Kodiak Surrey Boots

The calendar says that it’s spring even though it’s -7 outside. It’s supposed to warm up to +11 on Wednesday but we’ll be back below zero on Friday, March 27. This weather sucks. The only upside is that all this cold, crappy weather gives me more excuses to wear my Kodiak Surrey boots, which I picked up back in the fall.

While they aren’t my only winter boots, they are my primary pair and I’ve worn them for the bulk of what I believe is Toronto’s coldest winter on record. During that time they’ve kept my feet dry, warm and thanks to having "waterproof leather with sealed seams," "waterproof membrane construction" and a "felted wool collar." They are even sort of stylish, as I’ve seen similar, but much pricier, boots highlighted in a couple fashion magazines.

Winter Boots: It Shouldn't Be This Hard

My new winter boots

I wish that, come each September, someone would open pop-up shop called Practical Winter Boots. As the name suggests, this store would specialize in winter boots that actually function as winter boots. This means that it would only sell boots that were warm, waterproof,and suitable for running after streetcar while on an icy road (in other words, minimal heels). There would also be a nice selection of boots that fit those of us who have more athletic calves.

If such a shop were to open, it would rake in the cash because while there are hundreds of stores in this city selling hundreds of pairs of boots, it is damn hard to find functional, waterproof winter boots that are also comfortable and, in my case, fit my man legs.

Good Winter Boots, Why Are You So Hard To Find?

Oh, this ugly trend is available in four colours

This past weekend I picked up a new pair of winter boots. Yes, it’s only September but experience has taught me that in order to secure a pair of size nine boots that meet my many requirements, I need to shop early.

And what are those requirements? Well, for me, the ideal pair of winter boot needs to:

• Have a tough sole that will provide traction (I live in Central Toronto where snow’s not really an issue but ice is)
• Have no or minimal heel 
• Be somewhat warm 
• Be waterproof or least have the potential to be 
• Have an unfussy design that looks good with jeans and khakis
• Have enough space to accommodate my manly calves and non-skinny pants 
• Not make me look like I just stepped off the farm
• Not look like something a 14-year-old girl would wear

Update: Brown’s Artica Boots

One of the most popular posts on this blog is my December 2010 review of Brown’s Artica Boots so I figure I should give an update on how these boots are doing in their second year of wear.

In the original review I commented on how disappointed I was that these boots developed a weird discolouration on one of them after my first day of wearing them. The discolouration is still there and I never did figure out why/how it happened but thankfully it didn’t spread.

At the time I discovered it, I was considering returning the boots to Brown’s but I never did because this on-sale item had “no returns” stamped across the receipt and I could just see myself showing up in the store, that receipt in hand, getting into a big fight with some store clerk.

But while I didn’t contact Brown’s, I did keep wearing the boots and I’m still wearing them today. While the discolouration prevents them from looking sharp, they are still very extremely comfortable and are doing a great job at keep my feet warm and dry, even when I walk through slush with them.

Because of their appearance, I likely will retire these boots after this year and while I won’t be purchasing another pair of Articas, I will certainly miss how cozy they feel.

Hunter Boots

Writing this entry is making me a bit nervous because the last time I gushed over a pair of boots, one of the soles ended up splitting and leaking. Here’s to hoping that doesn’t happen to my new favourite pair of boots, my Hunter rain boots.

I know that some people dislike Hunters because they are everywhere but there’s a good reason for that and no, it’s not because they’re available in so many fun colours. It’s because they are simply the ideal rain boots (or even winter boots if you were them with the right sock).

Sorel’s Joan of Artic Boots Part II

I was originally going to post about where we ate in Moorea but something more important, and more annoying has come up: One of my Sorel Joan of Artic boots has a leak.

The leak is being caused by a crack located right in the middle of the left sole. And if you read my earlier review about these boots, you’ll know that this isn’t the first time that this style has busted on me.

I bought my first pair of these boots back in the fall of 2009. By February, both boots were leaking. However, since Sorel sent me a new pair for free, and since these boots have many other great qualities, I decided to chalk the first busted pair up to poor manufacturing on the first run and I recommended them, despite my initial issues.

Sorel’s Joan of Arctic Boots

Yesterday’s -24C weather made me very happy that I’m the owner of Sorel’s Joan of Arctic boots.

These fake-fur trimmed items are big, heavy and hardly the most fashionable of items but they’re also warm, waterproof and great for walking the dog.

Unfortunately, they’re also a bit uncomfortable, at least for the first couple of weeks you wear them.

A friend of mine has the exact same boots and we both found that they really rub on the upper-part of the heel, basically where the rubber “foot” part of the boot meet the leather upper-part. But if you tough out the pain/slap on some Band-Aids, your heels will eventually crave a space for themselves. After that, while these boots aren’t quite like wearing slippers, they are reasonably comfortable given their rigid, rubber bottoms (in other words, don’t expect to be skipping down the streets in them).

