I originally bought this boot for dirty work and mild hiking up the mountain. I have never owned a Timberland boot before, only Coleman and a few cheap off brands I never heard of, so naturally I was much more excited to put this boot to work. The exterior of this boot is made with 100% leather, a tough under fabric, a tough black accented rubber composite on the toe and heel making this boot sturdy in the front and back. The sole is a slip and oil resistant hard rubber with enough gripping points for all types of surfaces.
I have taken this boot through snow and ice with ease. Snow was easy to walk across, it had decent surface area so i didn’t pothole, but only when not on my toes or heels. Ice was different. Keeping my weight in the heels tended to be the best way to not lose traction on ice, nonetheless better grip on ice was better than any other boot I have owned. I also stood in car oil one day after accidentally knocking over an entire quart, fairly impressed that I had zero slip considering the entire sole was covered. Although leather only covers about half of the boot and fabric covering the rest, underneath there is a waterproof lining that covers the entire shoe that does a fantastic job at keeping water out. While snow camping, I was consistently ankle deep in snow and puddles and not once did my feet see a drop of water. However, I am positive that this is not insulated, after 2-3 hours of ankle deep snow, my feet were cold. But when not in snow or water, they are warm, even at 25F. My second trip I took these thermal socks that did the trick perfectly (80% Merino Wool Hiking Socks Thermal Warm Crew Winter Sock For Men & Women 3 Pairs).
Under the waterproof lining is an antimicrobial treated mesh lining that helps control odor. So far I have not yet had any lingering odors that would cause my eyes to water. I say yet because I have been wearing these boots about 3-4 times a week for the past 9 months and have noticed a very slight lingering odor as of a couple days ago, however not enough to bust out the air fresheners. The insole of the boot is flat, low cushion and has little arch support. I personally have a high arch, so wearing these shoes for 9 hours will make my feet hurt, I just bought an insole, called it a day and have not had an issue since. The 4 inch alloy toe has saved me several times, I tend to drop a lot of things, I’m just clumsy like that, so having a toe like this is a big benefit, especially with wood and tools. This is a low rise boot, just covering the ball of the ankle on both sides leaving a bit of range in my ankle. Which is good for range of motion but con of potentially rolling an ankle.
