About a year ago Lems Footwear debuted their Boulder boot, which we reviewed in detail here.
Well, it’s over a year later now and I’ve been meaning to get up a few photos of the more recently released, all-black, 100% Nylon (and 100% Vegan if that’s…
About a year ago Lems Footwear debuted their Boulder boot, which we reviewed in detail here.
Well, it’s over a year later now (boy does time fly!) and I’m happy to share a few photos (Thanks to Lems sending me a pair!) of the all-BLACK, 100% Nylon (and 100% Vegan if that’s your thing!) Boulder Boot. Check it out:
As I’ve already gone into exhaustive detail about the Boulder elsewhere, I’m primarily interested in just sharing the aesthetic of these boots. Being all nylon and black, they have a certain military-esque feel to them (to my eye). At the same time, the black Boulders remind me of Seattle grunge (e.g. Google image search).
If you’re after a black minimalist boot, the Boulders are worth a look. They run about $115 and I size into a 45, which is a surprising insomuch as my VFF size is typically a 43 and my VivoBarefoot size a 44 (usually). Lems’ handy-dandy sizing print-out (here, PDF) should eliminate sizing issues though.
If you’ve got any questions about them, happy to answer! And if I had to pick between the brown Boulders or the black Boulders, I’d go black! They’re just sorta edgy and distinctive. But then again, both will work just fine with a flannel shirt (wink!).
Justin Owings is a deadlifting dad of three, working from Atlanta. When he's not chasing his three kids around, you'll find him trying to understand systems, risk, and human behavior.
any improvements to their waterproofing qualities? still looking for a barefoot shoe for walking through wet grass!
@Oscar,
Thanks for bringing this up — I forgot to mention anything about that. I don’t think anything is particularly different regarding waterproofing. I wonder though if some scotch guard could work here … waxing the nylon could be interesting (I know zero about doing this though).
I bought a pair last winter. Several liberal coatings of Obenauf’s Water Shield (it’s a spray, so it’s easy to apply) made them acceptably water resistant for an unusually snowy Chicago winter. I will note that they weren’t otherwise up to the task of a winter boot: too cold and too little traction. They aren’t sold as winter boots, but with so few choices, I hoped that I’d be good with a decent pair of wool socks.
I’m going to try the (sale-priced) Vivobarefoot Off Road Hi for the upcoming winter. If these can’t keep me warm, my fall-back is a $40 pair of Mares Flexa 5mm neoprene diving boots 🙂
Thanks @lowwall – I too am from Chicago and have to train in snowy, sandy, muddy lakefront in winter for a spring desert marathon. Think after reading your review, I’m going with Vivibarefoot Off Road Hi for Women!
These were my winter shoes. And they recently got me up a mountain (hiking – to nearly 3000m).
I like mine but I wish they had the “leather” areas that my brown pair have.
Pretty much all my outdoor/hiking wear is now in Belleville MinMils so the Lems are strictly work in the office shoes for me. Look great and for the most part I really like them but… way too hot in the summer
its nice and lovely
The Boulder Boot is very nice.
I snagged one last Christmas and it has enjoyed some use in Vermont and Boston winters.
The only issue is that it’s not waterproof, so your toes will get cold if you are trudging around in the wet stuff.
There are some spray and wax solutions, but it would have been nice if the boot was designed to be waterproof from the get-go. Also, the lack of materials makes it very flexible, but it also means that there is little insulation for colder temperatures.
I also wish that Lems would cut their sole density in half, 9mm seems way to thick for me, despite it being much more minimalist than your typical boots.
I also really like the Vivobarefoot Gobi
Another update on using these for winter. I forgot that I had removed the insoles when I first got the boots. Adding it back in made a big difference, they are fine down to maybe 20F with good winter socks if you have waterproofed them.
But IMO they are not very well made. My first pair fell apart after 6 months of wear. The back part of the sole came off and the tab you pull them on with broke on one boot and a seam wore through on the other. I got another pair, but the pull ripped off the first time I put it on.
