When outdoor junkies Robert Wolfe and David Jaffe ditched their plans to become wilderness guides in 1992, the two friends diverted their attention to people with a similar, insatiable appetite for the outdoors and opened an outdoor retail store called Moosejaw. What started as a single, brick-and-mortar storefront in Keego Harbor, Michigan, Moosejaw is now an 11-storefront chain with locations across the United States and is also one of the leaders in the digital marketplace. Devoting itself to the outdoors and the mountain lifestyle, its customers and their individual needs and the enthusiasm that runs through everyone seeking experiences in nature, Moosejaw has catapulted to success over the past 17 years.
Part of what differentiates Moosejaw from other outdoor and online retailers is its unique approach to reviewing gear. In the company’s Test Lab, gear-junkies—like you—are invited to watch short videos of highly “scientific” assessments performed under “extreme” scrutiny. Keeping the atmosphere lighthearted, Moosejaw’s gear experts are able to simultaneously entertain and inform with these quirky, and sometimes ridiculous, experiments.
It’s important to have winter-specific boots that’ll buck the harsh conditions our favorite season of the year brings: snow, ice, freezing temperatures, slippery surfaces. To prove the unprecedented traction that Merrell offers in its Moab FST Ice+ Thermo Boot, Moosejaw gear experts brought a pair to the Test Lab for a dip into the cryogenic chamber and a couple laps of grueling tests on the hockey rink. See how these boots stood up to the cruel and unusual punishment of Moosejaw’s Test Lab in the videos, below.
Cryo-Chamber Test
Speed Test
Risky Business Test
