- Home
- The North Face Baltoro 400 II Boot - Men's
- Question and Answer
- The North Face Baltoro 400 II Boot - Men's
Gear Question
Would these boots be overkill for winter backpacking in the east...
By Doug
Ranked #674 - Men's Winter Boots and Shoes
December 17, 2008
Would these boots be overkill for winter backpacking in the east (NC, VA, WV, PA, maybe NY)? My feet tend to run a bit cold. This is the first year I'll be winter backpacking, and I'm wondering whether I need a boot like this or just a good pair of leather boots (like the Asolo Powermatic 200s).
View Details: The North Face Baltoro 400 II Boot - Men's
By Jesse Lind
Ranked #33 - Men's Winter Boots and Shoes
2 days ago
Be advised that the -40F rating for this boot is an active rating. Once you stop moving, your comfort will likely be severaly reduced--especially if your feet run cold. If there is snow on the ground, you should be fine with these boots. If not, I'd use a regular backpacking/mountaineering boot. And I do not agree about using -10F as the point at which you should switch to another boot. -10 is not warm. Like I said, these boots have a -40F active rating, and that's for the average person. For you, with cold feet, that active rating could be -20 or even -10, depending on how bad your circulation is. Just make sure not to lace your boots too tight or your feet will freeze from having the circulation impeded. (But too loose and you risk spraining an ankle.)
Helpful Votes: 0 Yes | 0 No
By Steve Tibbitts
Ranked #181 - Men's Shoes
December 17, 2008
My feet run cold as well and for me it really boils down to the amount of snow you're hiking in and how cold it's going to get. If you're not in anything colder than -10ºf and less than a few inches of snow you could do fine with a nice leather boot with descent socks. If it's really cold and a fair amount of snow I'd run with something like this boot you're looking at.Hope that helps.
Helpful Votes: 0 Yes | 0 No
Change me.



