Are any "waterproof" boots/hikers truly waterproof?

[NeHunter13]

Outside the obvious of rubber muck style boots, are waterproof boots that have a Goretex/sympatex/Bdry liner truly waterproof?

Here's my reasoning for the question:

Hunted the CO MZ season last week. Thursday afternoon and all day Friday we got rain. Wasn't a downpour but as you know, walking through wet grass and brush for hours gets you pretty wet. I had two different pieces of footwear that I used. First was a set of Oboz Arete Mid Waterproof (i believe these have replaced by the Katabatic style) . I was happy with the support and comfort but they got soaked through. Second pair is my Schnee's Beartooth. These also eventually got wet on the inside. Both are "waterproof" with their respective breathable liner.

So the question is, outside of a rubber style boot, do you expect your waterproof hikers or mountain boots to remain dry in these conditions or will they all eventually get wet?

Thanks for your thoughts,

Ryan

 

[hunterjmj]

Every waterproof boot I've owned eventually leaked. I've had my Hoffman boots for 4 seasons now and I'm guessing they'd leak now given wet conditions. Don't really know the science of the waterproof membrane but I guess they must break down over time.
I wear my muck boots in really wet conditions.

 

[cuerro viejo]

liner is a back up to the leather treatment of you Beartooths. Better oiled they are more waterproof the will be

 

[NeHunter13]

Every waterproof boot I've owned eventually leaked. I've had my Hoffman boots for 4 seasons now and I'm guessing they'd leak now given wet conditions. Don't really know the science of the waterproof membrane but I guess they must break down over time.
I wear my muck boots in really wet conditions.

Overtime I would understand. The OBOZ were new this season and only had a couple miles on them before this hunt. The Beartooth are a couple years old with moderate use. The fist year I had them I hunted in 6" of snow and they got wet then too.

 

[NeHunter13]

liner is a back up to the leather treatment of you Beartooths. Better oiled they are more waterproof the will be

Completely agree. I use the stuff that Schness recommends for their leather.

 

[hunterjmj]

Overtime I would understand. The OBOZ were new this season and only had a couple miles on them before this hunt. The Beartooth are a couple years old with moderate use. The fist year I had them I hunted in 6" of snow and they got wet then too.

That sucks. I bought a brand new pair of Garmont boots years ago and they leaked in the first couple miles of use. I'd definitely call schnees and let them know.

 

[doc holiday13]

Everything is waterproof till it isn't

Best you can do is control test your equipment when its new. Then take care of it afterwards if it has passed controlled testing

 

[rideold]

Every all leather boot I've ever owned has never leaked when I keep the leather properly treated. I remember as a kid thinking how cool it was to stand in a stream in my hiking boots. Back then we used SnoSeal. These days I use Obenauf's.

 

[shwacker]

I've never had an issue with boots made with gore-tex or event. I do think that the main problem is construction quality (taping of seams, glue around rand).

 

[JumpinLegs]

I ran into the same problem with my Lowa Renegade GTXs last week in the CO muzzy elk season. I had even treated them with Crispi cream (that's what I had), and while they held up just fine for crossing streams, they got soaked when I was going through wet brush. A hard day of hiking the next day in dry conditions dried out the boots, but they were never quite as waterproof after that.

 

[Beendare]

The Cabelas boot buyer at the industry show 20 years ago told me Goretex breaks down after a certain amount of flexes….appx one year or less for most.

I mix up a silicone treatment ( I outlined it here years ago in the gear section ) that keeps my cordura boots totally waterproof for years.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Every all leather boot I've ever owned has never leaked when I keep the leather properly treated. I remember as a kid thinking how cool it was to stand in a stream in my hiking boots. Back then we used SnoSeal. These days I use Obenauf's.

This I am pushing close to 500 miles on my timberlines...never had a leak...I clean, condition, and waterproof them at least twice a year.

They did have a problem with one gen of liners of the beartooths a few yeats ago...I sent mine back Schees they said they were defective and sent me a new pair with the next gen of liner.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

I tend to view anything waterproof as disposable. Usually I expect to get 1-5 years out of things like boots and fishing waders but I put a lot of hard miles and hours on my gear. Maybe people who only use their boots once a year putting easy miles on them will get many years of service. I'm currently on year 3 of my current Lowa Tibets and if they last and stay waterproof through this fall/winter I'll be happy.

 

[ODB]

Also be aware of any fabric lining around the top of boots. That will wick water down the back/inside. My meindls did that once and it felt like I was standing in a puddle. Gaiters would have helped. I did not anticipate walking through wet, knee high grass but am smarter to think ahead now.

 

[jmez]

Were you wearing gaiters?

 

[Poser]

I condition my boots anytime they are soaked (and I’m not on a king trip) and retreat them 2-4 times a year depending on use. I’m sure they have a tipping point of getting soaked through, but that seems to work for me. Leather that gets exposed to such conditions (dirt, dust, mud, water etc) need more care than most people seem willing to put into them.

 

[Titan]

I have used the Hoka Kaha and speedgoat mid at work for the past couple of years. I stand in 3-4" of water for some of that.

The speedgoats lasted over 2 years, the kahas have lasted 1 because I tore the little leather edge of the toe.

I also had good luck using some gearaid revivex. It says a light mist on the fabric. I gave it quite a few heavy doses. This was on some old Rocky boots with a zip up fabric membrane. Worked great, no idea on longevity.

 

[rcb2000]

Were you wearing gaiters?

 

[black dawg]

In my experience, no goretex or similarly lined boot is truly waterproof. Even new boots once the leather is saturated will get water in them eventually. But what I see happen most of the time is pants get wet, and water runs down into boots.

 

[rcb2000]

Were you wearing gaiters?

beat me to it,, this is the first most obvious question