Gore-tex footwear, yes or no

[danno]

semi-insulated stiff leather gore-tex boots in the winter. limmers the rest of the year. My feet are in the 98th percentile for flatness, and its tough to find a good boot that will work for me. After trying (too) many different boots, the limmers seem to give me the best comfort. I wear an ultra light wicking sock under smartwool, and if I am hitting streams I will wear my gaitors. My feet stay dry.

 

[BillyRay]

I swear by gore-tex boots - summer and winter. I have never been able to keep dry with leather...And I tried every imaginable way to waterproof it. Gore-tex just works for me.

Is it perfect? No. My Raichles have never leaked, but they are hot (correct socks helps a lot). My Asolos are cooler but not 100% waterproof.

 

[mtnpa]

I wear full grain leather boots because I need the ankle support/foot protection. My last pair were goretex and leather. Both kept my feet dry in all but extreme conditions (stepping in deep water or long exposure to heavy rain). I prefer the full grain leather because of comfort and breathability.

 

[sleeping bear]

My gore-tex boots hold water in way better than out. I vote for non-goretex especially for brookwacking.

I agree 100%. I won't buy another pair of leather gore-tex boots.
After hiking in all that rain a few weeks ago, it took 3 days for my boots to dry at home- granted I didn't try to speed that up in any way and it was pretty humid...

I have heard that gore-tex works much better with nylon and split leather, simply because that material allows moisture/water to pass through it much more easily, as opposed to full grain leather. If I bought another pair of GT boots they would be of that (nylon/split) construction.

 

[blacknblue]

For me, it varies considerably. I love Gore-Tex for colder/cooler weather hikes, especially sloppy springtime hikes going through combinations of snow, slush, mud, and dry trails. When the weather gets hot and my feet start sweating then, yeah, Gore-Tex is kinda a bummer to wear. For just moderate length dayhikes with a light packweight, I won't wear boots at all - trail runners will suffice and be more comfortable.

 

[Iceman]

I have issues with burning feet when I hike.

If it is the soles of your feet that are burning, I thought that had more to do with the stiffness of the midsole. The stiffer it is, the less you feel the rocks underneath.

As for GoreTex, it is an expensive, permanent way of waterproofing your boots. Forget about breathablity, even with a synthetic boot, once the GoreTex pores are clogged, you might as well be wearing a plastic bag inside your boot.

I wear non-GoreTex trail runners for 3 seasons. I have found them slippery on rocks when wet so if the terrain is going to be very rocky and wet, I'll switch to a non-GoreTex synthetic boot.

I change socks often while hiking.

 

[Snowflea]

Wet feet

I have some Gore-tex trail runners, but they're mostly relegated to winter road running here in Vermont, when I find them to definitely be of benefit.

In my Experiment of One, wet feet aren't necessarily a bad thing in moderate temps, and COLD wet feet feel quite marvy on a hot day.

It is my understanding that three factors need to be present in order for blistering to occur:

1. Heat
2. Moisture
3. Friction

Therefore--and as shown by my current avatar--wet feet don't bother me in the least.

 

[C.Tracy]

I don't believe I have ever noticed my feet getting hot while hiking (fire walking, yes ). I have a pair of LL Bean Gortex hikers that I purchased before I really had much of an understanding of hiking boots, otherwise I would have bought something cheaper with the same quality. Like I said, I really do not have problems with hot feet (just cold feet ). I have used leather and gortex work boots on long days hunting, and I would vote for the gortex in that situation. Hiking I would have to vote the same even though the conditions would be better if on a trail. But.......thats why we have both to choose from, as we all have different taste's .Get a pair of each

 

[jrichard]

slippery when wet

I wear non-GoreTex trail runners for 3 seasons. I have found them slippery on rocks when wet

You probably agree, but... I think slipperiness on wet rocks has more to do with material the sole is made of. I've had full leather boots with very slippery soles (and the scars on my butt to prove it) and NB 807s which I'd swear had chewing gum permanently stuck on the bottom.

In general, I've found the hard rubber vibram-style soles to be slippery on smooth wet surfaces (exposed roots especially). The crags in the sole do catch on rough surfaces for some stopping power though. The softer rubber of most trail runners catch much easier, but their narrow ridges cake up mud. Given this, I stop my feet a couple times after walking though mud and before climbing smooth rock.

