GoreTex vs SnoSeal

[big10hunter]

I know there are a lot of GoreTex haters out there. If you do not have GT boots, what do you use to water proof them? Don't turn this into a bashing thread. Please be helpful...

Does it work as good as GT?

How often do you need to reapply?

Does it work on leather as well as Cordura?

Other thoughts?

 

[Roy68]

I have run a lot of Gortex just like everyone else, and I run SnoSeal on all of my non-gortex leather boots

I apply 2x per year. Early spring & late fall. I'm sure 1x per year would be fine, but my boots see a lot of wear and tear. I believe that it keeps the leather in better condition applying 2x. I warm the leather up either in the sun sitting on a reflective surface or in the oven on warm. Then I apply liberally (= messy), and then put back in the sun (or oven with something to catch drippings) to keep the leather warm until it appears that it has stopped absorbing. I then wipe them off.

Is it better than Gortex?: That's a matter of opinion per individual. For me SnoSeal is better than Gortex any day of the week. The reason being is that I have sweaty feet and I will soak a boot from the inside out. In the summer my feet are cooler, and in the winter my feet are warmer with my SnoSeal treated boots

Now for my statement of contradiction:
I still run boots that have Gortex, because I like that particular boot. I have Hanwag Mt Lites, and Keen Steel Toes. Both have Gortex / KeenDry. My Keen's are hot and take forever to dry out. I only wear them in the shop or on a job site. The Hanwag's go on 90% of my hunts. The reasons are both of these boots are comfortable, and get the job done for me. So the pro's outweigh the cons in those situations. If not required then I'm in a pair of cowboy boots treated with SnoSeal

I have no input or experience in using the stuff on Cordura. My off the cuff opinion is that it would not work well on Cordura.

 

[Bughalli]

I have both and like both depending on the temps and conditions. They both run warm because they don't breath. Yes Gortex does breath a little, but you still end up with sweaty feet regardless. Gortex can't breath fast enough when it comes to footwear. I once had two pairs of sneakers from Solomon. One was gortex and the other not, yet exact same sneaker. The gortex version was noticeable warmer, even with no exercise. I could only wear them in the winter outside. If I used them in the office my feet were overheating within a few hours. It was a bit of an eye opener.

Early season - light booth, may or may not have gortex. Not a big deal because it's mostly cordura and they dry fast. If I expect a chance of rain then I'll take the gortex pair. If not, I'll take the plain cordura with no gortex. They breath much better.

Late season - use heavier leather boot with a gortex membrane underneath...and yes and I put snowseal on them. I figure my feet will get hot and sweaty regardless, but given it's late season I don't want them soaked from outside water. Leather doesn't breath and only relying on gortex has proven to fail in wet weather. I wouldn't put snow seal directly on cordura. Pretty sure it wouldn't be effective.

Good wool sox are pretty important. They make a big difference.