Don’t slip up when choosing your winter boots!

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You can find good winter boots in TAMREX's wide range, whether you work outdoors all day, move between indoors and outdoors, spend plenty of time outside enjoying your hobbies, do jobs around the house or simply need good boots to get to work with dry feet.

We encourage you to speak to our knowledgeable and experienced staff when you visit our stores. To recommend the most suitable boots, we need to know how physically active you are, what surface you spend most of your day on, and whether you need to work in awkward positions, such as squatting or kneeling.

Winter boot features can be divided into general-purpose and task-specific features. General-purpose features such as a Goretex® membrane, Boa® quick fastening, Thinsulate™ insulation and similar features make boots more comfortable for you to use, whatever you do, and indicate that the footwear has been made using the best cutting-edge technology. Task-specific features such as the sole's composition, thickness and tread pattern, the amount of insulation used, protective features, antistatic properties and similar features are chosen to suit the demands of your work.

Goretex® waterproofing and warmth

Winter in our region has many faces, from bitter frost to thaws and everything in between. This makes a waterproof, breathable Goretex® membrane a valuable addition to winter boots.

A Goretex® membrane is a layer between the boot lining and the outer material. It also makes the boots slightly warmer by retaining body heat for longer. If you are more active or your feet sweat more, body heat can gradually build up in Goretex® footwear, leaving your feet damp despite the membrane.

We therefore recommend wearing thin merino wool socks in your winter boots, as they keep your feet warm even when damp. Cotton socks are not a good choice, as they absorb moisture and retain it for a long time. Wet, cold feet increase your risk of falling ill.

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20 000 x
smaller than a water droplet

700 x
larger than a water vapour molecule

Each square centimetre of the Gore-Tex® waterproof membrane contains 3.5 billion pores, which are 20 000 times smaller than a water droplet but 700 times larger than a water vapour molecule. This means that water cannot pass through the membrane into your footwear from the outside, while water vapour generated by your body heat can escape from inside your boots.

The comfort and simplicity of the Boa® quick-fastening system

Forget laces and choose Boa®! That is our firm recommendation. The Boa® quick-fastening system is a convenient solution, especially for winter boots. With tall lace-up boots, you need to tighten the laces row by row to secure the boot firmly on your foot. This is time-consuming, tedious and may not give you a secure fit.

Boa® is easy to use and makes your boots more convenient, durable and safe: there are no loose laces to get caught.

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Turning the Boa® dial (even with a gloved hand) tightens the highly durable cable evenly and precisely, millimetre by millimetre, to fit your foot, and it stays that way throughout your long working day.

The strong steel cable consists of 49 ultra-fine stainless steel fibres covered with a durable nylon coating. It has been tested in the most extreme conditions: in water and sand, mud and dust, cold and heat. The Boa® cable has been subjected to extreme loads during tensile testing – it really is strong.

The Boa® quick-fastening system is guaranteed for the lifetime of your footwear.

Extra-warm winter boots

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The TAMREX range includes some extra-warm winter boots with virtually no equivalents on the market. Our warmest boots, COFRA Odoacre, feature Thinsulate™ 600 g/m² insulation. Boots rarely have such effective insulation: at best, you will find Thinsulate™ 200 g/m², while most boots simply have a fleece lining or synthetic fur with poor heat retention.

Thinner, lighter ankle boots

Winter boots with a very warm lining can sometimes be too warm. Several mild winters in a row have firmly established ankle boots as winter footwear. Ankle boots are also a good choice if you alternate between working indoors and outdoors during your working day.

Our varied range of ankle boots includes footwear you can wear in autumn, during milder winters and in spring.

Winter boots with highly durable outsoles

For tough conditions, choose boots with sturdy outsoles. If you spend your working day on gravel, crushed stone or other sharp, uneven ground, it is worth paying extra attention to the outsole when choosing your boots.

Vibram® is the mark to look for. The various rubber compounds used in Vibram® outsoles are more durable, stiffer and stronger, with deeper tread patterns. This makes the boots slightly heavier, but ensures a reasonable service life even in very demanding conditions.

Slip resistance and add-on ice grips

Slipping is dangerous, which is why specific requirements apply to the soles of occupational footwear. The standard SR slip-resistance marking does not cover slipping on snow and ice. The SR (Slip resistant footwear) marking under EN ISO 20345:2022 is awarded to footwear following a test in which the outsole achieves the required grip on a ceramic tile coated with glycerine.

Manufacturers have made efforts to give their winter boots better grip in winter conditions too. More effective sole compounds and tread patterns make this possible. For example, a PU outsole becomes stiff and slippery at sub-zero temperatures, while a TPU outsole offers better grip, and rubber compounds containing nitrile are even more effective. They retain their slip-resistant properties even at low temperatures.

Additional features under the sole also improve slip resistance, such as IceLock technology on Treksta winter boots or Arctic Grip Pro technology on some Solid Gear boot models.

Even so, winter conditions can be slippery even for boots with the best soles and the latest technology. In winter, keep add-on ice grips for your boot soles close at hand, so you can fit them in extremely slippery conditions and avoid a fall.

Safety features

Composite and fibreglass toecaps are lightweight yet very strong, providing effective protection for your toes against falling objects. Unlike metal toecaps, they do not conduct cold into your boots. Composite and fibreglass do not deform. In a very severe impact, the material absorbs the impact and may break, whereas metal may be crushed into your toes.

