Vivo Barefoot Tundra ESC Review: (sorry was not able to add pics in between paragraphs)
My quest, for the perfect late season mountain hunting boot, led me to this VIVO product, based on information presented in Rokslide regarding mukluks for late season mountain hunting. What I value in a boot is warmth and traction. More specifically sustained warmth through high exertion walking and then remain warm through inactive times like extended glassing. This unique boot from Vivo Barefoot may just be the best late season mountain boot I have used.
Description:
The Tundra ESC mukluk is similar looking to a pack boot but the outer shell is a breathable fabric which allows all moisture created to readily escape (and therefore not water proof) unlike more traditional pac boots which generally are sealed in with rubber bottoms and retain your moisture over time. The wool liners are the thickest and warmest I’ve ever seen and used (I measured 1” thick), much thicker than most that typically range from 9 to 13 mm. The liner also has Velcro adjustability presumably for a custom fit. The sole is remarkable deep lugged, tacky and flexible and wraps over the toe box for toe protection. Like all Vivo Barefoot products it is zero drop with minimal sole cushioning and has one simple lacing system like more historic mukluks with modern styling. This boot is very light for an extreme cold and terrain boot at around two and a half pounds each. This is size 11, a 10 would have been fine but I like the flexibility of slightly oversized – more on that later. The current cost is a steep $550…
First 3 pics
Testing:
Prior to my 2025 elk hunt, I bought these in 2024 and fortunately our winter in Michigan was pretty darn cold and a lot of snow and wind. All of my testing was done in blowing snow and temperatures ranging from low single digits to mid teens. I was only able to hunt one day, gun opener and loved them!
Pic in camo
My historical first test is to snow blow the driveway! Usually any minimally insulated boot is all you need for high exertion to stay warm while active. If I put a warm boot on of any kind I’ll wet it out from sweat and my feet will get chilled, and get cold very quickly if I stop for a few minutes - a reasonable representation of active hunting in my estimation. It took a little over an hour to clear the drive and I chatted with my neighbor after in the street standing in about 10” of snow and blowing. Never once were my feet chilled or cold during or after. This is the only cold weather boot this has ever happened. As always I checked my socks for moisture once inside and I was not able to detect any…
pic in jeans
Next I walked round our block .7 miles with 31 lbs in my pack 3 times at a brisk pace. The snow on the street and sidewalks was about 10” deep, blowing and very cold. I wanted to be sure I was sweating in minimal hunting clothes, as I knew my feet would also be sweating and affecting the insulation ability of the boots.
Even though this was relatively flat ground the traction was fantastic! I sat on my snowy porch immediately after adding a puffs and hat for an hour and a half to replicate glassing. I gotta say my feet were very comfortable and warm!
Pic on steps
My last pre-test was sitting in brutal cold vs an old stand by - the white Beta rubber moon boots. For those that know these are vapor barrier technology and with two internal layers of wool (about equivalent to 1600 gr thinsulate) but impossible for moisture to ever get to insulation. I can stay in these forever it seems if I just have dry socks every couple of hours. If fit correctly with thick warm socks they are very warm. With one of each on after two hours at 9* I’d call it a draw with minor chill spots in both sitting motionless that were easily remedied with toe/foot wiggles.
Pic in carharts
After 5 decades of hunting and being outdoors with “cold feet syndrome” I feel the last 15 years I’ve finally learned that getting more insulation is not always the key or not the only key. If you have sweaty feet the moisture is the the first thing to solve for. I do have many traditional very warm pac boots for typical local whitetail stand hunting, and if I wet them out walking to a stand I’ll will be freezing right away until I learned to keep my feet sweat from the insulation. My methods take some effort and not very practical on the move in mountains. I’m very confident these Tundra ESCs may be the best option.
Three boots I have used for late season elk hunting are the Kenetrek Mountain Extreme 400, Cabelas Artic Bruin 1400 and a LaCrosse version of a western pack boot. I really like my Kenetreks, but given I’ve been using zero drop for nearly 20 years socially and for working out I was about to buy the Vivo Trackers until this boot surfaced (to live in barefoot shoes then use stiff mountain boots only for a hunt really takes a toll on my knees). 400 gram insulation is enough to be on the move but not when glassing for me. Once I used the LaCrosse pack boot, another well made boot with a 13mm liner of felt/polypropolane, my liner and socks were soaked within 30 minutes and I was miserable. The best to date is a Cabelas Artic Bruin (no longer made), heavily insulated with 1400 gram thinsulate – which was no different then the kenetrek while active but did offer a bit more time before my feet were cold glassing. These have really good grip and they breath very well compared to all leather and have very little drop in the sole. Using all three of these I would always use my Artic shield pull overs to get through a long inactive period.
3 pics on scale
And finally… I was able to make 1st rifle in CO this year after a few years hiatus, and I was excited to use these boots! Unfortunelately it was quite warm and no snow… But there were a couple of mornings in the high teens so I used the Tundras anyway! Never cold standing or moving and even as the temps rose to the 50s I was still comfortable. That evening I set up on a meadow and my feet and the liner were very damp from sweat after a miles of hiking in high temps not made for a boot like this, yet as the temps dropped to the low thirties I should have had cold feet but they were not! I showed no mercy on steep terrain and blowdowns hiking in mukluk without “support” and was not handicaped without a stiff boot in such terrain as I’ve been programmed. I was surprised and appreciated the night and day difference in knee fatigue compared to the mountain extremes which I used the rest of time. The liners dried in our warm tent.
4 hunting pics
Summary and Conlusion:
A few misses I feel are worth mentioning given the price. First, Vivo does not offer a replacement liner for any reason and when I talked with them I was told they have never even considered it. Spares are important to me… Second, I embrace the zero drop and minimal foot cushion philosophy – however if your going to get a chill it likely will be from the ground up since there simply is minimal insulation with a thin 5 mm wool insole. A thin foam barrier under the liner would do wonders for stopping ground cold. The Velcro and strap could be sewn on so that one may actually tailor the fit to their leg. Last, the one long 13’ lace although traditional does not allow lacing for fitting ones foot and lower leg shape.
Therefore, I did some minor changes to my boots. I used a Velcro strap to compress the ankle area to stop heel rising while walking. Not pictured, is a 9mm Alpaca wool inner sole instead of the 5 mm and I cut foam insoles for under the liner to add a cold barrier from the ground. It still walks and feels the same, but if walking over rocks the feeling of sharpness into your foot is slightly reduced. Sizing up allowed room for the thicker insole and foam. Last, I used one 4’ and 6’ lengths of paracord lace to better lace the areas I wanted snugger.
3 pics customized
The Vivo Barefoot Tundra ESC are unique and an overall balanced cold and snow hunting boot comparatively – specifically they are not heavy, very warm, breath extremely well with amazing traction. When using these I can omit my artic shield boot covers and/or micro spikes and won’t be cold while active or inactive in cold snowy mountain conditions.
