By Mark Kakkuri

My feet never see the light of day. That is, they’re always enveloped in some manner of footwear, be it running shoes, dress shoes, mocs (in the house), or boots. I’m not averse to going barefoot, but the conditions have to be absolutely right — namely, the apocalypse is in full session and I’ve had to eat all my other footwear to survive. In Michigan’s four seasons, you gotta have boots because you’ll see snow, ice, mud and rain for 10 out of 12 months. As such, something like these Bogs Classic Ultra High boots (retail $134) are perfect. They’re durable, warm (comfort-rated to -40 degrees F), dry, comfortable, and easy to put on and take off.

It wasn’t always like this, friends. Usually for boots you could pick two of those characteristics and that was it. I trucked around in these Bogs for weeks in Michigan’s fall and winter and frankly never wanted to take them off. But when I did, I’d put my toe on the heel of the boot and they’d slide off. And for putting them on, the Bogs boot handles can accommodate your gloved fingers. Other discoveries during my review: Unless I’m wearing work pants with a water-resistant fabric or coveralls meant for abuse, I tuck my pants in the Bogs, letting the full height of the boot do its good work to keep out water, mud and dirt, and as a result, keep not just my socks and feet but also my pants clean and dry.

These Bogs worked best for me with a medium weight merino wool sock, no matter the weather. If my feet got too warm inside, no worries: the Bogs have a DuraFresh odor protection insole. Surfaces traveled included wet fields, muddy trails and wet/snowy/ice-covered cement. Number of times the Bogs traction failed: Zero. Amount of water penetrating the boots: Zilch. Number of warm, dry, comfortable feet on me: Two. For more info: Ph: (877) 321-2647

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