Has anyone used US Army Bunny boots?

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fmajor007

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Apr 1, 2010
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I received some $ for Christmas and have been considering a pair of the white "Bunny Boots" for quite some time. So, i visited $bay and scored a pair for ~$47 plus another $16 for shipping.

Any actual users out here? What are your experiences with them and in what context?

My intended use for them is stand hunting in cold, snowy conditions. I'd wear my hiking boots to the stand and then pull on the Bunny Boots to keep my feet warm as i watched/spotted.

I have some warm mountaineering boots plus some insulated "overboots" (gaitors that cover the entire boot) and the combination is wonderfully warm. However, for long periods of inactivity i'm not confident they would suffice. Hence, the "Bunny Boot" purchase.....

What do you think of them?
 
Wore em once on deployment to Yakima during the Winter. Dang glad to have had em:) They kept my feet dry and warm and for an Infanty Soldier that's very important!
 
Have a buddy that spent time in Alaska and swears by 'em in cold wet weather. I think you will be happy with your purchase. :thumbup:
 
Bill Siegle said:
Wore em once on deployment to Yakima during the Winter. Dang glad to have had em:) They kept my feet dry and warm and for an Infanty Soldier that's very important!
Click to expand...

When my unit did "Arctic Training" at Ft. McCoy Wisconsin (what a complete joke that was.....), we weren't issued any different gear - though we were allowed to wear "warm" boots (at our own expense of course...). So i bought a pair of Herman Survivors hoping for the best. However, that part of Wisco is much like where i grew up in Northern Michigan so i knew what we were getting into (and "Pac" boots weren't on the list!!!). I wish i had been able to try out the "Bunny Boots" then. Now, some 20 years later i'm finally getting my own "Bunny Boots"!!!

I'm pretty stoked and have some ideas for testing them out!
 
Watch some of the videos on line of folks who live in Alaska and work outdoors and you will note a lot of them white those boots. John
 
Wonder how they fair against PAC boots like sorels. From what I understand bunny boots get sweaty...but that is if you are moving around in them and not standing. They are a sealed rubber boot that does not breath at all! If you stand and don't move much the BB are really awesome don't get too sweaty but if you hike or move around in them you will have wet yet warm feet. Many bb have valves but the valve isn't used for anything but allow air to pass. In and out in different altitudes. The one nice thing about bb is if your foot does get wet it will stay warm. A warning don't let sweaty bb boots sit out in the cold for the will freeze and be a nightmare to get on. Also if you wear your bb in anything warmer then 0 (and this depends on your feet) you will get too hot and sweaty. They are gear in my opinion for extreme cold at a stationary post...that is where the work best! Just bring a fresh pair of socks...fishing, snowmobiling, sitting in a tree stand are great applications for these boots.

One again I don't know how bb stack up against something like a sorel for I do not a pair of sorels...but I hear the sorels do breathe and your feet do not get as sweaty if any with sorels like they do with bb.
 
I have 2 pairs of Micky-Mouse boots. I like them, but they have their issues.

Pro's: Keep your feet plenty warm while walking. One of the only boots to be able to keep your feet warm after stepping in deep water & getting your feet wet, because the insulation is sealed inside the rubber & stays dry.

Cons:
No arch support. Have to carry extra socks with you, because as soon as you stop walking, your feet freeze, from sweating, even if you carry an extra pair of socks. If you get a hole in them & the sealed insulation gets wet, you are screwed.

The best boots i have ever had are the Cabela's Gore-Tex Saskatchewan Pac Boots. I bought the largest size they had,13, & put 2 pair of 3/8" felt/wool/polypro insoles in each one. I had borderline frostbite in my feet once. It is no joke. These boots far surpass the Micky-Mouse boots IMHO. They wick the moisture away from your feet. YMMV
 
Thanks everyone for the helpful tips/comments!

Here's a little of why i bought these boots. I've had 2nd degree frostbite (called chilblain iirc) on my feet/toes at least 4 times that i can remember and each time has become progressively worse. Though i've never had actual *frozen* areas where the skin/tissue falls off during treatment/re-warming my friend (who is a medical doc) has advised me i'm more susceptible to frostbite now because of prior events. So now i have to be very watchful. In fact, my feet/toes are usually get cold unless it's hot outside or when i'm exercising.

My intended application for using the bunny boots is for "ambush-style" elk hunting or any other stationary winter activity (landscape photography is another such activity). I'll hike in to my OP wearing my hiking boots and gaitors. Once at the OP, i'll put on dry socks and the bunny boots then put my hiking boots in my pack. In this i hope to ensure warm, dry feet going into (initially cold) a warm, capable dry boot while i stay out for the entire day.
 
Oh - despite writing too much in my earlier post...... i forgot to ask something....

Has anyone snowshoe-ed wearing BB's? How "hard/durable" is the heel/sole on the BB's? I'm concerned the grippy part of the binding on the snowshoe that rests under the heel/sole of the boot may destroy the heel/sole of the BB...

Does anyone have an idea(s) to avoid this?

TIA!!!!
 
fmajor

For your stated use they will be excellent
I would call them a 'sentry' boot
For cold inactive wear they excel as they circumvent the cons as stated by TwinStick

I used them for winter snowshoeing camping when I had no money to buy Sorel SnowPacks
They were cheap cheap in the early 70s
I found them to be just fine and dryed my socks each day in by sleeping bag
They do not freeze, but have a warm up period which I found hard
As apposed to a snowpack liner that I kept in the bottom of my sleeping bag to be warm in the morning
And using them on snowshoes meant the lack of the inner support less important

A cheap substitute to the SnowPack
Then Sorels were pricey
But now adays there are cheap snowpacks much closer in price to themore expensive Mickey Mouse boots
So ...
 
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