Sadly, the original owners of Sorel went bankrupt about 10 years ago and Columbia bought the brand name. I have a pair of Sorels made in Canada. Sorels today are imported from Vietnam. They are molded to look like "real" Sorels of old but it's a trick...faked molded stitches and fake molded reinforcing. The only difference between these and cheap knock-offs is that Columbia legitimately owns the Sorel name. Otherwise, the RCMP would shut them down as a counterfeit operation.
I have a pair of Canadian military surplus mouse boots made in Canada by Acton. These things are hysterical. They look like something Herman Munster would wear. The soles are about two inches thick. They are as comfy and warm as bedroom slippers. First time I wore them, I thought, "My God, these are the greatest boots ever!". It was like walking around with toasty warm pillows on my feet
. Then, after walking about a mile, I discovered the real problem: the damn things weigh a ton! If I was a sniper sitting in an Afghan foxhole, these would be perfect boots. If you are active, these things will tire you out. They are great to have but they have to be used for specific purposes.
I bought three different pairs of Prospector boots/shoes some years ago. Now those are beauties. I bought a gorgeous pair of casual shoes, some intermediate ankle high boots and some 8" winter boots. And I got them for free (by mistake). The story: some company was having a giant closeout of Prospectors at a local mall. I bought some casual shoes and loved them. I went back for boots. I bought $450.00 worth of footwear on sale for less than $300.00. When my credit card statement came, the charge wasn't there but I just assumed I had missed a cut-off date. Next month, still no charge. I went back to the mall to find the company but they had moved on (they had been in the mall but didn't have a permanent store). I had lost the receipt and had no idea WHO sold me the boots. I never received a bill.
BTW, I've got a pair of these on my Christmas list and I strongly suspect I'll have them on Christmas morning:
http://www.originalswat.com/productdetail.php?product_id=Njc=&category_id=MTM=Despite the goofy name, these are starting to develop a bit of a following for good value so I want to give them a shot. They aren't winter boots (not for Manitoba) but I want to test them for the Spring when the local area gets wet and mushy.
