loanshark
Active member
I just purchased a pair of all leather hiking boots. What's the best product for treating the leather?
My understanding of the rationale for applying water-proofing to Goretex boots is to protect the leather from moisture damage. Both the Goretex layer and the waterproofing reduce the moisture permeability of the boot. (The low overall permeability of of Goretex boots results in my feet always getting wet, so I avoid them.)IMHO - If they are Goretext boots, applying waterproofing to the exterior leather doesnt make a lot of sense. The premise of Goretexx boots is that they allow the feet to get dry by allowing vapor to go through the Goretex membrane and out through the boot without letting liquid water enter the boot. Putting a waterproof coating on the exterior of the boot stops this vapor exchange and renders the goretex useless (some would argue that for hiking it is useless). Generally goretex gear is coated with a DWR coating that make water droplets slide off instead of soaking into the leather and most boot leathers has some sort of treatment that does the same thing without cutting down on vapor transmission. It all is fine in theory but most folks with goretex boots find that once the boots get worn in and have been through a mud season, the whole goretex concept turns into ignoring the goretex and slathering some sort of boot grease (like Limmers) and giving up on breathability.
Limmer Boot Grease -- needs no embellishment by me.
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