10 Best Insulated Duck Boots for Warmth in Winter Snow [2024]

Insulated duck boots provide you with both the warmth and water protection you need to fight off the cold. I personally prefer winter duck boots that use synthetic insulation around the foot, and then line the leather shaft with flannel, fleece, shearling, or other type of warm lining.

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These are my choices for best winter snow duck boots:

*Women’s* Sperry Women’s Saltwater 200g Winter Lux Boots (click here to view)
*Women’s* L.L. Bean Women’s Insulated Winter Bean Boots (click here to view)
*Women’s* Sorel Women’s Caribou Waterproof Snow Boots (click here to view)
*Women’s* Lands’ End Insulated Flannel Lined Chelsea Duck Boots (click here to view)
*Women’s* Sorel Women’s Slimpack III Insulated Duck Boots (click here to view)
*Men’s* L.L. Bean Men’s Insulated Winter Bean Boots (click here to view)
*Men’s* Sperry Men’s Thermal-Lined Avenue Duck Boot (click here to view)
*Men’s* Guide Gear 400g Insulated Men’s Duck Boots (click here to view)
*Men’s* Sperry Men’s 200g Thinsulate Cold Bay Boots (click here to view)
*Men’s* Lands’ End Insulated Flannel Lined Chelsea Duck Boots (click here to view)

***Here’s my advice. If you want a quick understanding of what type of insulation may be best for your insulated duck boots, then watch my short 45 second video posted below that quickly explains what you need to know. Also, please subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking the button below. Thanks!

Most winter duck boots will use a combination of insulations to line the boot. Synthetic insulation, like 3M Thinsulate or PimaLoft, is often used to insulate the bottom rubber portion of the boot. Some companies may also line the leather shaft with synthetic insulation, but it is also quite common to see shearling, flannel, or fleece used to line the shaft of the boots.

For example, I own L.L. Bean’s Men’s Tumbled Leather Bean Boots which use Primaloft to insulate the foot area and use shearling to line the leather shaft. These duck boots do a great job of keeping me warm and dry in the winter conditions I face here in Kansas. Here’s what my boots look like:

This is the exact L.L. Bean Men’s Insulated Bean Boot that I own pictured above (affiliate link takes you to llbean.com). In this article let’s take a closer look at the best insulated duck boots so you can find an option that fits your needs. Let’s also discuss several things to consider when buying winter duck boots for snow and rain.

Table of Contents

Best Insulated Duck Boots for Winter

L.L. Bean’s Insulated Winter Bean Boots

L.L. Bean’s winter duck boots come in a wide range of insulations so you can find the type that fits your climate. Most of these boots will use a combination of insulations.

For example, some boots may use shearling to insulate above the ankle, but use synthetic insulation in the rubber portion of the boot. The synthetic insulations used will be either 3M Thinsulate or PrimaLoft, which are both very good at trapping heat while still being lightweight and non-bulky.

The weight of insulation can greatly affect the warmth of the boot. One thing I really like about L.L. Bean is they will assign a comfort rating to some of their insulated duck boots so you have an idea of what temperature range the boots fit. I’d advise you to learn more about their comfort ratings by clicking here. Here’s what you need to know about your options:

Men’s Shearling Lined Boot – The upper for this boot is insulated with sheepskin shearling and the rubber bottom is insulated with 200g of 3M Thinsulate insulation. L.L. Bean assigns a comfort rating of +25 degrees Fahrenheit for light activity with these boots, and a comfort rating of -20 degree Fahrenheit for moderate activity with these boots. These are handcrafted in the USA. Waterproof leather shaft with rubber bottoms. Click here to view these men’s L.L. Bean shearling-lined winter duck boots (affiliate link takes you to llbean.com).

Men’s Thinsulate Gore-Tex Bean Boots – This is probably their most popular men’s Bean Boot. This boot uses 3M Thinsulate for insulation and has a waterproof Gore-Tex lining. Although this boot is insulated, it won’t be quite as warm as some of their other options. These boots are handcrafted in the USA. Classic design with waterproof leather shaft combined with rubber bottom. Click here to view these men’s L.L. Bean Thinsulate winter duck boots (affiliate link takes you to llbean.com).

Men’s Flannel Lined Boot – The upper for this boot is insulated with 100% cotton flannel and the rubber bottom is insulated with 200g of 3M Thinsulate insulation. This is one of the few insulated boots on the market that use flannel lining above the ankle. Classic design with leather shaft and rubber bottom. These are 8-inch boots and they are handcrafted in the USA. Click here to view these men’s L.L. Bean flannel-lined insulated duck boots (affiliate link takes you to llbean.com).

