The first surprise from the Snow Monster was its weight. As its looks live up to its name - burly, chunky and huge - we were surprised to find the Snow Monster does not drag heavily on your feet. Baffin don't provide weights on their website, but we weighed this size 7 pair at 1858 grams. Not bad for a boot rated to -70 degrees celsius.
The construction is bomber - and clever. First up, the removable insulating booty might not sound very grizzly and manly, but used separately as a hut or basecamp slipper it takes some beating (and saves carrying another little luxury).
Under the booty is a 'waffle comb' foot bed, which essentially removes material from the sole unit in order to increase insulation in the form of air pockets.
Our favourite thing about the construction though, is that it manages to be waterproof (and seam sealed) apparently without the need for a membrane. This is entirely apparent in that it was difficult to overheat in these boots; a remarkable feat for polar footwear! Clearly no membrane is limiting breathability here, to the point that our reviewer avoided puddles of melting snow in disbelief that they were in fact waterproof.
A couple of things fall just short of perfect; the sole could be slightly stiffer, which would undoubtedly be useful on hardpacked, steeper snow. And the lacing system could be a little tidier - the pull-cords on the laces and the upper snow-collar are convenient and easy to use, but perhaps a small pocket to stash the excess lace would prevent them dangling.
Small gripes about a great pair of boots. If only we could justify wearing them year-round...
