The Oboz Bridger 10″ is a water-proof and insulated winter mountaineering boot with 400-gram Thinsulate insulation, making it appropriate for excessive chilly climate use. Oboz doesn’t publish a temperature score for them however they’re akin to different 400-gram insulated winter mountaineering boots (-40F) by way of heat. I’ve been winter mountaineering in New Hampshire’s White Mountains with the Bridger 10’s for a number of years and purchased a alternative pair this 12 months after the final pair wore out. They’re superior.
Specs at a look
- Gender: males’s (girls’s mannequin known as the Bridger 9″)
- Insulation: 400g Thinsulate (approx -40F under)
- Waterproof/breathable: Sure
- Uppers: Leather-based Nubuck
- Vast sizes: Sure
- Shank: Nylon
- Gaiter ring: Sure
- Weight Per Pair: 3 lbs. 8 oz. (males’s measurement 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 stop water from leaking into the boot in case you 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 offers the boot glorious stability and has a slender protruding “shelf” to seize a rear snowshoe strap. It’s priceless for conserving 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 gives quite a lot of insulation across the ankle and decrease calf, which can hold your ft and decrease legs hotter than a mid-height boot will. It additionally requires a barely totally 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 exhausting to get used to strolling with the Bridgers, nevertheless and doesn’t tire you quicker. It’s very delicate: you may not even discover the distinction in case you use a mid-height boot.
Regardless of being a 400g boot, the Bridger is kind 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 helpful when mountaineering with microspikes, crampons, or snowshoes. The toe field can be strong sufficient to withstand compression by the elastomer straps on light-weight traction like Microspikes or Hillsound Path Crampons. This generally is a actual downside with a softer boot and might result in chilly or cramped toes.
When it comes to sizing, the Bridger 10″ boots run barely slender however true to measurement. Oboz says that the heel is a measurement “C” width, which is certainly slender, whereas the toe field is an everyday measurement “D” width. I’ve loads of room inside to unfold out my toes, even with a third-party insole. Regardless, the Bridger 10″ can be out there in large sizes and people can be found in case you 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 gives 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. In case you’ve owned Oboz path sneakers or boots, then you definitely’re in all probability conversant in the Granite Peak outsole used on the Bridger 10″, because it’s additionally discovered on lots of Oboz’s different mountaineering 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 material loops, metallic eyes, and velocity hooks close to the highest collar. The boots include spherical laces which might be slightly on the quick facet. In case you resolve to interchange them, try Ironlace Spherical Bootlaces. They’re so robust to interrupt, they’ll in all probability outlast your boots.
The surface of the Bridger 10″ is coated with DWR, which rubs off fairly rapidly as a result of snow and ice are so abrasive. In case you ask the producer, they’ll inform you to retreat the outside leather-based with Nikwax DWR to revive the water repellency and preserve the boots’ “breathability.” I put that in quotes as a result of insulated waterproof/breathable winter mountaineering boots have by no means been significantly 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 gives 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 sizzling air blow drier so it soaks deeply into the leather-based and boot seams. It really works nice. Do it annually and your boots won’t ever get soaked by means of. It is going to darken the leather-based although, so make it possible for’s what you need as a result of there’s no going again as soon as it’s utilized.
Advisable winter mountaineering boots (2022-2023)
Suggestion
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 similar to that used on lots of Oboz’s different boots and sneakers and is equally succesful in snow and slush. In case you already use Oboz boots or sneakers and love the best way they match, then getting the Bridger 10’s might be a no brainer. In case you’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 mountaineering boot.
I purchased a second pair to make use of this autumn, winter, and for the subsequent few years and I solely try 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 creator bought these boots.
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