At what point do you need plastic mountaineering boots ?

[Pete_Hickey]

That being said, The leathers aren't the greatest for vertical ice climbing, the boots will flex too much not allowing me a great bite, so I'm going to spring for some plastics this winter. For non-vertical and hiking though, I love them.

???? I have a pair of leather boots (montrail) that are MADE for verticle ice climbing. They have a hardwood base inside (forget the technical term for that. Stiff as plastic boots for sure.

 

[Artex]

I'm just leaving myself with frozen boots in the morning, and I've managed to tough that out so far. I guess above tree line or much below 0 you wouldn't want to start your day with frozen boots, but I think the downside with fit and comfort would be greater for most of my hiking.

There are a few tricks to keep them warm in sub-zero weather. I throw my leather boots in my stuff sack, and keep them inside my sleeping bag at night, along with a Nalgene filled with hot water. It works great, but obviously you'll have less room at the bottom of your bag.

So far, I've never worn plastic boots or had a strong desire to buy them because I've had no problems with leather. For me, it's a matter of "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" (which isn't to say I wouldn't like plastics should I ever get around to trying them).

 

[DougPaul]

That being said, The leathers aren't the greatest for vertical ice climbing, the boots will flex too much not allowing me a great bite, so I'm going to spring for some plastics this winter. For non-vertical and hiking though, I love them.

Both rigid and flexible sole winter leather is/was available--I also have rigid double leather boots (Galibier Makalu) intended for technical climbing. I use rigid crampons with them. Fine on steep ice.

I take the inners in the sleeping bag at night. The outers have frozen, but not the inners.

Doug

 

[David Metsky]

If you wear plastic boots and can deal with the pain all the power to ya!

I wouldn't base your opinion of plastic boots on hiking in a single pair. Plastic boots, like any broad range of gear, fit differently and have different characteristics. For most hikers in the Whites, the softest plastics will be fine, and much more comfortable. While there is a little bit of Frankenstein feeling while rock hopping, they more than make up for it IMO with their other advantages.

Mine are cozy comfy and I never think twice about wearing them.

-dave-

 

[Lawn Sale]

Sorry, I was equating my experiences to my leather boots, not all leathers.

Also, what type of sleeping bags do you guys use in the winter, I doubt I could get my boots into mine for the night and sleep comfortably.

 

[KayakDan]

Mrs KD and I have used Degres in the winter for about 6 years. My primary reason for buying them was a good platform for step in crampons. We purchased BD Sabretooths,to eliminate having to strap on the G-10s in below zero weather. I now alternate between waterproofed leather boots and the Degres,depending on the conditions. I still use G10s with leather boots sometimes,if it's not really cold,or the trail is easy.
One note of caution to new plastic boot users. They are serious boots,but they don't need to be cranked up seriously tight on your feet! Inner liners can be slightly snug,but leave some slack for your shins in the outer shells. This applies to trails,not to technical stuff.

 

[Haystacker]

I've got Degres and I've got Kamik double insulated pack boots... I'd prefer to hike in the Kamik's, but fitting crampons to them would be difficult. The Degres fit crampons like a glove... never come loose.
Unfortunately, I think it sometimes takes multiple purchases before you find the perfect winter boot.

 

[Bob Kittredge]

When I started winter hiking, I tried a pair of Koflach Degres but returned them after spending 30 minutes on a treadmill at the Y. Too damned heavy.

So I went instead with Columbia Excellerators, a waterproof, insulated (-40) single boot. I love them. The are considerably stiffer than floppy old Sorels, give my feet good support, and take a strap-on crampon very nicely.

But then I don't backpack, where a double boot would be better, and I don't do extended hikes above treeline, where the ability to take a step-in crampon would be a definite plus.

 

[Woody]

I would agree that you don't need plastic boot while hiking in the Whites. I have found that my feet stay much warmer while standing around and not hiking such as when belaying my partner on ice climbs.

I don't wear the liners to my Koflach plastic boots while sleeping at night during winter camping trips but I do put the liners down in the bottom of my sleeping bag while I sleep. I find that they dry out during the night that way and are relatively warm in the morning when I put them on. When it is really cold I'll put a water bottle full of hot water in the bottom of the bag as well (make sure the top is on tight!). A couple of chemical warmers also work.

I also have very wide feet and when I first started to wear the Koflachs they hurt my feet. I took the plastic outer boot - after I had marked the spots that made my feet hurt - to the local hockey gear shop. They had a press in there that they use to punch out painful spots on skates, so I figured it would work as well for my plastics. (I spend a fair amount of cash in there so they didn't have a problem doing this for me) I'm sure many ski shops could also do this for you. Since I made this adjustment, my boots feel great. I recently wore them for a week straight while climbing Rainier with no problems at all.