Caterpillar Work Boots reviewed: 5 of the best

5 of the best Caterpillar Work Boots reviewed by our Gurus

One of, if not the most, important parts of your working outfit is your choice of footwear. Work boots must fit the location you will be working in, and the types of conditions and tasks they will regularly be subjected to. Caterpillar boots are an excellent choice for work, renowned for their rugged style. CAT safety boots feature the signature Caterpillar ingenuity and design philosophy present in all Cat Workwear. All the latest fabrics, technologies and characteristics have been implemented where appropriate to make some of the best work-based footwear in the industry.

However, with such an extensive range to choose from, it can be difficult knowing which pair of CAT boots would best suit you.  Our experts have selected 5 of Caterpillar's best safety boots, and broken down their features for you, to help you decide exactly which pair is best for you.

The Caterpillar Holton Safety Boots

Starting with one of the most popular Cat Work Boots, we have the CAT Holton Safety Boots. The protection features on these boots are plentiful, as they have been designed to minimise risks from potential hazards. This pair has both a regular option and an S3 variant. Both variants have a padded collar and tongue and two-speed lacing hooks to guarantee a great fit, necessary for both comfort and mobility, especially the latter.

In addition, both variants of the Cat Holton boots are SRC-verified - meaning they are slip resistant on wet ceramic or steel surfaces;  thus protecting you from potential accidents.

However, both variants still have their own unique features. The regular variant has an impact and compression resistant toe cap, to help reduce the impact of collisions or falling objects on your feet.

The S3 Caterpillar Holton Safety Boots have been approved as safety class 3 based on the EN ISO 20345:2011 safety standard. This means they have oil and petrol resistant soles. They are also breathable, which is great for moisture regulation in a hard working environment. 

The regular Holton boots are great for general workplace foot protection, and the S3’s make for a logical progression if you need an even wider range of protective features.

Caterpillar Foxfield Boots

Comfort and reliability are of paramount importance when it comes to any piece of workwear. From a footwear perspective, the Caterpillar Foxfield boots excel in both these aspects. Using CAT footwear’s proprietary Duofuse technology, these boots have been fitted with a custom-engineered, cushioned midsole which is a blend of rubber and foam. CAT claims it is 40% more resilient and 30% more abrasion resistant than EVA foam. To further increase the comfort provided by these boots, there is also an NXT anti-microbial layer, which greatly reduces the risk of odour. The use of Duofuse ensures the boots are comfortable to wear day in and day out, and the NXT layer only reassures this fact further.

This isn’t to say that the Caterpillar Foxfield boots only have comfort going for them. They are as fit for work as any other Caterpillar workwear boot. Between having a traditional steel toe cap and having an outsole that is heat, penetration, fuel and oil resistant, the Foxfield boots are no slouch. They even have a nylon shank fitted to them, which greatly aids stability and offers extra support.

A notable characteristic of the CAT Foxfield boots is their leather construction. Leather’s natural properties make it a superb choice for work boots, a fact that is demonstrated well by the Foxfield pair of boots. Firstly, the pores in leather aid in breathability. This natural advantage works in tandem with the NXT anti-microbial layer to ensure that smells and bacteria are easily dispersed from the boot. Properly cared for leather will last you for many years to come as well, further highlighting the vast appeal of the Caterpillar Foxfield's.

Caterpillar Fairbanks Safety Boot

Third on the list, we have the Caterpillar Fairbanks Boots. The Fairbanks’ sport a modern design, that being the appearance of a classic work boot, but with athletic-inspired enhancements. These enhancements are things like the NXT anti-microbial layer, to disperse pent up sweat and eliminate smells that are common bi-products of wearing these shoes all the working day, and the Nylon shank, that provides extra support when moving.

The Caterpillar Fairbanks steel toe boots have a number of different certifications based on the EN ISO 20345:2011 safety standard criteria determined by how they perform as work-based footwear. For one, they are certified WR safety shoes, meaning that they are fully waterproof and can be subjected to sustained wet weather or conditions without letting any water in. This has been achieved by sealing the seams of the shoe, which lets air in, but not water.

For another, the Fairbanks boots have the HRO certification, which signifies a heat-resistant outsole of up to 300C, making the Fairbanks suited to jobs where you come into contact with very hot surfaces.

