Baffin Enduro Review

The Baffin Enduro is, without hesitation, the best deal in our test. It performed better than 80% of the other boots while also costing less than most. This is an absurdly good deal, for a boot that will stand up to a lot of use and abuse. If you have to have insulation or extreme comfort, go for one of the other award winners, but with thick socks and a decent insole, you can go far in the Best Buy-winning Enduro.

Look how solid that outsole still looks after months of use!

Photo: Richard Forbes

October 2020 - Takeaways and Durability after 3 years of use

We've now been wearing this boot for 3 years, and we're still certain that it's the boot with the best bang for its buck. While we generally choose the Bogs Workman, our Editors' Choice Award winner, for its extra comfort and insulation, if we're expecting to get into deep water/muck/snow/whatever, we'll put the Enduro on every time. With its 16.25" shaft, thick sole, and phenomenal grip, this boot is ready for anything you throw at it, whether that's a mucky farming job or just taking the dog out on a walk in the pouring rain.

They're still in great shape

Photo: Richard Forbes

And best of all, despite 3 years of hard use, these boots barely show any wear. The exterior of the boots doesn't show anything but light scratches from all the abuse they've seen.

The only wear we can find is on the inside — the lining has worn away where our sharp heels have carved it out, though luckily this hasn't seemed to make a difference or to give us any blisters. And somehow the rubber beneath isn't even worn from the abrasion, so we honestly expect these boots to last forever.

This is a strange angle photo, but if you look in the heel you can see how the lining has worn away from where the heel contacts the boot.

Photo: Richard Forbes

Read on to see how they performed in our tests!

Performance Comparison

These boots made great shallow-water flyfishing boots with their great traction and high shaft

Photo: Richard Forbes

Weather Protection

The shaft on the Enduro is relatively tall and measures in at a respectable 16.25". Like a rain boot should be, they are 100% waterproof and look to stay that way for a very long time.

These boots will be enough for any storm that might find you, and if you plan to be in deeper water than these can handle, you should probably look into fishing waders.

They can easily handle water three times as deep.

Photo: Richard Forbes

Comfort

The Enduro is on the stiffer end of boots we tested, but this doesn't mean they're not comfortable underfoot.

Due to their Gel-Flex shock-absorbing heels and midsoles, they feel pretty good on hard surfaces, and we can wear them for long periods without any significant soreness. Since these do fit a little looser, they flap around slightly when walking, though this doesn't cause any big issues. The only issue regarding comfort is how much the rubber folds in and presses against the shins, though this issue was not as bad in these as it was in other thinner boots. This only felt like an issue on steeper hills, but different testers found it to be unpleasant to varying degrees.

They felt super comfortable as we confidently strode through a river

Photo: Richard Forbes

This is not enough insole.

Photo: Richard Forbes

Traction

The Enduro has an impressive amount of traction due to its large and tightly studded outsole. We found these reliably near the top of the pack when it came to snow, ice, wet grass, mud, and streambeds.

Even when we ran up and down wet grassy hills, we didn't feel like we would slip in these boots. They also do better than most on ice and slight powder, both surfaces that challenged all the other boots in our test. The only minor annoyance with the solid outsole is that sometimes rocks and gravel get stuck in between the lugs, which you'll notice when you hear clicking sounds on hard surfaces.

Just look at how solid that outsole is.

Photo: Richard Forbes

Warmth

The Enduro boots are uninsulated, meaning you won't get overheated in warmer temperatures (though we still wouldn't want to wear them much above 60°F).

With decent socks, even these uninsulated boots do well in the snow and cold water of the Puget Sound, potentially due to their thicker rubber. They didn't hold up as well in our ice-water test; our feet felt the cold almost immediately and were uncomfortable after 30 seconds. However, this isn't a remarkably bad performance, as all the uninsulated boots struggled with this test.

The Enduro is definitely not insulated...

Photo: Richard Forbes

Style

Our testers found the Enduro boots to be relatively controversial, with some testers giving them high marks and others finding their utilitarian styling to look a bit dumpy.

These boots wouldn't look out of place paired with Carhartts in a casual bar, but you'd be hard-pressed to dress them up at all. The unique pyramid patterning around the base of the shoe (and featured in a mysterious circle on either side of the ankle) adds some interesting texture to the boot but also ruins the possibility that anyone might mistake these for anything other than heavy-duty rain boots. Some testers said they thought the boots look like they were modeled by the same people who design Tonka trucks, which feels unfair but is also hard to argue against.

We think they look pretty good!

Photo: Richard Forbes

Fit

These boots fit our feet well, with around a 1/2 an inch of forward and back space. We suggest they'd measure in at a true D-width. They have a lot more volume in the ankle area, which leads to some flapping as the ankles move, though with good socks, this has not resulted in any blisters in our years of wear.

With thick socks, the Enduro kept us passably comfortable in the snow, though other more insulated boots will, no surprise, keep you even warmer.

Photo: Richard Forbes

Value

These boots are a great value — hence our Best Buy Award! They're built solidly and have handled 3 years of abuse perfectly. The outsole is solid and will last well on a variety of surfaces. The only place the Enduro cut any corners is with the insole, which is pretty flimsy (though not as bad as others in our review). If you have to have the best of the best, go with one of the other (significantly more expensive) award-winners, but these are the best bang for your buck.

If you're looking to save some cash, the Enduro is the best boot in this test.

Photo: Richard Forbes

Conclusion

The Baffin Enduro boots are a fantastic option for those who aren't looking to break the bank, yet who need reliable and highly waterproof boots with great traction. If you're not looking for lots of comfort and warmth, it's hard to justify getting any other boot. Here's a quick breakdown on the math: if you want to get a better pair of boots than these, you'd have to spend more than twice as much money. Are the Editors' Choice and other Top Picks more than twice as good as the Baffin? If you have particular needs, yes. Otherwise, get the Enduro. You won't be disappointed.

Look at how deep those lugs are!

Photo: Richard Forbes