The Chaco Credence Wool Nurl takes your favorite summer sole and creates a super durable, wool lined, waterproof boot. I hesitate to call it a Winter boot, as not to confuse it with a heavier Winter boot like a Sorel. While it’s fully suitable for the Winter months, it’s not necessarily the boot you wear while snowshoeing in below-freezing temperatures.

This boot has a place in the woods- but surprises as a work boot and in town. From urban get around to stacking endless amounts of wood, this is a worthy chameleon-like contender looking for more time on your feet.

The first days were not challenging test days for the boots riding the Redline and walking to the office, but nonetheless left me a bit surprised with the all day comfort. Being Chaco’s, I knew they would have comfortable footbeds.  But the temperature control was awesome…never once felt too warm, most likely due to the ever-present wool acting as climate control. Going into the weekend I was ready to see if this comfort would sustain itself outside of the office and on the farm.  And that they it did.

The gigantic woodpile needing to be stacked proved to be a perfect environment: wet ground, temps in low 30’s (f), a solid 5.5 hours of work moving the wood pile and stacking.

A note on sizing:  I wear a 10 in most shoes including Chaco. These boots do run a little bigger as most boots do. The one remedy I had already planned on was inserting a pair of  SuperFeet over the existing footbed to help take up some volume and provide a snugger fit. While kicking around town they are fine having a little room, but while working I prefer them to have the ability to allow for modifications-which they did. Chaco doesn’t come in half sizes so something like SuperFeet makes sense instead of cramming into a full size down. I also wore a heavier weight merino wool sock with these boots when needing to suck up more space in the boot.

I wore these for 12 hours total that day, with a bulk of it in constant motion and at times forgot I had boots on. They don’t have a steel toe but did provide more than adequate protection for the occasional dropped piece of wood.

Each Credence boot features two looped pieces of leather making for putting on a breeze. The waterproof barrier didn’t seem to prevent them from breathing when the work got warm. The Vibram soles stuck to every surface – wet or dry – drawing confidence with every step over uneven earth.

The Credence is like a Blundstone on steroids. A must for those looking for a non bulky winter boot that you can get away with wearing with just about anything (although a suit would be pushing it…well maybe the black!)  I find this boot to be the perfect solution for the shoulder seasons and through Winter in urban environments and equally up to task in the hills. Many thanks to Chaco for providing this awesome boot for review.