Review: Decathlon Winter Leather Hiking Boots
Decathlon sent me these boots for free in exchange for an honest review. The post contains affiliate links to Decathlon, meaning that if you buy something through that link, I'll receive a small commission. Why do I need commission? For cake. Obvs.
For years, I thought that the fluff on the top of boots was a fashion thing. It wasn't until I bought my first pair of fluff-topped hiking boots back in 2006 that I realised there's a lot more to it than wanting to look like you've wandered out of Dr. Zhivago.
Exactly like animal fluff—mother nature is the best inventor after all—the fur on top of boots captures droplets and snowflakes, preventing them from running down inside your boot. During the four winter months I spent in snow-covered Austria, I wore fluff-topped boots every minute I wasn't skiing. Here, in the UK, they're just as useful for hiking through long grass, moorland tussocks and pathless woodlands where leaves, grass blades and rain all like to pour copious amounts of water into your boots. The fur simply stops it all.
My last pair of hiking boots a la fluff are starting to ebb, having been worn almost to death, so I was pretty keen to test out Decathlon's lovely classic pair. It's late October so the environment is currently significant rain, flooded lanes, boggy moorland, wet fallen leaves and cloying mud. I'm also in Devon, in the south of England, with a generally warmer climate than much of the country.
Women's Warm and Waterproof Leather Boots
Let's start with the basics. The full product name for these is: Women's Warm and Waterproof Leather Hiking Boots. A mouthful, but you know what you're getting. If you want to look at them on the site, my link is for the homepage, so when you land there, just paste in that product name.
These boots are waterproof and have a thick, rugged sole. These are the most important things for me when winter hiking because a) wet feet is deeply unpleasant and cold, and b) I scramble about on rocks, gravel, moor, bogs, granite tors, anything going.
They have a short-cut fluffy top which is nice because some boots have significantly longer 'fur', which gets raggedly real quick – trust me. The fur on these is short and quite discreet so I doubt it'll get mangy anytime soon. It's largely for keeping snow out, which I have no way of testing but this style has allowed me to walk through knee-deep snow before without any trouble.
The other notable point about these boots is that they're designed to be warm. And I mean warm. I have Raynaud's Syndrome, which means my feet don't just get cold, they get sheet-white-numb, so winter boots that keep my feet warm whether I'm hiking on the moor or standing around gassing is mission critical. The warmth is created by a super thick lining made of polyamide and polyester.
Are They Any Good?
Waterproof:
I walked through an ankle-deep flood in these and if I had my eyes shut, I certainly wouldn't have known. They're reliably waterproof although this does need to be maintained over time with re-waterproofing sprays like most waterproof products. I mean, they're not wellies.
Warmth:
They are so warm. They're warm to perfection for me but if you're a hot-footed hiker, they might be too warm for some of the UK's mild winters and ideal for the very cold months and/or snowy destinations. If you plan on wearing these to loiter in, like watching your children in a wintery play park and wondering how they have infinite energy or waiting around for your partner at a cross-race because your triathlon season is over and now you're paying them back for all the times they've loitered at your races, well, these will be absolutely perfect. I highly doubt your feet would get particularly cold.
Decathlon state that these boots can keep your feet warm while hiking in temperatures down to -19C and -5C while standing still.
Size:
I'm a size 4 (EUR 37) if I can say that in any meaningful way given every shop seems a little different. I have these in a size 4 but they're probably on the smaller end of things. If you're planning on wearing thick hiking or ski socks, you might want to consider upsizing. For snow/winter boots, if they're too tight then the blood won't be able to circulate in your feet properly, making you cold. If they're too big, they'll be uncomfortable. Every foot is different, but if you're between sizes, I'd go up. You'll likely be wearing thick socks in Death Cold Season.
Grip:
The tread on these gets to 5mm depth and they've been brilliant in mud, soaked moor and on granite. The soles are thick and there's little ground-feel at all. Which I suppose is inevitable with winter/snow boots because if you can feel the subtleties of the terrain, you'll probably also get the cold seeping in. The grip is good for wet grass, mud and moor and, I imagine, very good for snow. I climbed up Haytor in these too, one of Dartmoor's most imperious gigantic granite rocks. I was a bit skeptical about the grip but actually, they didn't slip once, and I scrambled up like a mountain goat.
I did drive a short distance in them and would definitely have preferred to be wearing shoes I could, y'know, feel the pedals in. But that's my poor-planning rather than a comment on the boots.
Comfort:
These are hi-top boots so there's a lot of lacing to play with when you first get them. As they're so thick with insulation, it does take a bit of pulling and fiddling to get the right fit. Once done up, I've found them really comfortable but I find a bit of heel slop regardless of how tight or not I've done them up.
They're definitely not too big for me, so I wonder if it's the fact I have extremely slim ankles and calves. I keep reading about boot brands making boots to fit wider calves but I need the opposite, I've never been able to find traditional knee-high boots for calves of my diminutive size. Obviously, that doesn't apply here in the same way as these are lace-ups, but the ankle part of this boot is reasonably wide for me. This is the only reason I can think of for heel slop.
Ease:
The boots have a sturdy loop on the back which I love because I'm always down for a bit of smart practicality. No yanking at these boots, just put your foot in and pull them up by the loop. The laces are nice and wide so comfortable to do up and faff with, should you need to.
Look:
You don't need me to tell you these boots look swish as hell. I have them in cinnamon and they're just as cool as they look in the photographs and on Decathlon's website. They look and feel well made, sturdy and like they'll last for years.
In Sum
I would heartily recommend these for general wear in particularly cold weather, and hiking in autumn, winter and early spring (as long as you remember they keep your feet warm, so if you're feet are already warm, they'll likely get hot although they are breathable to some extent). If you live in Scotland or North Wales, these might just be your new best friend.
According to Decathlon, they're aimed at snowy walks and while I can't speak to that, I've been on enough snowy walks in the past to agree that these are the boots I'd choose to wear. Hopefully I'll get out to a snowy place this winter but let's face it, travel isn't super easy right this moment for a variety of reasons.
From a price point of view, these really are pretty reasonable. Fully waterproof, super warm and generally just lovely, I'd be surprised they were priced this well (£69.99 at the time of writing) if they weren't from Decathlon, well know for making affordable Cool Things.
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