I think I read in an LL Bean catalog how winter boots were rated. I believe the rating is for an average person doing physical activity like walking.

 

That is correct, they aren't rated for inactivity.

 

They must be b/c I had some Mucks rated for like -20 and my feet FROZE in +28. I buy thinsulate and know that 800 Grams is good for me down to about 32. Below that I wear 1000Gram

 

I was at Cabelas today and looked at the Mucks - ain't no way I'm spending money on those. My Lacrosse Burlys look just as warm. I tried out the Cabelas Saskatchewan and had to go up 2 sizes to size 13 to be able wiggle my toes. And the soles were so high off the ground I felt like the lead singer in the Kiss rock band.

I went with the Cabelas Predator which might be ok but man are they huge - 1200 gram Thinsulate plus a felt liner. Not sure if I'll keep them but I'll be trying them out tomorrow.

 

I don't think the numbers mean anything. I also don't think you can judge the warmth of a boot by how much thinsulate it has. A lot of that thinsulate is around the ankle and calf area. Only thing that matters to me is how well a boot is insulated around the foot itself. For pure foot warmth, I think it's hard to beat those really thick felt liners. A thick pair of socks along with my Ice Kings and I'm good to go for about 5 hours at zero degrees.

 

Ive always worn the heavy rubber pac style boot with the removeable thick liners. Ive never really heard what they were rated at but I do keep warm feet while ice fishing. Ive had regular rubber boots that were supposed to be insulated with so many grams of thinsulate and me feet got cold quick. I think its all up to the person wearing them and their personal comfort levels. Ratings dont apply if your cold natured. Good Luck Noc

 

I agree with the above post about the thinsulate being in the calf area. For me, my toes are the first to get cold and I have tried several pairs of boots & sock combos. I also wear a good toboggan and keep my upper body warm, but the toes still get cold. I tried the Arctic Shield boot covers for the first time last week. I wore non-insulated boots. On one foot I put the cover over one boot with a "grabber" brand toe warmer. The other foot I took the boot off like some people on here have said they do and put the cover on over my wool sock with a toe warmer. After about 1/2 hour the foot with the sock only was gettin a little cold. Put my boot back on with the warmer in side the boot cover and my feet stayed toasty.

 

My feet sweat a lot it doesn't seem to matter what I wear. If I'm moving around I'm fine, if I'm sitting still forget it, my feet are cold no matter what I wear.

 

One thing to remember when you're talking about Thinsulate. The 200-gram, 400-gram and 800-gram designation is actually a measure of the thickness of the insulation. It is a designation by how much a square meter of insulation would weigh (the thicker the insulation, the heavier). A boot rated with 1,000-gram Thinsulate may not have as much coverage of the foot, ankle and calf as a boot with 400-gram Thinsulate, it's just using thicker insulation where it has insulation. If a boot were to actually have 1,000 grams of insulation, it would have 2.2 pounds, just in insulation.
One of the best things a footwear specialist at Cabela's ever told me was that many people (myself included) caused their foot to be cold by wearing socks so thick that the boots were too tight and hindered circulation. Poor circulation increased the impact cold had. The other thing he said was to use a non-cotton baselayer sock under your insulated socks. You need something to pull perspiration away from your foot so the moisture can escape your boot. Cotton absorbs and traps it right next to your skin.

 

Yup . . . those are the ones. If they're good enough in Minnesota, they ought to work in Michigan.

 

I put Hot Hands in my boots when i get to the stand. Feet never get cold.

 

Predator Extreme here also a bit heavy but your feet will be very warm no complaints yet.