These $64 Waterproof Hiking Boots for Men Imitate Polar Bear Paws for a 'Fierce' Grip on Winter Hikes

Preparing to hit your favorite trails this winter but worried your worn-out hiking boots won’t cut it? If only you could be an Arctic polar bear, using your dinner plate-sized paws with built-in treads and claws to scale icy surfaces and wade through water on the daily. Not going to happen, but I know the next best thing: hiking boots designed to mimic polar bear paws.

The newly launched Nortiv 8 Polar Bear Men’s Hiking Boots just landed at Amazon, and five-star fans are already calling them "legit" and "unbelievably comfortable." Better yet, this formidable footwear is the next step up from the top-rated Nortiv 8 Men's Waterproof Hiking Boots T+L recommended back in April. They’re in stock right now for $64 with an Amazon Prime account, a deal compared to top-notch competitors like Hoka and Salomon, which often go for double that price or more.

To buy: amazon.com, $64 (originally $80)

With the Polar Bear series, Nortiv 8 built upon best-in-class features like shock-absorbing midsoles and superior ankle support by giving the soles even stronger grip and traction and adding rear heel protection to help propel you up those hills — that’s part of the polar bear’s secret. And then there’s the impenetrable water-resistance: these boots were designed to trudge through mud, puddles, streams and more while keeping your feet completely dry.

In fact, this customer really put them to the test: “The waterproofing is legit. I haven't submerged [them] in water, but I've sprayed them full blast with a hose, even on the lower portion of the tongue, and not a single drop of water got inside.” And they even claimed, “even if I paid double for these boots, I would still be impressed.” Yep, these hiking boots are as rugged as they come — but also as stylish. Nortiv 8 Polar Bear Men’s Hiking Boots come in four great colorways, including dark gray with orange accents, two different blues (navy and royal, each with pops of yellow) and an all-black option. They even have half sizes!

To buy: amazon.com, $64 (originally $80)

 The Polar Bear series is brand new, so it hasn’t racked up a ton of ratings yet, but it does have an impressive 4.5-star average already. Aside from the fierce water-resistance, customers are enamored with the boots’ “very meaty soles with a great tread pattern,” raved one shopper, the spouse of a heavy machinery operator. “Having a removable insert is the best! He always gets sand or rocks in there and there’s no way to get it out without wrecking the boot…He loves the wide sole/walking style heel,” they said, continuing, “This forces you to walk properly and not on the outside of your foot or to one side of your heel.”

 And that detail is intentional to the Polar Bear series design, a representative from Nortiv 8 told Travel + Leisure: “The large paws of a polar bear act like snowshoes, spreading out the bear's weight as it moves over ice and snow. This helps the bears walk on thin ice without falling through.”

To buy: amazon.com, $64 (originally $80)

 Aside from hiking, Nortiv 8 is also known for its high-performance military boots — so you know their Polar Bear boots are built to go through the paces. One athletic reviewer who goes hiking twice a week for about four miles each said, “The heel provides a lot of bounce to your step, which is great because I hike a lot on dirt paths. The bounce helps cushion each step so that my knees are not taking a beating.” They continued, “The top two rows of eyelets are the quicklace clasps and seem very sturdy…Overall, great boot and it compared really well to a big name brand boot I was considering going with instead,” concluding that they were, “glad I chose the Nortiv 8.”

 Pounce on the Nortiv 8 Polar Bear Men’s Hiking Boots while they’re new and available in all sizes and colors on Amazon! Even the most treacherous treks — from Devil’s Path in the Catskills to a glacier hike in Iceland — are no match for these beasts.

At the time of publishing, the price started at $64. 

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