Steger Mukluk Boots: A Product Review

Mukluks are a good solution when winter temperatures dip below the freezing mark, and one designer of mukluks for many types of activities in cold climates is Steger Designs. With the right pair of mukluks, winter-hater or winter-sport enthusiast alike can have toasty-warm, comfortable feet. And Steger Designs is an excellent source for well-crafted mukluks.

This company, based in Ely, Minnesota, close to the Boundary Waters National Wilderness Canoe Area, has been making mukluks since 1987. In the 90's, employees sewed together the Steger Design mukluks in their homes, making this business like a cottage industry. Now the business has grown so that customers in the European market can experience the warmth, comfort, and style of Steger mukluks.

Steger mukluks are expensive like many other true mukluks but you may expect a pair to last twelve years or more under normal winter wear. The catalog price for the mukluks alone is $199.95. The wool felt inserts are another $16.95 and the wool felt insoles which will provide extra cushion and protection against the cold are $9.95. All of these are made by Steger Designs. The dark gray inserts, kind of like a boot for inside the boot, are 9mm in thickness. The felt insoles are 75% wool and 25% polyester. Still another expense is the recommended water repellant to use on the leather. No water repellant exists that will totally waterproof a pair of leather mukluks, but the repellant will allow the leather to breathe and will keep much of the moisture out.

I finally got an opportunity to own a pair of Steger mukluks two years ago when I won a Stegers gift certificate at a silent auction. My mukluks are the style called short Ojibwa and they are chestnut in color. The uppers are a soft but strong moosehide and the sole is rubber with a little tread. The mukluks are eleven inches tall from sole to top and come to about mid-calf on me. The 36-inch long moosehide laces are sewn into the back seam of the mukluk and pass through a hide eyelet on either side. The laces are crisscrossed in the front, then the back, then the front again before being tied near the top of the mukluk. To keep my Steger mukluks tied, I crisscross them fairly firmly but not enough to cut off circulation in the legs, then double tie them (make a bow then knot the bow ends, like what mothers do with their young children's laces).

The salespeople at Steger Designs ask two questions of every customer: "What is your intended use for the mukluks?" and "What is your largest shoe size?" The first question enables them to direct you to the Steger mukluks that will be best for your situation. Some people buy them to do winter expedition hiking and camping; others, like me, want mukluks that will allow them to venture outside for a few hours to do errands. The second question is so that the mukluks are not too tight when and if layers of socks are to be used inside the liners. An ice fisherman might sit in the cold for long hours and not walk around much. He would wear more layers of socks inside the mukluks and need at least a size larger and wider than he normally would wear.

One of the disadvantages of Steger mukluks is that when the rubber sole wears to the point of needing replacement, you can not have them resoled but must replace the mukluks entirely. A good point to remember is that a pair of Steger mukluks should last for several years with the need only to replace the felt liners once in a while depending on wear and tear.

For years I have suffered from cold feet during the winter due to poor circulation. When the furnace has to be kept low because of heating bills and the temperatures dip low, I wear my Steger mukluks in our house with a pair of nylon kneehighs. My feet stay warmer than if I wore a pair of fake fleece slippers. Even if my feet sweat, the wicking action of the felt liners draws the moisture away so that my feet stay toasty and warm. When I have to go outside to shovel snow for a couple of hours, my Steger mukluks keep my feet from feeling the biting cold. I highly recommend this product for anyone who thinks their feet will have to be cold all winter. Steger mukluks are an excellent alternative!