The North Face Chilkat 400 Review

This boot has once again garnered the attention of our expert review team, by providing top-notch warmth and comfort for cold winter conditions. Winning the Editors' Choice Award for the second year running was no easy feat, as many other contenders compared favorably and gave the Chilkat 400 a run for its money. We loved many things about the Chilkat, but some things stood out that consumers should be aware of, namely its sizing. The North Face winter boots have consistently run small over the course of our boot testing over the years, so we need to stress that you should try on at least one full size larger than your typical boot size.

When compared to, say, the Timberland Schazzberg Mid, the height of this boot is very tall, coming up six inches or so above the ankle. This design is great for keeping snow out of the top opening but means that it is prone to rubbing on the front of the shin. That said, the upper of this boot is very soft and flexible, so the high shaft isn't as much of a rub as some other models. All in all, there was little to complain about with this boot, and it was easy for us to recommend it to you as our favorite winter boot.

Performance Comparison

Snowshoeing is a great way to travel cross country through the snow in the mountains, especially if the snow is too shallow for skiing. Here we're exploring the San Juan high country on Red Mountain Pass in the Chilkat 400 boots.

Warmth

After extensive testing in cold and snowy environments, we can comfortably say that this boot offers unparalleled warmth in this category. Scoring higher than any other winter boot in our review, we were impressed at how cozy, and snug these boots fit (when properly fitted, as previous reviews noted that sizing these boots too tightly led to cold toes).

We put our feet into an icy cold bucket filled with slush and ice, and after eight minutes we still had toasty warm feet. Even while wearing the Vasque Snowburban II UltraDry and the Sorel Caribou, our feet could feel the cold creeping in after a full eight minutes; in the Chilkat boots, we may as well have been sitting on a sundeck on the beach (which we weren't; we were huddled on an icy patio while it snowed). The 400g of Primaloft insulation does the trick, and while we weren't able to test these boots in -40 temps, as they are reputedly good for, we remain convinced that they would work. Perfect 10 out of 10 for warmth.

A view of the inside of the Chilkat 400 boot, showing its ample 400g of Primaloft Recycled insulation. We found this boot to be the warmest in the review, as long as you size up slightly so that the fit doesn't affect foot circulation.

Water Resistance

By using a thick molded upper that extends from the sole up to three inches on the foot, the water resistance of Chilkat 400 is one of its outstanding merits. This durable shell keeps water at bay, while a membrane lining is used to further bolster the water resistance of the leather upper. Submersion in the ice bath did not phase this boot one bit, and we feel confident recommending it for wet weather as well as just cold.

In the end, we scored it the same as the Columbia Bugaboot Plus III Omni-Heat, another perfectly waterproof model, because they both have a relatively similar water entry height of around 8.5 inches. What we mean is that at 8.5 inches above the bottom of the sole, water could leak in at the gap where the tongue attaches to the main shaft of the boot. We gave each of these contenders a 9 out of 10, as the only shoe to score a perfect 10 out of 10 was the Sorel Caribou, which was solid against water entry until 10.5 inches of height.

In the ice bath test, the Chilkats proved themselves as both the warmest and most waterproof boots we tested. They were totally waterproof up to the top of the tongue crease - at 8.5 inches of depth.

Fit and Comfort

There is no doubt that the boots in the insulated winter hiking boot category, as this one is, were not quite as plushly cozy as the softer, more loosely fitting Pac boots that we tested. That said, we think this one tied with the Vasque Snowburban UltraDry for the coziest of the bunch. There is no doubt it was more comfortable than some of the other competitors like the Keen Summit County, which was much baggier feeling. The comfort of this boot comes from the flexibility of the upper. No other boot was nearly as flexible, which can make a huge difference when walking for long distances.

Regarding fit, size this one up about a full size. User reviews on the internet refer to this boot as being short and narrow. We wholeheartedly agree with the assessment, but don't think that it is overly narrow; in fact, it seemed pretty average to us. The shortness means that there is not enough room to wiggle the toes around to help keep them warm, but even with our normal street size, we found we could wear this boot all day as long as we had a thin sock on. 8 out of 10 points.

Due to their soft, flexible upper shaft and superior warmth, the Chilkat 400 quickly became our favorite option for winter hiking.

Ease of Use

Ease of Use was this boot's poorest characteristic, but the low score was in relation to the other boots in this review, not because we thought that it was difficult to insert or remove our feet from this boot. Sliding our foot into this boot was no problem, even with the high shaft. It is relatively easy to cinch up the majority of the boot with a single pull on the places - where they cross and are attached to the tongue.

From that point, one must loop the laces around two hooks on each side and tie. The large, flat laces grip each other well and do a better job of staying tied than the round skinny laces found on the Salomon X Ultra Winter CS. While they aren't difficult to put on, they take more time and effort than the ridiculously simple slip-on boots, the Bogs Classic Ultra Mid, or the Blundstone Thermal 566, and thus ended up with a score of 5 out of 10.

After pulling the laces tight with one tug, two hooks on each side must be looped before tying. While these laces are slightly more work to fasten than some others we tested, we like how the broad flat laces grip each other, rarely coming undone and needing to be retied.

Traction

The North Face claims that the rubber compound used on the bottom of these boots is temperature sensitive, and increases traction. Most of the days we spent testing these boots were in soft snow or on snowshoes. However, on the day that we performed our comparison traction test, with sunny conditions just below freezing, the rubber on the outsoles of these boots was very soft and sticky, a combination we found to work optimally on ice. They were the clear second best boot on the steep icy hill we tested them on, with only the Kamik NationPlus having superior sticking power. There is no doubt they were better than competitors like the Salomon X Ultra Winter CS WP or the Vasque Snowburban II UltraDry. We awarded them 8 out of 10 points for traction.

Best Applications

This is an idea choice for casual use around the house like going out to shovel the walkway but is also good looking enough to be paired with jeans to commute to work or go to school. Snowshoers and winter hikers will appreciate the high cuff that keeps snow from entering in when tromping through deep snow.

With its super high shaft that protects well above the ankle, keeping the snow out no matter how deep it is, the Chilkat 400 is a top choice for snowshoeing.

Value

The MSRP for these boots is $150, which is about average for the boots we have tested in this review. Since we find them to be the best of the bunch, it is easy to justify the expense, and we think that they will present a great value. If you're looking for the best bang for your buck, consider our Best Buy Award winner, the Kamik NationPlus, which rings in at $85.

The aggressive lug pattern on this boot used very sticky rubber, a trait that transferred directly to traction performance. While this was the second grippiest boot in the review, we were surprised that sticky rubber helped with grip in the snow and ice, rather than just on rock or dirt.

Conclusion

The North Face Chilkat 400 is the highest scoring winter boot in this review of the most popular models available on the market today. It is an incredibly warm boot that is also totally waterproof, so you can count on it to keep your feet warm when the days are cold. It is our favorite boot for winter hiking and snowshoeing and is also versatile enough to use around the house or for commuting. As long as you buy a pair that is about a size larger than your normal street shoe size, we can't imagine you not being happy and satisfied with this winter boot.