Keeping your feet dry?

[Buzz2401]

I prefer two pairs of boots and either good rain gear or gaiters.  I find that if I alternate my boots everyday and allow the leather and the sweaty liner they last many many years.

[kselkhunter]

10 years with Zamberlan's, applying Sno-Seal every year....no leaks. (yes, their website says to only use their waterproofing product and the boot repair guys say I'm crazy as Sno Seal clogs the goretex pores and ruins it, but it's worked very well for me)  Same thing with my wife's Asolos, I apply SnoSeal every year and she's never had a leak either and we spend alot of time in the snow and slush every year.   Before I switched to Zamberlans, I ran Rocky's and didn't treat them and I got water in them after a year or two of use.   I realized the signficant difference in quality of boot at that point.  But, try treating your boots, and see if that works. 

For me the main function of the gaitor is to keep my rainpants in place over the top of my foot.  Keeping my pants from riding up when I'm walking through thick vegetation and exposing the top of my boot.   I also snowshoe and Nordic ski in the same OR gaiters that I use for hunting, and the OR gaiters work well in that instance also in deep snow.

[yakimanoob]

Thanks folks.  I just checked the waterproofing and the left boot is solid, but the right boot has a substantial leak.  Seems odd, actually, because this weekend both feet were wet but seemed equally wet so I assumed it was mostly due to wicking. 

Anyway, the soles are also not impressing me as when I cleaned them off just now I noticed about 1/3 of the lugs are completely missing  sooooooooooo time to test Scarpa's warranty.  I'm about 10 days past the 1 year mark, so wish me luck... 

[Jpmiller]

I have not waxed or greased a pair with gortex yet because I have read conflicting things about it with gortex... I have tried a couple different “conditioners” that are supposedly gortex safe but have been thinking about giving up and using sno seal or something similar

I've heard other people say they've been cautioned against it but the folks at dinner always recommend a weekly obenauffs (sp?) Treatment and ive never had any issue with it.

[GoldenRing270]

Rocky Gortex Socks they are pricey and hard to find but well worth it. Also they run about 1-2 sizes small. I wear a size 11 boot and the size 12 fits me well. They saved my feet this weekend.

[Highhuntin]

I have not waxed or greased a pair with gortex yet because I have read conflicting things about it with gortex... I have tried a couple different “conditioners” that are supposedly gortex safe but have been thinking about giving up and using sno seal or something similar

I've heard other people say they've been cautioned against it but the folks at dinner always recommend a weekly obenauffs (sp?) Treatment and ive never had any issue with it.

Ive used the obnauffs oil on work boots many times but never tried the wax, guess my other concern is if I use the wrong thing will it void my warranty with Lowa or gore?



To the OP good luck with your warranty they should honor it a week out I hope!

[Alchase]

If you wax goretex boots, they will be waterproof, but you loose what gortex is all about, the breathability. Wax seals up the boot, taking away Gortex ability to breath.
If you don’t care it they are breathable, then why by gortex at all?


I have both Asolo gortex GTXs that are waterproof and Merrill waterproof non-gortex boots. Both are verry good boots.

[huntnnw]

I have not waxed or greased a pair with gortex yet because I have read conflicting things about it with gortex... I have tried a couple different “conditioners” that are supposedly gortex safe but have been thinking about giving up and using sno seal or something similar

I've heard other people say they've been cautioned against it but the folks at dinner always recommend a weekly obenauffs (sp?) Treatment and ive never had any issue with it.

gore tex is a bootie style liner inside your boot. It would take enormous amounts of wax to soak thru leather to the gore liner

[Tim in Wa.]

waterproof socks work great

[Alchase]

If you wax goretex boots, they will be waterproof, but you loose what gortex is all about, the breathability. Wax seals up the boot, taking away Gortex ability to breath.
If you don’t care it they are breathable, then why by gortex at all?


