were out in subzero weather I would probably pack my Wiggy's Mukluks, https://www.wiggys.com/footwear/wiggys-mukluks/. The N-1B's (size large 11-12) won't quite fit in my Wiggy's Mukluks (Large 10-12) but if needed, I could slip my feet out of the N-1B's and slip my foot with the Sun Walkers into Wiggy's Mukluks. There's no way my feet could ever get cold in those. If I were to do it all over, I would have purchased the Wiggy's Mukluks in size XL (13-15) and the N-1B's would have fit nicely in them. One other thing that I really like about these N-1B's is they are light weight, not near as heavy as the old Micky Mouse boots I wore decades ago.
Again, these N-1B's are canvas and not intended for warmer, wet weather. Like any Mukluk, it's made for dry cold weather. If you choose to wear these in say, 35 degree weather and have to wade through snow, they will likely get wet from the wet snow as will any Mukluk. All Mukluks are made to be worn in dry cold weather (below freezing) since all Mukluks are made to be vapor permeable to allow your feet to stay dry.
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