Quote Originally Posted by Twoboos View Post
What's the deal with these - one reviewer said they're not warm(?!), and someone said they are very narrow. Hmmmmm.... Anyone have any experience with Sorels?

I wanted the Kamik Scarlet when they were on sale for $65 a day or so ago, and DH didn't buy even though I told him to (grrrr...) and these look pretty similar!
http://www.amazon.com/Kamik-Womens-S...3980619&sr=8-1
Sorels and Kamiks are both Canadian in origin. Sorel used to be made in Kitchener/Waterloo, ON (though they're named after Sorel, Quebec) but they were bought out by Columbia a few years back and are now trying to be "fashion" boots. Kamiks are still made here in QC. They're both known to be very, very warm. As in, DH used to wear his Sorels when he was working in the bush and sitting on drills in Labrador and the Yukon during the winter (he was a geologist). Based on my own experience (mine were bought pre-buyout) Sorels run big. I don't have Kamiks myself but DS does and they're THE brand at the daycare. They're slightly less pricey. I have to wonder if when the fashion quotient went up with the Sorel buyout the quality went down a bit? Mine are totally fugly but good to -40.

ETA: neither Kamik or Sorel stretch. They're kind of like LLB duck boots in that they're rubber on the bottom (in most of the styles).

The other two big Canadian boot brands are Pajar and La Canadienne, both also based in Montreal. Pajar is a mix of warmth and function as well as fashion, and La Canadienne is a fashion brand.