These boots are rated to be warm down to -32C and while I find them to be quite toasty (my feet didn’t feel the least bit cold yesterday), my friend’s experience has been quite the opposite and as a result she’s not really impressed with them.

I told her that maybe there’s some kind of manufacturing defect with her pair. This wouldn’t surprise me because my first pair of these boots had one. The sole of the right one cracked after only a couple months of wear and started leaking.

Available in five
different colour combos!

Thankfully Sorels come with a one-year warranty. I phoned them up, complained, they told me to send the boots back and they’d send me a new pair. And that’s exactly what they did.

So while I was disappointed that my first pair crapped out, I was pleased with Sorel’s great customer service and that I got to have a brand new pair of boots for this winter. Of course, a new pair did mean that I had to re-break them in (almost done!).

If you’re interested in these boots, make sure you’re buying actual Sorels. I noticed that there are lots of knockoffs of this style out there and while these are cheaper (the originals run anywhere from $140-$180), I doubt they’re guaranteed to be warm and waterproof (though maybe they are more comfortable).

Would I buy this again: Yes
Should you buy it: If you like how they look and don’t mind that you have to break them in, then yes. Just don’t be afraid to act on that warranty if you have to.

Brown’s Artica Boots

*Check out my update on these boots*

Buying a product that turns out to suck always, well, sucks. But what’s worse is buying something, loving it and then discovering that it’s a lemon.

This recently happened to me with a pair of just-bought “light” winter boots (I like to have a big, heavy pair for walking the dog/lots of snow and a lighter, shorter pair for say, shopping in).

I bought these boots on Saturday from B2 (Browns Shoes’ “younger” store). Made out of brown, guaranteed-to-be-waterproof leather with low, sturdy heels, they are exactly the practical, go-with-multiple-outfits boots I was looking. They are lined with fake fur so not only are they dry, they’re also super-comfortable and cozy (seriously, they feel like you’re wearing slippers).

All of the above combined with the facts that they were on sale (on for $119.98, down from an original price of $158.00) and available in my size should have been a sign that these boots were too good to be true.

Like I said earlier, they are super-comfortable and warm and so I was quite happy to have them for yesterday, Toronto’s first real snow day. So I wore them to and from work, exposing them to the outside world for maybe a total of an hour.

Somehow, in that very brief period of time, a patch of leather on the left boot managed to become discoloured. I first I thought maybe I’d scrapped it against something but no, the “damaged” leather feels fine, it just looks weird. And considering it’s just in that one spot, I don’t feel that the leather’s discoloured because I walked through a puddle of whatever would discolour leather.

I know this discoloration wasn’t on them when I bought them because I looked them over carefully in the store and then on Sunday, I took a picture of them for this blog. They were fine then but now they are not and I’m not really sure what to do about it.

The boots are made by Artica, Browns’ n-house brand and, according to the internet are model number 6331608.. I’m thinking I might send Browns an email, asking what’s up with the leather that these boots are made out of it.

Maybe it’s a known defect and I’ll get a new pair of boots. Or, more likely, I’ll get ignored. Either way, I’ll let you know.

Onitsuka Tigers

There are two kinds of clothing shopping that I generally find fun: T-shirt shopping and sneaker shopping.

Yesterday I got to go sneaker shop and as usual, the hardest part was picking a shoe.

When it comes to sneakers, I always buy Onitsuka Tigers. I’ve been wearing them for about five years now and I guess they’ve become a sort of signature thing for me.

I love them because they are comfortable and they look great. They are sleek but not too sleek or sporty-looking. And I really like the weight of them, as weird as that sounds. Because I wear these shoes on nearly a daily basis, I want a shoe that’s not too heavy but also has enough weight that it feels like I’m wearing a proper shoe.

The only downside I’ve found with Tigers is that the quality isn’t amazing. Now, to be fair, I do wear these a lot and I am hard on shoes so you’d probably get more life out of a pair then I do. But I find that these shoes generally show visible wear (including issues with the sole) within 10-12 months of purchasing.

Still, they look and feel good enough that I’m willing to over look that flaw. Plus it means that I get to buy another pair and with so many great designs and colour combos, there’s always another pair I want.

The first photo in this entry is a shot of the pair I just bought. It’s a different style than usual but when I saw it I knew I had to have it. The second image is the more “classic” Tiger style though it’s available in dozens of different colours.

I buy my Tigers at Groovy, located at 323 Queen St. W. It generally charges $90-$130 for a pair though some are a bit pricier. But if you’re ever in New York City, stop by Shoe Zone near Union Square. It sells some of the more basic Tiger shoes for $50 (clothes are so cheap in the States).

Would I buy this again: No doubt
Should you buy it:  If you like this style of sneakers, then yes