Boots – Korkers/Baffins

Wondering if anyone has a pair of Korker or Baffin boots? Just curious what the pros and cons of them are if you own a pair. I am looking at buying a pair of boots for ice fishing. I have bad circulation and have a hard time keeping my feet warm. Not trying to start an argument of which is better or if these two brands are the right ones, just want to know what your experiences with either have been. Thanks for responses!

Baffin’s are awesome I have a ten year old pair and my only concern with them is if you put a boot in the water it will get wet, so I now only use them when it is super cold and I am going to sit outside. I went Alphaburly because of the water proof otherwise I still love my Baffin’s

Love my Korkers. To have the ability to switch out the soles depending on ice conditions is a huge benefit. They are waterproof and very warm as well. I’ve had 5 friends buy them after they saw mine.

I don’t know enough about Baffin, but I think you’ll be happy which ever way you go.

My feet get cold easily so early last winter I picked up some Baffin Titans to try out for late season boat fishing.They are kind of big and clunky but I am not walking around in them much and they have kept my feet plenty warm and dry.Have been wearing them this winter on the ice since there seems to be plenty of slush where ever I go and they have been great.Never had Korkers so I cannot comment on them.

I’ve owned a pair of Baffins for almost 20 years now. That was before they sent most of their production overseas. I bought a pair of Apex and absolutely hated them. They hurt my ankles so bad I dreaded putting them on. There was a bunch of leather seams that met right where my ankle was and it created a bulge that pressed into my ankle. Horrible design. I sold them after 1 season and continued using my old boots.

The only problem with my 20 year old boots is that have cracked on the soles and leak pretty bad. I honestly prefer that over ankle pain. The boots are the warmest I’ve ever owned. Unfortunately they don’t make that boot anymore so I’m looking to get mine repaired before I take a chance on another foreign made model. They still do make a few boots in Canada but it’s mainly the steel toe and rubber boots.

I’ve had a pair of Baffins (unknown model) for several years and have been quite happy with them. My only complaint is that due to the design of the lace eyelets, I go through quite a few pairs of laces. I’m sure this is model-specific though.

AK Guy wrote:

Love my Korkers. To have the ability to switch out the soles depending on ice conditions is a huge benefit. They are waterproof and very warm as well. I’ve had 5 friends buy them after they saw mine.

I don’t know enough about Baffin, but I think you’ll be happy which ever way you go.

I recently bought a pair and they are fantastic! Also got the studded soles since I’m a complete clutz on glare ice. These are far warmer and more comfortable than the mucks I have.

Count me in as team Baffin. Probably going on 10+ years on my Apex model. By far the warmest boot I’ve ever owned. The only negative thing is the bulk and weight of them. Then again all that warmth has to come at a cost. If you are not going to do a ton of moving around with them I’d say they would be a excellent choice

I have the Baffin Titans…if you want your feet to stay warm these are the boots to go with. They are super bulky though…I only wear when it’s well below 0 and I’m not moving around much.

I too have the Baffin Titans. Nothing negative to say. Love them.

My Korkers leak after 4 years of use.

Baffin titans are great

Pros:

-very lightweight
-Waterproof
-Very warm
-Slip on slip off. Just put your foot in and the boot is on. No crouching down while wearing 3 layers tying boots

Cons:

-Very large profile (bulky)
-Difficult to get bibs over them but doable

I was in this situation last year. Samething here, my feet get cold easily. My Mickey boots finally fell apart after years of abuse. So I wanted to upgrade. I tried the korkers knee high boots first as they are advertised as ice fishing boots and I returned them due to getting cold feet at below zero temps. I switched to the boot style Korkers and they’re slightly warmer.
I love the laceless system, smaller profile boot, comfortable and the removable soles. They’re not 100% waterproof. After standing in water, they get damp. And not as warm as my Mickey boots before they started to wear through despite their -60 rating

I have a pair of Baffin Eiger….nice and cozy

I have owned both. Baffin impacts that are very warm but run very small I have size 11.5 feet ordered 12,s they were not big enough so my toes got cold. Sold those and bought korkers for the cleats. The new neos arctic rubber boots. They are warm ant the built in cleats and rubber have worked great with slush and bare ice. In my opinion not quite as warm as the baffins. but overall better.

