Proactive Boot Rand Sealing

[ibebirdman]

So I love boots with rubber rands all the way around, awesome for kick stepping up steep slopes. I have had both Kenetrek Hardscrabble and Lowa Tibet. Unfortunately, they seem to always start peeling sooner or later. This last go round I applied a bead of gear aid aquaseal with a toothpick at the junction between the rubber and the leather. think calking a tub, but with a toothpick. 2 years in, no pealing yet, Super happy, Thought I would share the tip,

oh, and I would suggest doing it when the boots are brand new, before you apply waterproofing, to ensure best adhesion.

Good Luck

 

[Hunthigh1]

I took this to another level on a pair of Asolo TPS 520’s with no rand. I made my own toe cap out of aqua seal shoe repair. This has lasted a full season and prevented toe collapse of the leather that has been an issue for me in the past with this boot.

 

[beachbunny]

how about shoegooo? i use that . seems to work also

 

[LongWayAround]

Tuff toe two-part epoxy is also great for making your own toe cap/rand or general repair.

 

[TraderMike]

I used 3M Marine adhesive sealant 5200 for a rand reinforcement on new Tibets.. It has held up remarkably well but that stuff takes days to fully cure.

 

[wyodan]

Freesole works great too.

 

[SDHNTR]

Keep ‘em far away from a campfire or wood stove!

 

[TripleJ]

"Freesole" is now called "GearAid Aquaseal + Shoe Repair" It is a great product. The other product you might want to check out made specifically for this purpose is "KG's Bootguard".