ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Gear Company (AKGC) is expanding its footwear line with the Ankle Deck Boot VBX, the first deck boot built with sealed vapor barrier insulation. The new ankle-height boot is constructed with AKGC's proprietary Vapor Barrier X (VBX) technology, the same waterproof insulation system behind the boots Alaskans have trusted for generations to keep their feet warm and dry when conditions turn cold and wet.

Cold, wet feet have always been more than a discomfort. During the World War II campaign to retake Attu, in Alaska's Aleutian Islands, Allied forces lost more soldiers to cold injury than to combat wounds. The U.S. Army's sealed insulated boot, developed in the years that followed, is credited with virtually eliminating frostbite and trench foot among troops in wet-cold conditions. The reason it worked is simple: once insulation gets wet, it loses much of its ability to hold heat, and feet can turn dangerously cold at temperatures as mild as 50°F.

AKGC built VBX around that same lesson: a rubber outer shell that seals out external water and snow, paired with a wool insulation layer that holds heat where it belongs. The boot is rated to an average of -45°F (ArCLO rating) based on lab testing, making it the warmest and most capable ankle deck boot available. The Ankle Deck Boot VBX takes that proven protection and brings it into a lower-profile, three-season boot for fall, winter, and spring, different from the deep-winter VBX MAX Bunny Boot. It's built for people who need full wet-cold protection on the docks or wherever the work takes them, while also functionable and comfortable as a daily driver for anyone facing cold, wet days around town.

Beyond VBX insulation, the Ankle Deck Boot VBX is finished with a fleece lining for everyday comfort, and a siped, non-marking outsole engineered with cold-resistant rubber. The sipes channel water away from the sole, so footing stays sure even when the ground doesn't.

"The Ankle Deck Boot VBX product is an answer to an authentic problem that our Alaskan community was having, and no other brand was solving. Our team at Alaska Gear Company knew that we had the opportunity to empower our coastal consumer to brave colder temperatures than they previously could utilizing our Vapor Barrier X technology in a waterproof deck boot package that is built to thrive in the harshest of conditions." - Henry Richenstein, Footwear Category Manager at Alaska Gear Company

The Ankle Deck Boot VBX is available now for $199 plus tax at AKGC's Anchorage and Fairbanks retail locations and online at www.alaskagearcompany.com.

AKGC's winter footwear line AKGC's winter footwear line is growing, too. The new NEO Bunny Boot arrives later this fall in Shale Black and Alpine Green. The Bunny Boot LITE adds two new colorways, Polar Purple and Brooks Brown, and the Bunny Boot MAX adds Alpine Green. Bunny Boots can be paired with colored, waxed reflective laces and gaiters for deep snow, and ice spikes for icy conditions work with both the Bunny Boots and the Ankle Deck Boot VBX.

About Alaska Gear Company

Alaska Gear Company (AKGC) is a locally Alaskan-owned outdoor gear brand, best known for the Bunny Boot, with retail stores in Anchorage and Fairbanks. The company is expanding distribution into the lower 48 United States and Canada.

Kate Rausch, kate@alaskagearcompany.com

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SOURCE Alaska Gear Company