I have Baffin Icebreakers and I have no complaints. They’re a bit on the bulky side but they’re not heavy. They’re warm and comfortable. They’re not waterproof all the way up the cuff but that’s not an issue for me because I’m generally not getting into water more than a couple inches deep.

I have Baffins and they’ve been awesome but my brother in law got a pair of Nats from Canada and they are the lightest boot I’ve ever held and they seem to have the same style liner as the Baffins. He said they’re unbelievably warm.

https://gonats.ca/en/boots-shoes/
Model R917

I’ve had both and prefer the korkers…

fishnmachine1 wrote:

I have a pair of Baffin Eiger….nice and cozy

Same here. I still need to walk around on the ice occasionally to keep the circulation going. You need to order them one size too big. Then remove the liner and wear around the house like slippers for a day or so. After that you should be very happy.

Recently got the Korkers 1200 gram Polar Vortex boots. They are somewhat stiff, closer to a ski boot. Not much flex in the ankle. Not sure if that is good or bad. Bought mine one size larger so I could wear the heaviest/bulkiest socks in my inventory. They still afford me the ability to wiggle my toes even at that. Really like the BOA cable system instead of laces. Easy on and easy off.

The standard lugged soles are pretty good and I also got the Vibram soles with small carbide studs. Hopefully they will keep me from taking a header on glare ice.

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Yep these are great. Actually are really comfortable for walking. Just loosen the BOA.

I upgraded two seasons ago from old school Sorels to the Korker Polar Vortex and have been very happy. They are extremely light weight, and so far through all of this slush have kept my feet bone dry (although a little nervous about the comment above with a leak after 4 years.) Also my feet tend to sweat a lot in many shoes/boots which leads to cold feet, but these seem very breathable so my feet stay dry on the inside also.

Also as others have said the lacing system is the bomb. I can step into them and lace up without even sitting down, and if I want to drop a foot warmer in there after a long day it is easy to do so on the ice.

As luck would have it my Korkers made it 1 year and 2 weeks. The knob that holds the sole on completely broke off leaving a hole. Warranty over going back to my Mucks.

Going on my 4th year of Korkers 1200, with all the deeper slush this year I may try the Neoarctics next year….

Can’t comment on the korkers but my family and friends have owned many baffins for outdoor sport use. Anyonone that I know loves there baffins and the women really like them for there light weight. I came from being a die hard lacrosse boot guy which were very good boot in there time.

Sylvanboat wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>fishnmachine1 wrote:</div>
I have a pair of Baffin Eiger….nice and cozy

Same here. I still need to walk around on the ice occasionally to keep the circulation going. You need to order them one size too big. Then remove the liner and wear around the house like slippers for a day or so. After that you should be very happy. Like Sylvan said, walk around every now and again and keep the blood flowing. I put baseballs in the toe area of mine for a few days when I got them to stretch them a bit. Worked great.

This X2. I’ve had the Baffin Eigers for going on five years now. Heavy use and abuse and they’ve been great. Be sure to wear wool socks, not cotton, and you’ll be warm all day. Move around a bit throughout the day to keep the blood flowing. I put baseballs in the toe area of mine when I got them to stretch them. Worked great. Drilling holes all day, getting water all over them…doesn’t seem to leak. If I’m stepping in puddles I do get a bit wet in the heel and toes.

I have terribly cold feet and my Icemans have worked well for me, lacing isn`t too bad as they have speed laces.

Just ordered the Baffin Impact boots here is hoping. Really bummed the Korkers didn’t last. Muck Arctic’s have made it about 2 years before cracking