 

[keepin' on]

Montrail Gorre GTX + poly liners + merino wool sock = OK except in extreme heat (85+)

 

[Paradox]

I agree with artex, dougpaul, halite et.al.. The consensus seems to be if you wear Gortex footwear your feet will eventually get sweaty (ie. wet) and stay that way. If you wear non-Gortex trail running shoes your feet will get wet when you eventually step in water, but they will dry much more quickly. I'll stick with my non-gortex trail runners for this summer in NH.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Yesterday, while doing some turnpiking at our new lean-to, this thread came to mind. The reason?

I have full leather, non-gortetx boots. I spent several HOURS standing in a stream, mining gravel for the turnpike. My feet did not get wet for two and a half hours. After that, they got wet because I stepped in a hole which was deeper than the top of my boots, and the water ran over the top.

Now.... If they kept the water out that long while standing in 4" of stream, I would imagine that for the average hike, they keep water out fine.

 

[Peakbagr]

I feel that partial Gore-tex boots are great out west where the trails are dry and dusty. In the Adirondacks, in particular, bushwacks, the wet, mud, dirt, and grime generally coat your boots with a thick, slurry of dirt.
Unless your very paricular about washing and cleaning your boots after every adventure, the pores that allow Gore-Tex boots to breath are clogged and ineffective.
For other than cold weather, I look for $50-$60 lightweight hiking boots like the inexpensive Hi-Tecs. Light weight and good, grippy soles are more important for me that the boots makeup. I destroy a pair of boots by the time Autumn rolls around. Its basically, slap the boots together to get the mud to fly off, and then dry them so they can go back out the following weekend. It doesn't matter if they are Gore-Tex or not, they get soaked and caked after a few hours anyway.

 

[grog]

I have bean wearing soloman tech amphibians for 2 years now ( approx. 8 hundred miles ) and think they're great. If it is a rainy day, I'm hiking, these sneakers stick like glue. My feet don't smell any more , which makes my wife very happy. There is a strap on the heal that comes loose, but I only need tight shoes on really steep parts of trail ( they're loose enough so i don't have to touch the laces to get in or out of them ).

In winter I wear the big brother of these sneakers ( non-goretex ) with OR crocadiles and my feat always stay warm, gotta keep moving, of course.

grog

 

[percious]

I too am in the minority, prefering full-leather goretex for most applications. I find they are the best when conditions are at their worst, mud, slush or otherwise. Very happy with my recent $100 Scarpas.

That being said, I have been using my Tevas a lot lately. Last weekend I hiked about 3 miles through mud and muck to Borne Pond wearing about 40 lbs. The sandals didn't skip a beat. I have also taken the sandals up to 12K feet in Colorado with about 40 lbs on my back. In Colorado I carried my leathers up to 12K and finished out Long's with them the next day.

I liked the lack of clammyness wearing the sandals that I usually get out of my Gortex leathers. The leathers take to crampons and snow travel well, and work awesome in the spring with the 'dax is at its best. For me, dry feet are at a premium, so if I cannot wear footware that will let my feet stay dry, they better be able to dry out fast.

For most dayhikes I wear trailrunners, which take away a lot of weight on your feet, making it easier to move.

-percious

 

[brianW]

I tend to hike in trail runners (vasque raptors) Keens or Tevas when ever possible. When snow hits the trail I go to my non-gortex full leather boots.

 

[Greg]

Tried trail runners for the first time hiking this weekend, up Mt. Tom, and they worked very well. Don't know how they'd be with a full pack. They are Merrill Pulse's, not sure if they are GTX or not. I wear them every day to work and in very hot weather, they can get hot, but rarely sweaty with my smartwools.

 

[Raymond]

The Gore-Tex isn't getting much love here, but my $79 Gore-Tex boots from EMS haven't leaked in the four plus years I've been wearing them. I don't do much more than knock them together to clean them.

The non-Gore-Tex Rockports I wore before the current EMSes were breached now and then. I loved them regardless, but the new boots I bought this year, which I have yet to wear, are Gore-Tex. Vasque. They fit better than the EMS model did this time around.

 

[Shewolf]

I guess I'm in the minority too since I'm a gore-tex wearer...I started out with wearing my Lowa Renegades for all my hikes and then I discovered my Montrail Java GTX...unless I'm carrying a full pack, I'm finding the Javas are great for day hikes...lots of grip on the rocks and slides... I wear a pair of Northface Pipe Dragons for winter hiking...gotta have some insulation.

 

[snowbird]

I wear ventilated trail runners in warm weather. I wish - oh I wish! - that I could find non-goretex leather boots for cooler/wetter days. It's hard for women with wide feet.