I have both Asolo gortex GTXs that are waterproof and Merrill waterproof non-gortex boots. Both are verry good boots.

Correcting myself here!

Straight from the Asolo website:

Step 2: Condition your boots
•After cleaning your boots, apply a water-proofing impregnation spray while they are still slightly damp. The boots leather pores are wide open while they are damp and that allows the impregnation treatment to penetrate deeply into the leather.

•Regular applications of an impregnation spray are recommended to keep water and dirt from sticking or soaking in.

•It’s particularly important because soaking wet boots lose their breathability, which affects their ability to regulate your foot’s temperature.

•Take note that a water-proofing treatment needs 24 hours to fully take effect.




Step 3: Care for your boots
•No matter how hard, how often, when or where you use your boots, they should be cleaned regularly with specialized shoe care products. Particularly if they are used frequently in extremely wet conditions it is vital to apply a waxy shoe paste or creme – even on boots made with a GORE-TEX® membrane.

•Leather that has been soaked with water and has swollen must be restored in order to retain the boot’s fit, flexibility and durability. If a boot does not receive proper care, the leather will dry out, become brittle, and will pull at the seams, leaving your boots irreparably damaged. To avoid this, shoe care products can be rubbed on with a rag and polished in with a brush. Carefully using a hair dryer to blow warm air on the boots will improve the creme’s ability to penetrate the leather’s pores.

•The application of oils and greases is not recommended because they turn the leather very soft and make it virtually waterproof, the boot loses stability and strength.

[bracer40]

Alchase, thanks for posting this. Reminds me I need to do some post hunt care on my boots following last week’s Idaho soaking (rained on us and the gaitors were back in camp while we were bushwhacking through tall, wet brush)
Yeah, everything below our waists was soaked!

[jackelope]

I've been wearing the same Meindl Perfekt hunter 10" boots for I'm not really sure how long now...probably at least 8 years now. My feet stay dry I'd say 90% of the time which is fine by me. I use Obenauf's on them a couple times a year. They've been hiking and hunting all over the place. There are so many different possibilities for wet feet. I wear OR Crocodile gaiters. They're expensive but they're really reliable. I almost never wear rain pants.

[yakimanoob]

No response yet from Scarpa so I'll be wearing the same boots this weekend (leaving Thursday).  My short Flex-tex gaiters are already on their way back to backcountry and my OR Verglas gaiters arrived today. 

I'm hoping the full size gaiters (which cover MUCH more of the boot itself, btw) and a solid application of Nikwax will make up for the leaky gtx and keep my feet dry.  Forecast is mild so wet feet won't ruin my trip anyway. 

Can't wait to forget about nit-picking my gear and get back to focusing on finding animals 

[Highhuntin]

good luck on your  hunt!

Also I just stopped and checked out some of the waterproof socks... $50+ per pair??  I would think if a gortex liner in the boot wont work then the waterproof sock may have the same issues sooner or later

Maybe Ill just turn into a fair weather road hunter

[nwmein199]

It's possible that my boots have failed, but it's unlikely as I stood in a creek with them to test them a couple weeks ago (with only a few miles walked in them since).  I'll test them later today or tomorrow as soon as they're dry. 

I do suspect the OR Flex gaiters are simply the wrong design for the task -- they're marketed (and reviewed) as good for shedding water but they don't seem to be constructed with any kind of proper waterproof layer.  I'm also curious if the height is the main problem, as they're only about 8" tall.  Folks that have had success with this: are you running full-height gaiters? 

I sat for about an hour and a half glassing in rain and my pants performed great.  They're dainty little things and I'm expecting them to shred at any moment, no doubt, but they were $38 so I'll happily use them until I get wet for the first time and then I'll get some proper rain pants 

Kenetrek gaiters are amazing. I hunt thick nasty wet side for elk and they do not let a drop of water in and I am going on year 5 with them. Also I am 6'-3" and the top of the gaiters are just below my knees so I think the height would have something to do with it.