Women’s Shearling Lined Boot – The upper for this boot is insulated with sheepskin shearling and the rubber bottom is insulated with 200g of 3M Thinsulate insulation. L.L. Bean does assign a comfort rating to these boots so you can match the temperature range to your activity level to get a better understanding of how warm they are. These are handcrafted in the USA. Waterproof leather shaft with rubber bottoms. Click here to view these women’s L.L. Bean shearling-lined winter pac boots (affiliate link takes you to llbean.com).

Women’s Flannel Lined Boot – The upper for this boot is insulated with 100% cotton flannel and the rubber bottom is insulated with 200g of 3M Thinsulate insulation. Just like with the men’s boot we discussed earlier, this is one of the few women’s insulated boots on the market that use flannel lining above the ankle. Classic design with leather shaft and rubber bottom. These are 8-inch boots and they are handcrafted in the USA. Click here to view these women’s L.L. Bean flannel-lined insulated duck boots (affiliate link takes you to llbean.com).

Women’s Fleece Lined Boot – The upper for this boot is insulated with fleece to provide a cozy feel above and around the ankle. Just like the flannel-lined boot above, this boot uses 200g of PrimaLoft for insulation to line the rubber portion of the boot. Just like 3M Thinsulate we’ve discussed above, PrimaLoft is a synthetic insulation that is very good at trapping heat but is also non-bulky. Classic design with leather shaft and rubber bottom. These are 10-inch boots and they are handcrafted in the USA. Click here to view these women’s L.L. Bean flannel-lined winter duck boots (affiliate link takes you to llbean.com).

As you can see, L.L. Bean has a wide variety of winter duck boots. I personally like the shearling-lined boots. These boots have PrimaLoft insulation around the foot, then use shearling to line the leather shaft of the boot.

Here’s what mine look like:

These boots use a thick shearling lining to keep my ankles and lower legs warm. As you can see below, the lining on my boots measures at almost 7mm thick. My size 11 boots weigh 1.91 pounds per boot:

insulated-ll-bean-boots-lining-thickness

I typically wear a size 12, but sized down to 11 for these boots and they fit perfectly, so I would recommend that you size L.L. Bean down. Click here to buy these L.L. Bean men’s insulated duck boots that I own (affiliate link takes you to llbean.com).

Sperry Men’s Thermal-Lined Avenue Duck Boot

These Sperry men’s winter duck boots use a thermal lining to add warmth and comfort to fight off the cold weather and snow. The thing I like about these Sperry boots is they come in a wide variety of colors and they offer these boots in both a leather shaft and a wool shaft.

This is what the Sperry Avenue Duck Boots look like:

This is the current price of these Sperry insulated duck boots available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). Here’s what you need to know about these boots:

Material – These Sperry winter duck boots are unique in that they offer both leather and wool shafts so you can find a design that fits your needs. The bottoms are made with 100% leather so that they are waterproof and ready to take on the cold snow and rain. The outsole is also 100% rubber and is designed in a way to help provide traction in wet conditions.

Insulation – Yes, these warm duck boots use a thermal lining to provide comfort in colder temperatures. This thermal lining will be most appropriate for moderate winter conditions. For more extreme, dangerous temperatures, you might want to consider one of the L.L. Bean boots we discussed earlier, some of which have comfort ratings down to -25 degrees Fahrenheit.

Waterproof Protection – These boots are seam-sealed to provide additional waterproof protection in combination with the rubber vamp bottoms. The leather on the shaft is also waterproof leather for protection. If you choose a wool shaft, wool naturally has water-resistant qualities to help keep you dry.

Click here to buy these Sperry snow duck boots available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). Again, these boots are offered in a wide variety of two-tone colors to give you plenty of options to choose from.

Sperry Women’s Saltwater 200g Winter Lux Boots

These Sperry women’s winter duck boots are a bit different than the men’s Sperry boots from above. These boots actually use 200g of synthetic insulation to help keep your feet warm. The synthetic insulation is 3M Thinsulate, which is very popular for insulating footwear because it is very good at trapping heat, but also lightweight and non-bulky.

This is what the Sperry Women’s Saltwater Boots look like:

This is the current price of these women’s Sperry insulated duck boots available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). Here’s what you need to know about these boots:

Material – These Sperry winter duck boots are made with leather shafts combined with rubber vamp bottoms and a rubber outsole. The laces are made from leather rawhide so they don’t get soggy in messy in wet conditions. The eyelets are also rust proof.

