Lems Shoes makes some very comfortable boots. Good chance they make your next favorite boot as well. My experience with Lems actually started with a pair of lightweight, breathable “warm weather” shoes, the Primal Pursuit. They were surprisingly comfortable. If my feet were tired at the end of the day while wearing other shoes/boots at work, I would wear the Lems around the house in the evening and my feet felt noticeably better. I began looking for something closer to a boot for casual wear, work, and just all-around use. That lead to the Boulder Boot Nylon, but it didn’t end there.
Although every model of Lems I own has a different fit and feel, all are very comfortable. The wide toe box seems to be their key to comfort, and the Company’s design philosophy of making shoes that fit a foot’s anatomy is well done.
This article will focus on just two boots, the Boulder Summit and the Outlander. However, the Boulder Boot Nylon will be referenced as well. The Summit and Outlander are most similar for my uses and serve a different purpose than the Boulder Boots. Also, many of the Lems nylon offerings have been discontinued and sadly the Boulder Boot is no longer offered in nylon variants.
Lems boots seems to be somewhat tilted toward the hiking and outdoor community. This review/comparison is from the perspective of a person who does hike & explore on and off trail in the Michigan wilderness and hiking trails, but I am not a hardcore hiker by any means. I more so use my “hiking” boots as everyday footwear working around the house, to/from and at my job, running errands, and even some casual dress events. My approach to the Summit and Outlander is from a multi-purpose use perspective.
Know Your Foot
An official foot type (shape) list may exist somewhere, but I’ve found them ranging from four to ten types. Pretty sure I have a Roman foot type, but whatever it is, Lems boots fit nicely.
The Lemshoes.com website has pictures of their products from various angles including the top and bottom which gives a good idea of the shape and which foot type(s) they may fit best. If they look similar to your feet, then Lems are worth considering if you’re in the market for new shoes or boots. Lems also gives fit guidelines on individual models which have been fairly accurate in my experience. Some models run true to size while others are recommended to order 1/2 size larger. The product line fits into three categories, Widest, Wide, & Medium and they offer fit comparisons on their website. The website has lots of reviews which can provide good information before making a purchase.
Quick Navigation To Topics
- Boulder Summit Overview
- Outlander Overview
- Grip
- Uppers
- Lacing
- Waterproofing
- Sizing And Fit
- Boulder Boot (Nylon) As A Reference
- Comparison Chart
- Customer Service
It would be difficult making a “best boot” choice between these two. Both are comfortable but each has its own fit, strong points, and compromises which should be considered before making a purchase.
Boulder Summit Overview
The Boulder Summit is very comfortable and falls within Lems’ “Widest” toe box category. I’ll just refer to it as the Summit.
In my opinion, the style of the Summit is the most widely adaptable as it fits in for work, casual wear, hiking and just about anything. It may be the best overall choice if you want leather. But that is the biggest downfall of the Summit for me. It’s not the design or fit of the boot, it’s just that this is a leather, waterproof boot and it doesn’t breathe quite as well as the Outlander. The bottom has a rugged outsole which provides good grip and provides good protection from small rocks, sticks, and sharp objects.
This is the boot I wear a lot to and from work in the colder months. I also wear it to church, when running errands, and anytime I’m not in a warm environment for more than 4 or 5 hours. One other thing about the Summit is that it seems to have less vertical room (height) in the toe box. It could just be that this is leather and not as pliable as the nylon in the Outlander and Boulder Boot. However, Lems states that their shoes can be used without the insoles, and I have removed them from my pair of Summits. They have plenty of room this way, almost too much if wearing lightweight socks. With medium weight socks the fit feels perfect.
Currently I’m wearing the Summits with the Lems insole removed and some thinner 2.5mm cork insoles inserted. They seem to be just right with the lighter weight socks I typically wear.
Outlander Overview
The Outlander falls within Lems’ “Wide” toe box category and is the newest in my Lems boot collection. The styling is not as widely adaptable and seems more suited for casual wear and outdoor activities. Of course, that’s going to be a personal style consideration.
It was also more difficult to get the proper fit. Initially I ordered according to the fit guide on Lems’ website and got the same size as the Summit. It just didn’t fit well in the toe box even with the insole removed. With the insole my foot felt crowded and without the insole there was something pressing against the side of my big toe. So, I used Lems’ online return feature and exchanged for the next 1/2 size up. The fit is now perfect. The toe box is perhaps a little more snug than the Summit on the sides, but it seems to have more room vertically. Still very comfortable, just different.
Grip
Starting from the bottom up, the Summit and Outlander have the same outsole (bottoms). Lems describes them as a “Winter traction outsole with 4mm lugs and zig-zag siping”. It offers good traction and protection from rocks, sticks, and similar contours. It provides a good, secure grip on dry ground as well as wet and snowy conditions.
Uppers
The Summit and Outlander are both waterproof but have very different uppers. The Summit is a little taller and offered in brown or black leather or as a fully nylon upper. Their nylon version is offered in a gray color only. The Outlander is a combination of leather, nylon, and some rubber coated areas. The Outlander is offered in three color variations.
The Outlander seems to breathe a little better than the leather Summit does. Perhaps the nylon Summit version breathes as well or better than the Outlander as it is a completely nylon upper with no leather parts.
