Boots:

[GICNJC]

I have searched the site for more information on the actual boots Atlas provides in the mud room.  Sigificant other wants to know if they are cloth/material lined or like snow mobile boots, have a felt liner.  Her concern is will two sock layers (thin and thick) will keep her feet warm.  Thanks for sharing your experience.

[YoHoHo]

Suffering cold feet standing out on the ice and snow for an hour or so was a concern I had too. Even brought light insulated insoles that came back unused. Our feet were comfortable on every landing. 

 

The boots we were loaned are made by Muck. Excellent boots. I was very impressed with the design and quality.

 

We wore thin sock liners followed by thicker thermal socks from J. B. Fields (also excellent). Both designed to wick moisture which I think is very important. With the socks and the boots our feet were warm and comfortable - never gave them a second thought. 

 

Their supplied boots are not made of cloth/fabric and not lined. I don't know what snowmobile boots are like. These boots are made of a thick, rubber or such material. They come high up on the calf for wet landings. The sole is ribbed, very thick and very stiff so they are not flexible and can be slippery on ice, compacted snow or wet rocks. Once on shore the excursion team provides walking sticks which were very helpful.

 

The boot size matched my usual shoe size. I wear a 12 1/2 shoe. The 13 boot was a teeny bit large despite the heavy sock but better than a too tight fit. The size 12 would have been okay though.

[GICNJC]

Snow machine boots generally have felt liners.

[ShopperfiendTO]

Are the openings of the boots fairly narrow enough so that most/all typical ski pants will comfortably go over them? I.e., bottom of ski pants would fit outside the boots instead of having to be stuffed inside the boots?

Edited October 28, 2023 by ShopperfiendTO

[GICNJC]

good question.  hopefully travellers will shar their experience.

[Bigdogwon]

I wore a pair of Marmot ski pants with the boots and had no problem, most people I saw had no problem fitting their pants over the boots.  The expedition team highly recommends that your pants go over the boots to prevent rain or splash from entering.

[Michael_A]

Just looking over posted pics and vids from Atlas' cruises it seems all the passengers were able to fit their trousers over the boot tops and appeared to be wearing a general selection of ski/winter outerwear. Pretty sure it will work for you unless you have some unusually tapered pants; which for winter gear would be extremely rare!

[YoHoHo]

On 10/28/2023 at 2:59 PM, ShopperfiendTO said:

Are the openings of the boots fairly narrow enough so that most/all typical ski pants will comfortably go over them? I.e., bottom of ski pants would fit outside the boots instead of having to be stuffed inside the boots?

No. See post #2. Look up Muck brand boots. Can't say for certain if Atlas supplied boots are Muck's Arctic model or similar. 

 

They are not a low boot. The pants go inside. Function over form. The objective is not so much for dealing with snow - you could be waking on snow but not trailblazing through snow. Rather the boots height is to keep feet and pants dry from water when stepping off the RIB on wet landings. 

 

Our pants maybe could have fit over the boot top as I had purposefully purchased pants with an adjustable gusset but never tried as we did as everyone following instructions to have the pants inside the boots. Ironically of course the added material in the pant leg bottom so more to stuff into the boot top.

 

We knew of one person once who stepped into water too deep and so some water entered the boot over the top. I don't know if they immediately went back on the zodiac's return to the ship for the next load in order to change socks or hoped the trapped water would eventually warm like a wet suit. It would not have been pleasant.

[ridethetide]

4 hours ago, YoHoHo said:

No. See post #2. Look up Muck brand boots. Can't say for certain if Atlas supplied boots are Muck's Arctic model or similar. 

 

They are not a low boot. The pants go inside. Function over form. The objective is not so much for dealing with snow - you could be waking on snow but not trailblazing through snow. Rather the boots height is to keep feet and pants dry from water when stepping off the RIB on wet landings. 

 

Our pants maybe could have fit over the boot top as I had purposefully purchased pants with an adjustable gusset but never tried as we did as everyone following instructions to have the pants inside the boots. Ironically of course the added material in the pant leg bottom so more to stuff into the boot top.

 

We knew of one person once who stepped into water too deep and so some water entered the boot over the top. I don't know if they immediately went back on the zodiac's return to the ship for the next load in order to change socks or hoped the trapped water would eventually warm like a wet suit. It would not have been pleasant.

We were instructed to wear our waterproof pants over the boots, not tucked inside. If you tuck your pants into the boots, water could be funneled into the boots, soaking your socks and feet.  

[Michael_A]

The boots are a Muck brand, though I couldn't find the specific model on-line. May be a proprietary offering just for the expedition cruises. They have a rubber type lower, good tread, with a neoprene type upper which is stretchy. Recommended waterproof trousers to go outside the boot shank so if you step in deeper water the trousers will act as a top seal. I did this several times and it indeed worked with no leakage. I only wore a single pair of socks, and was very comfortable standing in snow or on ice (and in water, of course). The boots are a bit bulky, and I suspect there is some insulation in there though I can't confirm it. Based on my experience I really think there is. My only complaint is they don't have much arch support and for me that made hiking on rough terrain a bit of a challenge - but I managed in the end.

[ridethetide]

1 hour ago, Michael_A said:

The boots are a Muck brand, though I couldn't find the specific model on-line. May be a proprietary offering just for the expedition cruises. They have a rubber type lower, good tread, with a neoprene type upper which is stretchy. Recommended waterproof trousers to go outside the boot shank so if you step in deeper water the trousers will act as a top seal. I did this several times and it indeed worked with no leakage. I only wore a single pair of socks, and was very comfortable standing in snow or on ice (and in water, of course). The boots are a bit bulky, and I suspect there is some insulation in there though I can't confirm it. Based on my experience I really think there is. My only complaint is they don't have much arch support and for me that made hiking on rough terrain a bit of a challenge - but I managed in the end.

The Muck Tall Arctic Sport Boot seems very similar to those on the ship. I purchased Women's Tall Arctic Sport II after my trip and they are just as warm.

[Michael_A]

That really looks like the ones on board... All in all, they worked really well. If I lived in snow country I'd certainly pop for a pair based on how well they worked on the cruise.