My first thought upon opening the box containing my new Baffin Peak boots was “Dammit!” It was all I could think as I watched what was surely several million desiccant beads cascade to the floor and make chaotic, bouncing dashes in every possible direction. Apparently, one of those little “Do Not Eat” bags had lost its will to corral the little suckers* and let them spill free. Amongst the steak sizzle hiss they made as they hit the floor en masse, I swear I could hear tiny cries of “freedom!” and “anarchy!” but that could probably be attributed to the cough syrup. This cold is killing me.
After letting out a heavy sigh, I finally took a good look at the boots. Nice. The Baffin Peaks are a really good looking boot. With waterproof leather uppers and toothy black and grey rubber outsoles, they almost look too nice to take them slogging through the snows and slushes and cold muds, but of course they’re not, it’s exactly what they are built for. Seeing the temperature rating (-30ºC/-22ºF) had me a little worried that they might be uncomfortably warm to wear in milder weather (and thankful that I don’t live somewhere that I could test that limit). But after having them on for a couple of hours those concerns vanished. Outside at 30º, they kept my feet comfortably toasty, while inside, they were warm as boots generally are, but not to an I-can’t-wait-to-take-these-off level. Structurally, they are comfortable as well. With a widish toe box, well padded tongue and collar, and comfy insole, they are easy to wear all day. They even have these nifty little eyelets between the lower and upper sections of lacing that lock down on the lace, letting you keep the two areas tensioned differently. Brilliant.
Baffin Peak Boots for men, a great three season boot that will keep your feet warm and dry and looking good while you’re off hiking, instead here, helping me hunt down all of this stray desiccant. sigh…
Good:
- Waterproof
- Leather
- Wide toe box
- Grippy sole helps on the rocky stuff
- Those cool locking eyelets
Bad:
- I’ll be finding those little beads for years
Baffin Peak Boots for men – $155 on Amazon
*The More You Know: Silica gel (yeah, those beads are gel) has been around since the 1640s. During WWI, it was used in gas mask canisters (along with charcoal made from nuts and seeds) to absorb gasses and vapors.
All images via Baffin.com
boring stuff: a review pair of boots were provided by Baffin. This in no way affected my opinions or review