Ask Lemmy

The honest truth is that there are no buy it for life boots. A foot of snow, road salt, etc will wear down all boots. Water always wins eventually. Always.

However! There are lots of great recs here, and you can't go wrong with many of the suggestions (keen has done me the best over the years), but no matter what you go with, you will get years of extra life out of them by investing in TAKING CARE of them.

Oil and condition the leather at least annually. Get some boot trees or a boot dryer and use it. Check outsoles and keep them clean and grime free. Speaking of grime, wipe your boots down when you come in, don't just bang them off, leave them by the door and think they're good. Towel them off, and make sure they're somewhere they'll stay warm enough to dry. Good boots are tough, and they'll stay that way a long time if you treat them well.

I really like my Keen winter boots. They're warm enough for the worst Michigan can throw at me.

It might be worthwhile to check out some boots marketed toward military personnel. There's LOTS of opinions out there about military boots because tons of us wear them.

I know Danner makes very nice boots. I wore the Reckoning cold weather version and loved them so much. They're lined with goretex to keep the wet and the cold out as best as possible.

I wore them nonstop for about 2 years. Every regular day of work, weeks or months in the field, even climbing Mount Fuji. Those things lasted a long time until I replaced them with...

the Danner Jungles, which are very much the opposite of cold weather boots. They're made for hot and wet climates. I love these even more but that's probably because they're designed specifically for this type of area.

I call it "don't live in a place where the air hurts my face"

But actually, XtraTuf boots are great.

Some highly rated combat boots. Just rember to change out your socks.

I moved to Montana from east coast and my shoes were like lol fuck that so my gf ordered me a pair of royal canadian. Paired with darn tough socks they get it done.

I would have said a good set of Marmot boots. But I haven’t bought a set since I got mine years ago, so I don’t know what today’s quality is.

I'm a big Solomon brand fan. Idk if you can buy it for life winter boot and use it too but the Solomons I have had wear well and last as long as I have expected them to

Sorrel

I farm and I'll wear Mucks. They eventually wear out and the neoprene gets snagged with barbwire, but they'll go for about 3 winters of daily use for 6 months IME before it'll get a hole around where the neoprene meets the rubber. Leave room for a good pair of wool socks and I've worn them to -43 as long as I'm moving around. But I'm also not very susceptible to cold, so YMMV.

Extreme weather? Find a pair of legit US military "Mickey mouse" boots. I've worn them in 8hr shifts at -20° F and never felt cold.

Just know that they're not work boots. If your husband need something steel toe or with a special sole, these won't work. They're also ugly as sin. But for pure cold weather protection, they're the best I've ever worn by far.

Edit: you may be able to find them cheaper but here's what I'm talking about

Coleman's U.S. G.I. Extreme Cold Temperature Boots, Unissued

I’ve had the same pair of Rockport boots for 20+ years.