Waterproof boots?

“I've bought just about every kind of boot available to mankind over the past thirty years and all of them say they are waterproof, but, all of them have a big hole in the top where you put your foot in.

In a heavy or constant rain, how do you keep water from running down your legs and soaking into your socks and feet in the "waterproof" boots?”

“I wear gators.”

“they don't work!”

“I bought a body condom for just such an occasion”

“Nothing "works". The biggest myth about rain wear (including 'waterproof' boots) is that you will stay dry. What your rain wear is really there to do is keep you warm. Like a wet suit for a diver. You are going to get wet from sweat or holes (like where your feet and arms need to stick out). Once you accept this as an unchangable fact, then make sure your clothes and socks are high-wicking, fast-drying. So when the rain is over you dry off quickly.

Things are a little different for day-to-day activities, like walking between your car and the shopping center or sitting for an hour in the rain waiting for a bus. Then Gortex has a chance. But for heavy activities? Forget about it. You need to stay warm, not dry.”

“Good answer TNT.
Just suck it up and go on.
Slog along in wet boots for days.
I guess that is why Army boots have those little drain holes in the instep.”

“I've actually though about duct taping around my bare hairy leg to the top of my boot to stop the water from draining in. Short of that I can't think of anything that will work.”

“Yeah, I agree. I wore gaitors, gore-tex boots during last weekends hike. I got soacked. My boots still are wet.

While hiking my raingear did keep me warm though. Long enough to make it to the campground and slip into dry cloth.”

“Gaiters help, but they are not foolproof.

I have found that folding my socks down over the edges of the boot (the best that I can) and wearing gaitors provided maximum protection by wicking at least some of the water that came down inside the gaitors to the outside of the boot.

In a brief rain, works pretty good. In a long prolonged hike in the rain,,,,,well, that is what dry socks are for once it quits.”

“my newest hiking shoes have lots of mesh. i went that route instead of waterproof cause the waterproof shoes/boots are just too darn warm. so, now, my feet get wet when i cross a stream or when it rains, but they dry much quicker.”

“How about rolling in Nikwax waterproofing?”

“I think I'm going to try that duck tape idea for my whole body next time it rains. Then when I'm done (rrrr-iiiii-ppppp), I don't have to worry about body hair anymore. Free wax job, my wife will love it!



Not!”

“I'm starting to think that the trail shoe approach is not a bad idea - something with good lugs on the sole to provide traction in the muddy/wet/rocky area, maybe like a mid ankle height to provide some ankle support.

Couchtater had sneakers on this past weekend, with mesh tops and he said his shoes were pretty dry Sunday morning while the rest of us put on wet boots.”

“Yep. We've probably all slogged along in wet boots 'til our feet cracked more than once.

It's the same old story... oiled leather, Sno-seal (beeswax), Nikwax (aqueous or paste), Gore-tex membranes (better keep those micropores unclogged!), .... aye chihuahua!

You could always seal the tops of your boots against your legs with ducttape, but then your feet would only sweat more, LOL.... and ripping the hair out of your legs at the end of the day probably wouldn't be too much fun either, <G>”

“yeah, I sort of like the idea of trail shoes, but not sure about the sneaker idea. we hike too many times on really rough and slippery terrain. I don't think my sneakers would give me any hold. I would prolly slip real fast.”

“Man, I gotta learn to type faster.”

“I have EMS short gaiters. They are just above the ankle. Made out of goretex.


The nice thing about them is that they have a full length velcro closure. I have chicken legs with thin ankles and I can get the tops of these very tight.


I have sunk my leg into a stream up to my knee and pulled it out with a dry boot. . .including dry sock top.


You have hit the probl. on the head, sock gets wet from rain, boot gets wet from sock.

These gaiters are as close as I have gotten.

Normal calf high gaiters just don't close well enough for me.



On waterproofing. NIXWAX sucks. it is a total waste of money. I t has never worked for me in the 7 years i have used it.


I want a source for my good old snoseal.


I used a Limmer boot grease proudct when i was in NH three weeks ago. AWESOME. A firehose couldn't have penetrated the upper.


Nixwaxis a total waste of money.”

“Gortex pants over gaitors.”

“And if bacpac's method doesn't work, you can go to the full body condom.”

“"On waterproofing. NIXWAX sucks. it is a total waste of money. I t has never worked for me in the 7 years i have used it."

Works for me. Did you read the instructions?

Does it always take 7 years for you to admit something just isn't going to work for you?

That's pretty.............................stubborn”

“Or jump in a vat of hot wax. Once the 2nd degree burns heal you'll have the perfect rain suit. Field repairs are easy with a candle.”

“Uh-oh, bearmagnet and I occupied the same space at the same time (02:44:10 PM). We are shattering all known laws of Physics. The world will end as we know it at the end of this sentence.”

“Or buy vaseline in the handy two gallon tub, like our friend Old What's His Ass.....”

“OMG! Did your world end?”

“. blip .
. spoink .
. pop .”

“yall must've been a few milliseconds off, otherwise there would have been a large explosion.”

“My world turned inside out with infinite probabilities coalescing on my desk.”

