Arken

Love the boots. Fit perfectly at my correct size.

Excellent for cold weather and snow. I bought these for a trip to Norway, as they pack flat for Ryannair. The conditions were 0.5m of snow and -18C. I am normally a 45 but have a wide foot so went for the 46 Arken as they fit smaller. This was a good choice as the width is snug but comfortable and it holds well with thicker socks you need for cold weather. I was out on ice and snow and walked 5km in snow shoes using the Arkens. My feet were warm and dry throughout. These are great bootee for cold and wet conditions, I was slogging through snow for 3 hours and they performed brilliantly and also when stationary in the snow. I also tried these in more urban parts of Norway and they had good traction on compacted snow and were reasonable on ice, where even normal walking boots slip. So my experience is that these are excellent for winter conditions and will be trying them out when things thaw out too. Definitely fits smaller so take into account when sizing.

I bought US 8 size and I am so comfortable, I never had boots so comfortable! I have wide feet so usually they are too long to be wide enough and this one is perfect. I had no need to size up. The material is sturdy, they are comfortable and protective but still flexible. I love the grip under as I am in Quebec City so we have strong winters. Very satisfied. They are hot but not too hot so I can wear them autumn, not coldest days of winter and early spring.

Originally, I was thinking of getting the Tundra b/c of high reviews on r/barefoot and youtube...then I saw the Arken and decided to give a try. For context, 2 years ago, I was size 9.5 American/43 EU (18 years old). After taking my foot measurements with a pen (not vertically down, but angled), my left foot is 243mm long/ 90mm wide. My right food is 245mm long/94mm wide. I thought that the EU 44 Arken would fit. Its sole was 276mm long/107mm wide. Despite the ~30mm L, ~13mm W difference for my largest foot, the shoe still felt a little small. My largest toe to the top of the shoe felt like I had 1-1.5 cm. The sides were squeezing. I returned it for an EU 46 (returns took a week or so) which is a 15mm L and 3mm w sole increase...not sure how much it translates to the shoe sizing up. It felt so much better. The only problem I have is that I wish the sides were a bit wider since I have plateau feet w/ slight bunions. I needed that extra side space. I suspect that the inner warm lining (fleece?) reduces the space inside the shoe, requiring probably a 2-3 size up. The toe box is great, and I am using this with creeper merino wool socks. For comparison, I also got the Freet Flex at EU 45, and the sides feel great (more flexible?). --------- On another note, my mother had been American 8/8.5/EU 39/40. I got her the EU 40 (sole 252mm L/9mm w), but her toes touched the top of the shoe. I sized her up to EU 42 and the problem was solved. Both toebox and sides were fine. For my case 4.5/5. For her case 5/5.