The perforation-resistant midsoles in our range of safety footwear are made from dense, strong, flexible and lightweight textile. The standard distinguishes between two textile densities: the first (PL) protects your feet against nails with a diameter of 4.5 mm or more. The second, denser material (PS) prevents penetration by nails with a diameter of 3 mm or more.

Leisure and hiking footwear (without safety features)

If your work environment does not require a toecap or a perforation-resistant midsole, you can choose warm footwear without safety features.

Here, too, you will find carefully sourced and selected models with special features that offer comfort, functionality and support.

Socks are just as important as boots

In cool and cold weather, we recommend wearing merino wool socks in your boots, choosing thin, medium-weight or warm socks to suit your needs.

The biggest advantage of merino wool socks is that they keep you warm even when damp. In cold weather, this natural property of merino wool is undoubtedly essential when you become more active and your feet sweat more.

Cotton socks are not a practical choice. Cotton absorbs moisture well but takes a very long time to dry. If your feet get wet and you cannot change your footwear, your risk of falling ill increases.

On our shelves, SNICKERS WORKWEAR and WOOLPOWER offer an excellent selection of socks containing merino wool. Stock up on several different pairs: some thin, some medium-weight and, just in case, a warmer pair too. You will then be well equipped for a day at work or out hiking, whether it is +5 °C or -20 °C.

Merino wool socks have another welcome advantage. They are antibacterial and do not pick up unpleasant odours.

Some frequently asked questions

How long do winter boots last?

The general rule is that if you wear your boots less often, move around less and look after them well, the same pair will last longer. More intensive work and tough conditions will wear out any boots faster.

The expected lifespan of winter boots worn every day throughout your working shift is 6–12 months. However, this varies from one wearer to another, even when they wear the same model, work in the same team and do the same job. You might wear your boots out in 4–6 months (if your work involves more movement, more abrasive surfaces or more damage to your boots), yet still be very happy with them and not want a sturdier pair because you value their lightness and flexibility. If you would like your boots to last longer, we recommend choosing a different model next time.

Your boots may also last several years. This is usually the case if you alternate between several pairs, move around less or work in less demanding conditions.

Unfortunately, occupational footwear is all too often used as a tool: to knock things into place, lift heavy objects on the toecaps, push soil around or carry out similar tasks, causing premature damage. Occupational footwear is not designed for this.

Footwear is a complex product category. It is relatively expensive, expectations are generally very high, and useful information is scarce.

Our sales staff at every TAMREX store are professional, friendly and helpful. Our valuable experience, built up over many years, includes knowing which footwear suits different conditions. Expert advice also helps you set more realistic expectations and understand the advantages of each pair. We therefore strongly recommend taking the opportunity to talk when a member of our sales team approaches you. Tell us about your work, your working environment, the way you work and your working postures. Also tell us which footwear you have used before and what you noticed when wearing it.

By working together and sharing information, we can help you choose a pair of boots that lasts, feels comfortable and protects your feet.

Do more expensive boots last longer?

The more functional a pair of boots is, the higher its price. At TAMREX, a step up in price always means added functional value.

More expensive boots feature more tried-and-tested, recognised technologies. These may include premium leather or high-performance synthetic material, tough Cordura® reinforcements, a waterproof and breathable Goretex® membrane, a convenient Boa® fastening system, effective Thinsulate™ insulation, a durable Vibram® outsole, slip-resistant Arctic Grip, HyperGrip and IceLock elements, better support, heel shock absorption, breathability, a more comfortable last, a moisture-absorbing insole, extra reinforcements at the heel and toe, and more.

Even among more expensive boots, there are different models: sturdy, durable boots that are comfortable to wear, as well as lighter, more breathable and more flexible boots made from thinner materials. If you choose a lightweight model when you actually need something sturdier, you will wear your boots out faster. The durability of your boots is directly linked to the demands of your work and, consequently, to choosing the right model.

You may find basic, lower-priced boots made from particularly strong, thick and stiff materials that last a long time but are terribly uncomfortable to wear: heavy, rigid, without support or shock absorption, and so on. You will often find that you do not want to put up with this discomfort every day and soon start looking for lighter, more comfortable alternatives.

A well-chosen pair of premium boots is a genuine pleasure to wear throughout its lifespan. You feel comfortable, and your feet stay dry, warm, well protected and supported.

Are worn-out and damaged boots defective products?

A defective product is an item with a fault. This means that a mistake was made during the manufacture of the boots. A seam may be incorrectly positioned or missing, a component may be missing, the sole may be loose because too little adhesive was applied, the zip may have been sewn in incorrectly, the lining may be twisted inside the boot, or there may be a similar fault.

Manufacturing defects usually become apparent in the shop when a new pair is taken out of the box to try on, or during the first few uses, because you immediately notice that something is wrong. If this happens, stop using the boots immediately, clean them and return them. If you continue wearing them, identifying a manufacturing defect in the worn boots later will be very difficult, and sometimes impossible.

At TAMREX, we take responsibility for the quality of the goods we offer and replace defective products immediately. However, boots that have been worn out, become worn or been damaged do not count as manufacturing defects. If you are dissatisfied for these reasons, we can only help by providing thorough advice when you buy your next pair.

Winter boots video