Lacing
These two models both have seven eyelets but take different approaches to lacing. The Summit has standard eyelets from start to finish. The Outlander starts with just holes in the leather, switches to D-ring eyelets in the mid-area of lacing, then ends with standard eyelets at the top. These differences create different lacing and unlacing experiences.
The Summit standard eyelet setup means you will have to pull each lace to sinch them up. You will also need to release the laces at each eyelet to loosen. The design and friction of the eyelets hold the laces in place, which is nice for lacing up but takes more time and effort when unlacing. They work fine but they are not quick removal boots as they need to be fairly loose to remove due to the height of the upper.
The Outlander eyelet setup means you have to contend with the less friction D-ring eyelets as they tend to loosen if you don’t keep tension on them. Not a big deal to me but some may find this a little frustrating when lacing up. However, the Outlanders can be removed quickly by simply untying and pulling the tongue outward which releases the boot for easy removal.
Waterproofing
Both boots have waterproof exterior material as well as waterproof interior linings. Both are working fine but mine are not old and wore enough to know which one, if either, breaks down quickest. They also have gusseted tongues, but the Summit’s gusseting is about 1/2″ higher, offering a little more height against water intrusion.
Both boots are waterproof and keep my feed dry from water intrusion. Water doesn’t bead-up on the oiled leather of the Summit like it does on the nylon of the Outlander and seems to soak into the leather surface somewhat. Also, cold water temperature is more noticeable with the Summit. Still, neither have let water in yet.
Sizing And Fit
One thing to keep in mind is that each style is offered in a single width variation, either Widest, Wide, or Medium. You cannot choose a style and then select a width; you get whichever width that style is built to. The Summit is in the “Widest” category while the Outlander is in the “Wide” category.
The Summit is 1/2 size smaller than the Outlander, however, the two seem to have the exact same bottom. They match up in length and width and the treads on the bottom match up exactly best I can measure.
Although they appear to be the same on the bottom, at the top the toe box on the Summit looks to have more of a squared front and the Outlander more of a pointed front.
In addition to the observable differences from the outside, there may be internal differences that affect the fit as well. Bottom line, the Summit feels like it has more room around the sides of the toe box but less room at the top of it. The taller upper offers more support for the ankles. The Outlander feels like it encroaches a bit more around the sides of the toe box but offers more room at the top. There’s less ankle support but the foot portion feels like it hugs the foot better while still remaining pliable.
Lems recommends ordering your true size for the Outlander, same as with the Summit. In my experience getting the next 1/2 size larger with the Outlander provided a much better fit.
Boulder Boot Nylon – As A Reference
The Boulder Boot Nylon is probably the most comfortable of the three if just walking on a fairly smooth surface. It’s also a very different boot from the Summit and Outlander. The upper is made mostly of nylon with leather in certain areas making them lightweight, flexible, and breathable. This is not a waterproof boot. The bottoms are made from what Lems calls air-injection rubber. I would liken it to a heavy-duty, dense, Crocs-like material. The bottom has no additional outsole material so ground contours, rough surfaces, rocks, etc. are more noticeable than with the Summit and Outlander.
This is the boot I use at work which is an office environment with a good deal of time spent on a cement floor in a light industrial shop area. Safety shoes are not required, and the Boulder Boot has been ideal for this use. Sometimes it almost feels like I’m wearing comfortable house slippers into a work environment. But they are definitely boots and suited for this and more rugged activities. They also work fine wearing outside for many activities, but rocks and other objects are more noticeable to the foot. Some may prefer this.
The Boulder Boot Nylon version is mentioned simply as a comparison in some areas. Sadly, the nylon version has been discontinued but it does have features which serve as a good comparison for offerings still available from Lems, such as the original Boulder Boot.
Comparison Chart
The Lems website has a lot of specifications for their products. Below is a chart comparing those for the Summit and Outlander as well as a few more which I found helpful.
Lems Customer Service
I’ve contacted Lems both by email and chat. They have been friendly and helpful and offered their opinion between the two styles I was considering. Their comparison of features was a good guideline for making the choice.
As mentioned earlier, I exchanged the original Outlanders for the next size up. At the same time, I returned a pair my wife had. The online process is pretty streamlined resulting in a QR code to take to a shipper, such as UPS. It took a few days for me to get them dropped off but the next day I received the notice that my replacements had shipped. Not sure if the drop-off triggered the shipping or if Lems fulfilled the return before receiving notice of the return shipment. Either way, it was pretty quick given this was early December and a busy time for them to fulfill the exchange.
The return of my wife’s pair was for a store credit. Lems issued an electronic coupon as store credit the same day I dropped off the return. Using the coupon is a simple process of simply entering it while ordering the next pair. I haven’t tried outright returning any of their products for a refund.
Final Thoughts
I like both of these boots and would be hard pressed to pick a favorite even though I believe the Summit is a better all-around style. I tend to be a bit brand loyal and reluctant to try new brands unless there’s a reason. Previously I was a Merrel MOAB loyal customer. They worked fine in a wide width version, but the Lems just fit my feet better. Now, after wearing Lems for a while, other shoes/boots feel narrow in the toe box area. Perhaps my feet have splayed out a bit since they’re now allowed to. I intend to purchase more Lems.