I’ve had the same sort of issues with Vivobarefoots and after throwing away thousands of dollars worth of disposable and/or uncomfortable boots since I moved out of Los Angeles 20 year ago I finally bit the bullet and bought a pair of Russell Moccasin Minimalist Thula Thulas to wear when it’s really cold or snowy. Nearly $500 with the options I chose (7″, double vamp, all Weather Tuff leather), but they are flat, warm, waterproof, fit perfectly (I drove up there from Chicago to be fitted), very well made and can be resoled a few years down the line. The only drawback other than the price is that they are a lot heavier and not as flexible as the Lems. But they are still lighter than typical hiking boots. I’m so happy with them that rather than buying more Boulder Boots for less frigid weather, I’m having a lighter weight pair of Thula Thulas made up. I figure they’ll pay for themselves in a few years.
9 replies on “Lems Boulder Boot — Now in Black!”
Nice looking boots!
any improvements to their waterproofing qualities? still looking for a barefoot shoe for walking through wet grass!
@Oscar,
Thanks for bringing this up — I forgot to mention anything about that. I don’t think anything is particularly different regarding waterproofing. I wonder though if some scotch guard could work here … waxing the nylon could be interesting (I know zero about doing this though).
I bought a pair last winter. Several liberal coatings of Obenauf’s Water Shield (it’s a spray, so it’s easy to apply) made them acceptably water resistant for an unusually snowy Chicago winter. I will note that they weren’t otherwise up to the task of a winter boot: too cold and too little traction. They aren’t sold as winter boots, but with so few choices, I hoped that I’d be good with a decent pair of wool socks.
I’m going to try the (sale-priced) Vivobarefoot Off Road Hi for the upcoming winter. If these can’t keep me warm, my fall-back is a $40 pair of Mares Flexa 5mm neoprene diving boots 🙂
Thanks @lowwall – I too am from Chicago and have to train in snowy, sandy, muddy lakefront in winter for a spring desert marathon. Think after reading your review, I’m going with Vivibarefoot Off Road Hi for Women!
http://www.inov-8.com/New/Global/Product-View-Roclite-286-GTX-Slate-Black-Mens-AW14.html?L=26&A=Trail&G=Female
These were my winter shoes. And they recently got me up a mountain (hiking – to nearly 3000m).
I like mine but I wish they had the “leather” areas that my brown pair have.
Pretty much all my outdoor/hiking wear is now in Belleville MinMils so the Lems are strictly work in the office shoes for me. Look great and for the most part I really like them but… way too hot in the summer
its nice and lovely
The Boulder Boot is very nice.
I snagged one last Christmas and it has enjoyed some use in Vermont and Boston winters.
The only issue is that it’s not waterproof, so your toes will get cold if you are trudging around in the wet stuff.
There are some spray and wax solutions, but it would have been nice if the boot was designed to be waterproof from the get-go. Also, the lack of materials makes it very flexible, but it also means that there is little insulation for colder temperatures.
I also wish that Lems would cut their sole density in half, 9mm seems way to thick for me, despite it being much more minimalist than your typical boots.
I also really like the Vivobarefoot Gobi
Another update on using these for winter. I forgot that I had removed the insoles when I first got the boots. Adding it back in made a big difference, they are fine down to maybe 20F with good winter socks if you have waterproofed them.
But IMO they are not very well made. My first pair fell apart after 6 months of wear. The back part of the sole came off and the tab you pull them on with broke on one boot and a seam wore through on the other. I got another pair, but the pull ripped off the first time I put it on.
I’ve had the same sort of issues with Vivobarefoots and after throwing away thousands of dollars worth of disposable and/or uncomfortable boots since I moved out of Los Angeles 20 year ago I finally bit the bullet and bought a pair of Russell Moccasin Minimalist Thula Thulas to wear when it’s really cold or snowy. Nearly $500 with the options I chose (7″, double vamp, all Weather Tuff leather), but they are flat, warm, waterproof, fit perfectly (I drove up there from Chicago to be fitted), very well made and can be resoled a few years down the line. The only drawback other than the price is that they are a lot heavier and not as flexible as the Lems. But they are still lighter than typical hiking boots. I’m so happy with them that rather than buying more Boulder Boots for less frigid weather, I’m having a lighter weight pair of Thula Thulas made up. I figure they’ll pay for themselves in a few years.