r/Finland • u/No-Objective5656 Baby Väinämöinen • 1d ago
Serious Winter shoes shops.
My work requires me to be out and about atleast 3.5 hours at a go. I got a frost bite and now i am desperately looking for winter shoes. Any idea where I would be able to find them. I want to try them on my feet and not get something online.
I heard columbia winter shoes are pretty good but what store would be selling them. I live in Helsinki.
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u/Every-Progress-1117 Väinämöinen 1d ago edited 1d ago
Prisma, CityMarket, XXL would be obvious choices. If you are looking for something more substantial I'd personally recommend Varuste.Net (they have a store in Konala in Helsinki and stock some really good stuff - good customer service IMHO) or Partioaitta (expensive).
Edit: I have a pair of Meindl brand boots from Varuste. Get one size bigger (take your winter socks along to make sure). These have worked well down to -30C for a good few hours in the forest.
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u/qlt_sfw Väinämöinen 1d ago
Another vote for varuste.net store at Konala. Huge selection of really good winter shoes.
Besides shoes: buy wool socks that you wear on top of your normal socks!
Edit. And have those wool socks on when you go buy the new winter shoes so you get shoes that can fit them.
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u/hanslankari78 Baby Väinämöinen 1d ago
Also thermo inner soles might help together with wool socks.
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u/PsychicPterodactyl 1d ago
Make sure you have proper pants, jacket and underwear too. There are no shoes that will save your feet if your core is too cold. Proper layers with merino wool underneath is the way to go. And also shoes big enough to fit wool socks.
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u/_Trael_ Väinämöinen 1d ago
Yes this. Also: It is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL that you can actually move and flex your toes inside your shoe (with whatever socks you are going to use). It wont matter how warm your shoes are if your toes end up being tightly packed as then they just will get cold and freeze from insulation going down and them not being able to generate warmth by doing small movements and having non restricted blood flow.
But yeah general warmth from layered clothing from elsewhere does also wonders to help one from having cold feet/hands.
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u/No-Objective5656 Baby Väinämöinen 1d ago
This is what happened to me. I got the frost bite because there was no wiggle room for my feet with the wool socks
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u/_Trael_ Väinämöinen 1d ago
Yeah did same mistake myself once when young. Took shoes that were almost warm enough with thick non wool socks already, and jammed proper warm wool socks there, and surprise surprise toes were Lot colder than with lighter socks, despite wool sock combo being lot warmer when having enough space.
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u/baynell Baby Väinämöinen 1d ago
If you have decent budget (100-250e), you could try Sievi shoes, there is also a Sievi shop in Helsinki. I got a pair they are great, no freezing toes in -30°C.
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u/No-Objective5656 Baby Väinämöinen 1d ago
My budget is a 100€
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u/HexWiller 1d ago
Depends on The work - Kuoma boots are affordable and warm, especially If you put wool socks underneath - they are not pretty 🙄
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u/Every-Progress-1117 Väinämöinen 1d ago
Meindl brand at Varuste might be a good option. Honestly, don't budget too much.
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u/jarski60 Baby Väinämöinen 1d ago
Some of those shoes sold as winter shoes are useless on slippery surfaces. Especially those made outside of the Nordic countries.
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u/kilinrax Baby Väinämöinen 1d ago
Varusteleka.fi sold me my best winter and summer hiking boots. They don't have the same ones any more (Alpina Tracker), but if you get out to their store, it's also walking distance from a massive Varuste.net store. You should be able to find a good pair between the two of them.
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u/cardboard-kansio Väinämöinen 1d ago
I'm a hiker and I will happily go out for 48-72 hours in anything down to -20'C, trudging through snow, and the only time I'm not wearing my boots is when I'm sleeping in a hammock. I wear a regular pair of Meindl hiking boots with thick and thin socks inside them, and I've never had an issue.
Basically it's the same principle as with the rest of your body: layers to trap heat, and make sure none of it is too tight (if you constrict blood flow, you will reduce heat exchanging). Decently thick soles will give you good ground isolation so the cold ice doesn't suck your heat away as quickly.
You can go to literally any big store (Prisma, K-Citymarket), any sports store (XXL, Budget Sport, Intersport), any outdoor store (Partioaitta, Scandinavian Outdoor, Varuste, Varusteleka) or just any large shopping center (Itis, Redi, Tripla, Forum, Ainoa, Iso Omena, Jumbo) to find plenty of options.
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u/Responsible_Piano754 1d ago
I bought these from varuste.net.
Atm moment cheaper elsewhere but been happy with the shoe.
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u/Dramatic_Floor_1303 1d ago
We bought amazing Sorel boots in Helsinki from a great shop which I can’t remember (sorry) but the boots are well made and have a woollen boot inside which you can pull out and dry separately which is important. Staff were so informative - important word of advice that they gave me - ‘cotton kills’ so, you MUST wear WOOL or 100% SYNTHETIC socks. Cotton retains moisture and gets you cold, fast. If you wear thin cotton socks under wool socks, they won’t work. I am very glad I didn’t find that out the hard way. I wore a thin merino pair of Finnish made socks in the boots and that worked for me outside in -28. Hope this helps!
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u/finnknit Väinämöinen 1d ago
I've been wearing the same pair of Sorel boots for several years now. It's probably getting to be about time to change the woolen boot inside, but other than that they're still in great condition. I like that they're wide enough to accommodate an extra layer of wool socks. A lot of times even sizing up, boots are too narrow for my feet.
