The Oboz Bridger 10″ is a water-proof and insulated winter climbing boot with 400-gram Thinsulate insulation, making it appropriate for excessive chilly climate use. Oboz doesn’t publish a temperature ranking for them however they’re akin to different 400-gram insulated winter climbing boots (-40F) when it comes to heat. I’ve been winter climbing in New Hampshire’s White Mountains with the Bridger 10’s for a number of years and purchased a substitute pair this 12 months after the final pair wore out. They’re superior.
Specs at a look
- Gender: males’s (girls’s mannequin is known as the Bridger 9″)
- Insulation: 400g Thinsulate (approx -40F beneath)
- Waterproof/breathable: Sure
- Uppers: Leather-based Nubuck
- Vast sizes: Sure
- Shank: Nylon
- Gaiter ring: Sure
- Weight Per Pair: 3 lbs. 8 oz. (males’s dimension 10.5)
The Bridger 10″ has thick nubuck leather-based uppers and a beefy, rubber entrance toe kick offering your toes with ample safety when carrying snowshoes, crampons, or microspikes. The tongue is gusseted to forestall water from leaking into the boot for those who step right into a deep puddle, and there’s a entrance gaiter ring on the base of the laces. The again of the boot has a inflexible heel cup that provides the boot glorious stability and has a slender protruding “shelf” to seize a rear snowshoe strap. It’s priceless for protecting the boots within the snowshoe binding.
The higher a part of the boot is pretty stiff out of the field however loosens up with use. However the top of the boot offers quite a lot of insulation across the ankle and decrease calf, which is able to maintain your ft and decrease legs hotter than a mid-height boot will. It additionally requires a barely completely different gait, propelled extra by your shins and fewer by your ankles, as a result of your ankle has a lot much less vary of movement in a taller boot. It’s not onerous to get used to strolling with the Bridgers, nonetheless and doesn’t tire you quicker. It’s very refined: you won’t even discover the distinction for those who use a mid-height boot.
Regardless of being a 400g boot, the Bridger is sort of agile, with a curved sole that makes it simpler to stroll with them. Whereas the only does flex some, it’s fairly stiff, which is useful when climbing with microspikes, crampons, or snowshoes. The toe field can also be strong sufficient to withstand compression by the elastomer straps on light-weight traction like Microspikes or Hillsound Path Crampons. This could be a actual drawback with a softer boot and may result in chilly or cramped toes.
When it comes to sizing, the Bridger 10″ boots run barely slender however true to dimension. Oboz says that the heel is a dimension “C” width, which is certainly slender, whereas the toe field is a daily dimension “D” width. I’ve loads of room inside to unfold out my toes, even with a third-party insole. Regardless, the Bridger 10″ can also be accessible in huge sizes and people can be found for those who want extra foot room.
The Bridger 10″ comes with a wool-covered insole that’s coated on the underside with reflective mylar. The insole is sculpted to cup your heel and has a small shock-absorbing pad beneath. It offers good arch assist and is a superior insole as producer insoles go. REI even sells them as a standalone thermal insole, side-by-side with insoles from Superfeet and Sole.
The Bridger 10″ has an aggressive exterior sole with large lugs that gives glorious traction on snow and off. The lugs run up the perimeters of the only a bit, making them good for scrambling on unfastened gravel or open ledge. For those who’ve owned Oboz path sneakers or boots, then you definately’re most likely acquainted with the Granite Peak outsole used on the Bridger 10″, because it’s additionally discovered on a lot of Oboz’s different climbing sneakers. After all, you’ll nonetheless want microspikes or snowshoes when snow and ice make the scene. The only has a nylon shank that gives very agency heel assist with a TPU chassis to soak up shocks and a excessive arch for gaiter compatibility. A males’s 10.5 weighs 3 lbs 8 ozpair.
The lacing system makes use of a mixture of cloth loops, steel eyes, and velocity hooks close to the highest collar. The boots include spherical laces which can be a bit of on the quick facet. For those who resolve to exchange them, try Ironlace Spherical Bootlaces. They’re so robust to interrupt, they’ll most likely outlast your boots.
The skin of the Bridger 10″ is coated with DWR, which rubs off fairly shortly as a result of snow and ice are so abrasive. For those who ask the producer, they’ll let you know to retreat the outside leather-based with Nikwax DWR to revive the water repellency and keep the boots’ “breathability.” I put that in quotes as a result of insulated waterproof/breathable winter climbing boots have by no means been notably breathable in my expertise.
My advice is to seal the outside with SnoSeal, which is a waterproofing wax that soaks into the leather-based and offers a lot longer-lasting waterproofing. Regardless of what Snoseal claims, as soon as utilized, the boots received’t be breathable anymore (I’ve confirmed this with SnoSeal). I soften it with a scorching air blow drier so it soaks deeply into the leather-based and boot seams. It really works nice. Do it every year and your boots won’t ever get soaked by means of. It would darken the leather-based although, so ensure that’s what you need as a result of there’s no going again as soon as it’s utilized.
Beneficial winter climbing boots (2022-2023)
Advice
The Oboz Bridger 10″ is a cushty and heat winter boot with 400 gram Thinsulate insulation and glorious traction. The excessive cuffs present glorious ankle assist and assist seal within the warmth, whereas the boot’s beefy leather-based uppers present glorious safety and sturdiness. The aggressive Granite Peak lugged sole is an identical to that used on a lot of Oboz’s different boots and sneakers and is equally succesful in snow and slush. For those who already use Oboz boots or sneakers and love the way in which they match, then getting the Bridger 10’s might be a no brainer. For those who’ve by no means tried an Oboz boot, these are nice cold-weather hikers, well-built, and with loads of safety to maintain your ft heat and completely happy on lengthy, all-day hikes and snowshoeing journeys. The Oboz Bridger 9″ is the ladies’s model of this 400-gram insulated climbing boot.
I purchased a second pair to make use of this autumn, winter, and for the following few years and I solely do this if I actually like a product and it’s best-of-breed. Extremely beneficial!
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Final up to date: 2022-11-27 21:28:46
Disclosure: The writer bought these boots.
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