California-based Vans is perhaps more synonymous with surfing or skateboarding in the LA sunshine, but the brand has just unveiled a new range of footwear designed for harsher, colder climes. The new UltraRange EXO Hi Gore-Tex MTE-3 is billed as Vans’ “most technically advanced and purpose-built, all-weather product” ever – a “supercharged” boot designed to “keep you outside and exploring no matter the weather”. Here’s the full lowdown.

The MTE stands for Made For The Elements, while the 3 represents the third evolution of Vans’ all-weather technology, so this boot is clearly targeted at people who want to get out in cold, wet and rough conditions. “We’ve built this boot on the three key principles of moisture management, thermoregulation, and added traction to handle the elements”, Vans tells us.

The UltraRange EXO Hi Gore-Tex MTE-3 features a Gore-Tex liner for waterproofing and breathability. Each square inch of the membrane has nine billion pores, ensuring internal moisture can escape as body heat and temperature rise, while the waterproofing prevents rain and snow getting in.

Backing the waterproof package is 3M Thinsulate cold weather insulation that is described as “warm, lightweight, powerful, and thin”. This high warmth-to-thickness ratio enables reduced bulk and advanced freedom of movement while the Thinsulate material traps more air in less space, giving your foot more room to breathe.

Lastly, the Vans new UltraRange MTE-3 outsole features an All-Trac all-terrain rubber compound. All-Trac is a formula-based proprietary rubber compound developed by Vans specifically for MTE footwear that promises “true all-terrain grip”. According to Vans, this specialised all-season formula is further optimised with increased flexibility, allowing lugs to bend with terrain changes, creating more surface area and improved adaptability. From wet or dry city streets, to the unpredictably of the unpaved, All-Trac “delivers a new level of adventure-based opportunity all year long”.