“Seem that everyone is in agreement on this one. You are gonna get wet. I've gone to mesh trail shoes for warm weather wear while hiking on trails, but at times I still have to wear the higher boots for work (in the woods), and I live in a snakey area where high boots are very comfortable when you are looking down at a big rattleheadedcoppermoccosin!
I guess I'll just sogg on.

(BTW: I once bought a pair of guarenteed snakeproof boots from Gokey's (handmade, expensive) and the disclaimers on them said "do not get wet".)”

“BM --

Not stubborn . ..lazy

yes I read the instructions, yes I cleaned the boots first.


They hold up through 2 puddles . . but the second the boots hit granite the Nixwaxrunsback down the hill like a scared little girl.


It sucks.”

“Now that's one meanass snake!”

“There the ones that scare you so bad you don't know what it was or where it came from.”

“what I do is to use trail runners plus waterproof socks (Seal Skinz) - except for sweat my feet stay dry when I go with this approach”

“I haven't used nikwax much this year and the leather on my 1 yr old boots looks like I've had them for 5. Coinkidink?”

“The sneakers did dry out fairly quickly, and I was surprised at how well they gripped on the rocks, even with some mud on them. The downside, however, is that the soles of my feet really hurt afterwards. The shoes didn't hold up well to the pounding of the rough trail. Maybe trail runners would do better.”

“Hay HOI
Do the Seal Skinz keep your feet warm in the winter? Can I wear them with trail runners and gater in the snow?”

“Seems like I saw a pair of lightweight boots that had mesh. Merrells, I think.

The Ventilators, perhaps (bottom, center).

I was thinking they were the Sawtooths, but it looks like those are Cordura patches, not mesh....

If you just want more sole protection, you could always add some bulletproof insoles, like Superfeet. They're plenty stout. Especially the green ones.

I'm still one of those boot-wearing dinosaurs, LOL -- and I use a softer, shock-absorbing insole... Sorbothanes.”

“LET's try that Merrell Link again.

I wish I could get away with the trail runners, but I have to have the ankle support.”

“Yea, I was lusting after the Merrell Ventilators just this morning. I also like the Salomon Tech Amphibians.”

“a-Ha -- There's also the Mesa Ventilators (no longer on the Merrell website), as opposed to the Chameleon Ventilators.

It looks like the Mesas have lots more mesh... And a smaller pricetag.”

“I hiked in the rain a lot this past year and I concur: Constant rain=wet boots. I used gaiters but found that GTX XCR rainpants were the best.

Boots still got wet. The boots were synth with a waterproof liner and dried pretty quickly. I carroed three pairs of socks at all times, somtimes switching out mid-day if the boots had a chance to dry out moderately (the interior generally drys out before the exterior so stick your hand in for a test).”

“I normally take a second pair of superfeet, or other insoles. Helps alot after putting on a new pair of dry socks.

wish I would've done that last weekend too.”

“I just checked out the Salomon Amphibians at Moosejaw... They really look like they were designed for water to Flow out of them.”

“Okay, what's the deal with the weirdos at Moosejaw? I was checking out the Arc'Teryx RT45 pack and saw this:

"So sorry but this product is not available. If you want us to try and special order it call us at 888.208.2258 or email us at orders@moosejaw.com . We love you very much."

Is this standard behavior for them?? LOL”

“My quest for truly waterproof boots continues. If anyone can answer any of these questions, I'd appreciate it.

#1. For those who use Gore-tex boots, how long does the bootie stay waterproof? I usually get only 2 years or so, even using leather conditioner. Now, I get enough water through the boot to pour out. Its not from stepping in deep water and it's cold, so its not sweat build-up.

2. This past weekend, I used Aquaseal on the leather. The water beaded on the leather, but there is still a leak somewhere. Is there anything else I should try?

3. Does GTX work better in synthetic boots/hiking shoes?

4. If not GTX, what do you use for either leather or synthetic waterproofing for times when wet feet are dangerous? If you use a cream/wax/oil, how do you seal the seams?”

“T - The only drawback wtih TRULY waterproof boots is when the water level gets above the top of the boot...then it fills up with water.

In really wet weather I go with a liner sock and the Seal Skins type over sock. Keeps the tootsies dry.”

“I have always purchased waterproof boots. I would say that the lifetime of the waterproof characteristic is HIGHLY dependant on the manufacturer, the design, and the treatment of the boot. I have had boots that didn't make it one season and others that lasted years.

I don't expect my feet to stay 100% dry in my waterproof boots... I know that sounds silly... but I think this is realistic. Bottom line is that your feet sweat so your feet ARE going to get wet from the inside out.

I don't seam seal my boots. I have never heard of this. I do wash them and use Nixwax to treat the leater. I use the waterproofing wax they make.”

“I've become convinced that there is really no such thing as 'waterproof' boots.

Besides, your out in the arid west now Tim! There's not enough water out here to worry about (last weekend excluded).

:)


btw - i still owe you a mail package - its not lost yet.”

“Last year I watched crash bang plow through a stream in his trail runners. I admit I was envious, but I am not a huge fan of trail runners although I know many people love them. I prefer my boots... with gaiters depending on the conditions.”

“I’ve also given up on keeping my feet dry. When the mud and muck doesn’t soak my feet, the sweat pouring out of them does.”