Often, I come across new products on my own, other times they come highly recommended from commenters. But, I was harassed into doing this review.
Duckfeet Brand Overview
If you’re in my Discord (and if you’re not, there’s a link below) you may have seen this whole thing go down. A user who goes by the name Wedgebert recommended I check out a company called Duckfeet. Well, at first he requested it, but over time I was running from emojis of ducks and feet.
Finally I gave in and got a pair of these boots. And admittedly, I’m glad I did.
These boots are the craziest combination of shearling slipper and pacific northwest work boot I’ve ever felt. And they’ve been an essential part of my casual winter attire this year.
Duckfeet is headquartered in Denmark and have been hand making their footwear Europe using only natural, eco-friendly materials for over 40 years. No synthetic materials are used, and all components are sourced within the European Union.
Although Duckfeet were originally made in Denmark, they are now made in Hungary and Poland- a country with a long history of shoemaking. When I learned this fact, my polish side was incredibly happy.
How I tested these boots
Over the course of January and February this year I wore the Duckfeet Arhus everywhere besides work. Since they don’t have any safety features, I couldn’t put them to use on the construction site, and frankly I don’t think you’d want to.
Still, we had plenty of snow and chilly weather during that time period- Conditions which are perfect for these boots. I wore them on some winter hikes, around town, and throughout my normal daily routine.
The love child of a work boot and shearling slipper.
Construction
The Århus [awr-hoos] boot is a 10” tall slip-on boot made from Terracare pebbled leather and lined in 100% European sheep’s wool.
Aside from a leather heel counter, the rest of the boot is unstructured, so they have the feel of slippers.
The most noticeable feature of Duckfeet footwear is their foot-shaped toebox. This shape has always made more sense to me, instead of shoving your foot into an almond shaped boot, why not make the boot in the shape of …I don’t know… a foot? The WW2 Munson last is similar in this regard, and in fact, this style of shoe was immensely popular in the 1970s.
The sole is natural crepe rubber which has particularly good grip and a fair amount of “give” for walking on asphalt or concrete, but the footbed is entirely flat. More on that a bit later.
The upper part of the shaft can either be left at its 10” height, which works well for walking in the snow, or folded over if you prefer a shorter boot. I personally like them at full height, and they work remarkably well! I wore them to snowblow my driveway while they kept my feet warm and dry.
The Duckfeet Arhus (Arhusses?) are a brilliant winter boot, and I like them even more than my LL Bean duck boots. The Beans may have one up on the Duckfeet when it comes to ultimate water resistance, but they’re nowhere near as comfortable.
Sizing and Fit
I found the Duckfeet boots to fit true to size, though they’re wide by design. If you already wear an E width, these will feel right at home on your feet. But if you have a narrow foot, the only thing you could do is try to size down or wear thicker socks.
Price and Value
My boots here retail for $338, but the reason I got the chocolate color was because they were $100 less at $238. Oddly, looking through the an assortment of colors (of which there are many) none of them are over $300. So, while the retail price may be $338, expect to pay far less than that depending on your color choice.
For the $238 that I spent, these boots are well worth it. With their natural materials, very decent build quality, and unique style I can see why these are popular across the pond and are gaining traction in the USA.
The Duckfeet Arhus – In Use
I found the Duckfeet boots to be quite easy to wear, being a pull-on style with the capability to be laced. You get a ton of flexibility which usually isn’t the case with insulated boots making them, again, feel like shearling lined slippers.
The one area I’d caution you on is the flat sole. While this may make them comfortable to lounge around in, it doesn’t give you any support at all. Luckily, this might just be the easiest thing to address with a good insole that suits your needs. Superfeet would be my recommendation, but when it comes to insoles you’re spoiled for choice.
The boots are warm, but not so much that your feet will be sweating unless its below freezing. I found these to feel more like an unlined boot with a thick sock than a heavily insulated winter boot. Again, slipper-like is the best description I can think of.
The crepe soles give you plenty of traction in most scenarios unless you really get on some steep or loose terrain. Walking on snow wasn’t a problem, and my knees definitely appreciated the impact absorption of the soft compound.
Final Thoughts
The combination of an old company, and an unchanged boot combined with the effort to use only natural materials make these a total easy decision in my opinion and I could see how these would be a significant upgrade for those who like to wear UGGS, and these look a helluva lot better too.
Of course, the time to wear a shearling-lined boot is past us up here in the northern hemisphere, so I’ll likely be stuffing these with newspaper and storing them in my closet soon. But one things for sure, getting these boots out next winter will put a smile on my face.
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