Finally, the Caterpillar Fairbanks shoes are SRC certified, so, like most Caterpillar work boots, they are slip-resistant. The nylon shank and highly resistant outsole are what achieves this certification, providing excellent stability and not being affected by oil or fuel.

Caterpillar Spiro Waterproof Safety Boots

Should you value toughness and resilience above all else, the Caterpillar Spiro Safety Boots are sure to be a great choice. These boots focus on CAT’s ERGO design elements; these being stability, flexibility and comfort. These boots successfully live up to these elements and then some.

Stability is achieved through sturdy construction techniques and use of strong and resistant materials throughout. The CAT Spiro boots were assembled through use of Strobel and Cement Construction, meaning the upper and bottom were stitched together through use of a Strobel stitch, before the upper was cemented to the outsole by using an adhesive. The seam is strong enough on its own, but the addition of adhesive truly creates a nigh unbreakable bond throughout the shoe. This construction method helps keep the overall boot weight down, which also heightens comfort.

Other examples of strong materials being used in this boot are the outsole made from T870 rubber and the Polyurethane, penetration-resistant midsole. These boots also sport a water-resistant upper and a heat resistant outsole, capable of resisting up to 300C, ensuring you are well protected against both extremes.

A few more of CAT’s staple workwear features are here as well, including the inclusion of an impact and compression resistant toe cap and ensuring that the boots are SRC slip resistant. CAT’s comfort isn’t lost here either, with a removable Nylex and PU insole for support in those long work days.

All the ERGO features are tied together and further enhanced by the leather construction used for the Caterpillar Spiro boots, creating a comfortable and extremely reliable and tough work boot that will suit you in a wide range of working conditions.

Caterpillar Premier Boots

Finally, we have the CAT Premier boots. These Caterpillar safety boots have been designed to specifically come with a variety of work environments, with numerous features to help them achieve this.

These Caterpillar Premier safety boots are fully waterproof thanks to special lining and the Nubuck leather used for most of the shoes’ main body. For those foul rain and thunderstorms, you not only need to choose shoes that will keep you dry, but also warm. Thankfully, the Premier boots have Thinsulate 200G technology to keep your feet heat in, without packing on extra weight to the boot.

On the other hand, you could be met with opposite conditions; a hot working environment. CAT Premier Safety boots don’t falter here either. Hot workplaces will naturally only further increase the overall heat in your shoes which has only generated from your body heat alone, so features that address and deal with this are of paramount importance. Thankfully, the outsoles in these boots have a high heat resistance of up to 300C, preventing extreme heat from getting to your feet. In addition, the leather construction and PU footbed improve your breathability by removing heat from within the shoe and transferring it to the outside, keeping you as cool as you can be while in such conditions.

Aside from environment and temperature specific characteristics, these Caterpillar boots include features that are useful in any kind of work environment. Things like an impact and compression resistant composite toe cap, which can absorb up to 200 Joules-worth of impact. Then there's the anti-static and energy absorbing heel, which absorbs the energy from your movement and uses it to give you a spring in your step. The midsole is penetration-resistant, and as such, will protect you from the unforeseen dangers of the worksite such as nails. And what would a Caterpillar work boot be without its SRC slip resistance, a staple of the brand’s footwear offerings. The Premier boots don’t neglect this inclusion either. 

The Goodyear welting construction of these boots also affords them moderate strength, as Goodyear welting is the most durable method of boot construction available.

Caterpillar Work Boots: Our verdict

The Caterpillar Boots range is an extensive and comprehensive footwear range, with boots to suit most every work environment across a variety of industries and professions. Any of the 5 boots listed above, or indeed from the range as a whole, are great choices for your work attire, as is to be expected from a brand as well-known and reputable as Caterpillar are.

If you don’t believe the ankle-high style suits you or your workplace, perhaps you would be interested in learning more about the Caterpillar Safety Shoes and Trainers collection.

CAT Safety Boots Delivered Worldwide

At Workwear Gurus, we deliver CAT Work Boots to a wide variety of locations across the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, Singapore, India, and the UAE. In fact, we send them Europe-wide and across most of the globe.

Have a look at our main Workwear Guru's collection to see our entire range of different work boots, safety boots, and footwear from all the top brands.