Insulation – Yes, these winter duck boots are insulated. They use 200g of 3M Thinsulate in combination with shearling which lines the boot. In my experience, this type of insulation can handle moderate winter conditions. For more extreme, dangerous temperatures, you might want to consider one of the L.L. Bean boots we discussed earlier, some of which have comfort ratings down to -25 degrees Fahrenheit.

Quilted Version – Sperry also offers these women’s Saltwater insulated boots in a quilted leather version. This version still combined a leather upper with a rubber vamp area, but the leather on the shaft is quilted for style.

Click here to buy these women’s Sperry snow duck boots available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). These boots have the razor-cut waved outsole pattern for needed traction in wet conditions.

Other Insulated Duck Boots to Consider

Lands’ End Women’s Insulated Flannel Lined Chelsea Duck Boots – This women’s Lands’ End cold weather duck boot is a pull-on Chelsea boot. Sometimes in the cold and snow, tying laces can be a pain, especially if they get snow-packed. These boots have rubber vamp bottoms with a leather shaft. They use flannel to insulate the shaft and 200g of Thermolite to insulate the foot area. Click here to view these women’s Lands’ End insulated Chelsea duck boots (affiliate link takes you to Landsend.com).

Sorel Women’s Slimpack III Insulated Duck Boots – If you are searching for a women’s snow duck boot that has a raised heel, this boot will be a nice option. While most duck boots have a one inch heal, this boot has a 1.75 inch heel. The leather shaft is insulated with fleece and has a wool-felt collar. The foot area is insulated with 100g of 3M Thinsulate for warmth. Click here to view these Sorel boot available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com).

Lands’ End Men’s Insulated Flannel Lined Chelsea Duck Boots – This is the Lands’ End men’s pull on insulated duck boot. As we discussed with the women’s version, these pull on boots take away the pain of tying laces and remove the risk that water may leak in through the laces. These boots use flannel to insulate the shaft and 400g of Thermolite to insulate the foot area. Click here to view these men’s Lands’ End insulated Chelsea duck boots (affiliate link takes you to Landsend.com).

5 Things to Consider When Buying Insulated Duck Boots

Height of Winter Duck Boots

The height of the boot can affect many things, including both warmth and protection. Obviously, the taller the boot shaft, the more water, wind, cold and abrasion protection you get above the ankle.

But a tall shaft can also add weight to the boot, and usually increases price. It also affects the look and wear of a boot, so shaft height may just come down to your personal preference on style, especially if these boots will be casual boots for you.

You can find winter duck boots usually in the 8-12 inch shaft range, with exceptions. For example, L.L. Bean offers their bean boots in anything from an ankle boot to a 12-inch shaft.

Lace vs Slip On

When most people think of insulated duck boots, they imagine lace-up boots. The large majority of snow duck boots have laces. Laces can be very important in wet environments because they obviously help you secure the boot to your foot.

But one downside to laces in the snow is sometimes the snow can become packed around the laces and make it a mess to take your boots on and off. Many companies will rawhide laces so that the laces won’t become water-logged in the snow.

But another downside is sometimes water can leak in through the laces. Most companies do a good job of securing this area of the boot (for example, a gusseted tongue to hold out moisture and debris), but one advantage of a slip on winter duck boot is you don’t have to worry about water leaking in through the laces.

Lands’ End offers both a men’s and women’s insulated slip on duck boot, which are linked at the top of the article. This is a good place to look if you prefer no laces. Also, you could consider a winter pac boot, which is very similar and often includes duck boots, but some pac boots are made of 100% rubber for increase water protection.

Heel Height

Most winter duck boots have a one inch heel. If you are looking for a winter riding boot, logger boots are another good option. They have the raised heel that works well with stirrups. To see options, visit our article about the best winter logger boots.

For women looking for a casual duck boot that has a raised heel, the Sorel Slimpack Women’s Boots on our list at the top of the page use a raised 1.75 inch heel.

Other Insulated Boots

There are a wide range of insulated boots on the market today, and if you are not happy with your insulated duck boot options, then maybe one of the options below will give you the fit you need:

Insulated Duck Boots Made in the USA

Unfortunately today, most snow duck boots are imported. If you prefer to wear USA-made winter duck boots, then I would recommend the L.L. Bean boots we discussed earlier in the article.

L.L. Bean has a wide range of their iconic “Bean Boots” that are still handcrafted here in the USA at their Maine facility. Click here to see L.L. Bean’s wide variety of USA insulated duck boots (affiliate link takes you to llbean.com).