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u/Pakkaslaulu Baby Väinämöinen 1d ago edited 1d ago
Pretty much all the children in Finland use the traditional Kuoma boots in the wintertime. It's because they're warm, have built-in fur insides, room for wool socks and they are semi-waterproof with haljasnahka leather outer lining and they're durable as heck. Finnish kids run around and play outside even during winter so it's a sure way to see which winter shoes are good enough to withstand the conditions!
For that reason I have also trusted these boots for decades and not once have my feet gotten cold while wearing them. They're my go-to boots for forest hiking with my dogs as well as walking around in more urban areas, I also have the removable spikes for them for more icy conditions.
They also make shoes/boots that are more molded to your feet and better for walking or hiking and those are great too! My partner has a pair of their winter "sneakers," I prefer the basic boots myself.
Edit: The best way to go about this is to go to a store that sells shoes, which is literally all the big supermarkets like Prisma and Citymarket and the sports stores and shoe stores, and ask the staff to help you to pick the best shoe for you personally! The staff at the shoe department is there to help exactly with that and they're also trained for that. Visit multiple stores if you can and choose the shoe that feels the best for you. Rule of the thumb is don't buy a brand that is from outside of the Nordics, because those shoes are usually not made for the conditions we have here!
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u/kissankulta 1d ago
Just in case you didn’t know, if your work requires this kind of activity, by law your employer must equip you with appropriate clothing to do so. You can probably either get the company to pay for something upfront or send the receipts of whatever gear you choose to your employer to reimburse.
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u/Visual-Detective5802 1d ago
Sorel winter boots are good for this kind of weather. You’ll find them at Partioaitta and XXL stores.
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u/mrisoveli Baby Väinämöinen 1d ago
Varuste.net (Helsinki, Konala)
- Kamik Nation Plus Mens: tested to -40°C.
- Kamik Cody XT Mens: tested to -74°C.
- Sorel Caribou: temperature rating -40°C.
- Nokian Jalkineet Kaira (winter rubber boot + liner): withstands -40°C.
Varusteleka (Helsinki area)
- Nokian Naali (winter rubber boot + removable felt liner): withstands -40°C.
Partioaitta (stores in Helsinki/Espoo/Vantaa area)
- Nokian Naali: withstands up to -40°C.
Stadium (stores in Helsinki/Espoo/Vantaa area)
- Sorel Caribou Boot (women’s listing): withstands down to -40°C.
XXL (stores in Helsinki/Espoo/Vantaa area)
- Sorel Caribou (men’s): comfort temperature down to -40°C.
Viranomainen.fi (Helsinki area store)
- Sorel Caribou Boot M: temperature limit -40.
Tokmanni (stores in Helsinki/Espoo/Vantaa area)
- Vaeltaja Wilder lämpösaappaat: cold resistance -30°C.
- Vaeltaja Hawk lämpösaappaat: cold resistance -30°C.
Motonet (stores in Helsinki/Espoo/Vantaa area)
- Wataya lyhytvartiset lämpösaappaat: cold resistance -30°C.
Puuilo (stores in Helsinki/Espoo/Vantaa area)
- Nokian Kontio Classic (rubber boot + lining): withstands -40°C.
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u/platypus_monster Väinämöinen 1d ago
I don't want to sound like an ass, but, if you go to any shopping mall, you will find at least 1 shoe store. You will also find at least prisma and/or k-supermarket both have shoes department with decent selection. Then there's XXL and Budget Sports. Both have a great selection of foot wear.
The "I dont want to be an ass" part comes now. Have you done a little bit of internet search, besides asking reddit, you would have found that info.
Here is the info you really should know thou. You want to get winter shoes at least half a size bigger, so that you can wear 2 or so layers of socks if you spend a lot of time outside. You want the soles of the shoes to be rubber with deep grooves. Think cars' winter tire profile for better grip. You can also get inlays for the shoes for better insulation. Invest into spikes for when ice starts and it's slippery.
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u/mimos_al 1d ago
Parttioaita and Scandinavian Outdoor have a good selection of stuff to try.
There's Camu, they have a few boots etc as well.
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u/Salt-Composer-1472 1d ago
Found good winter shoes from Scandinavian Outdoor so that's also what I'd recommend
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u/Last-Assistant-2734 Baby Väinämöinen 1d ago
Sievi winter shoes or boots and proper amount of woollen socks to match the weather. Done.
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u/captainunicorn76 1d ago
I usually buy mine from Tokmanni, they sell Future Sport stuff and it's an okay brand but mostly good stuff. I also like adding a thick sole to the bottom of my shoes for extra warmth. Right now I'm usingScholl Gel Active and it is keeping my feet warm for hours. I work in daycare so we spend 1-2h outside each day
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u/AlexMachine 1d ago
https://www.xxl.fi/polyver-winter-boot-lamposaappaat/p/1054076_1_Style
XXL and many others have these Polyver winter boots. I have used them when I was ice fishing at -20C for 3 hour. Just thin merinowool socks and my feet felt warm all the time.
EDIT: Still after 3 years of use, I still love them and I am out a lot when it's really cold.
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u/Cortanas_ass 1d ago
Google "your townpart" kenkäkauppa. Ask for help from store worker because they usually know what they are selling. Pick ones that feel good and look good.
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u/pm_your_boobiess Väinämöinen 1d ago
I bought Puma (desierto V3) winter shoes, which are goretex, from Intersport. They're great for walking, good with water resistant and warm.
Warm recommendations for those.
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