Really disappointed in Nixwax

[IDHUNTER]

I have a set of new Lowa Tibets that i have been wearing since mid summer and have taken great care of them. I have treated them with Nikwax Conditioner and Waterproofing Wax several times and it seemed ok when i applied it but last week when the forecast predicted rain I made sure to treat them with the waterproofing wax before going elk hunting. After less than 2 hrs of hiking the leather was saturated with water and my feet were damp.

It's been discussed on here and generally agreed upon that leather and goretex alone wont keep your feet dry when hiking through wet grass over time. So the purpose of a boot treatment is to prevent the leather from absorbing water and becoming saturated in the first place. Nikwax did not do a very good job of this at all in my opinion.

Are there better products out there? I have used and been pleased with Obenaufs in the past but have been scared away from that by people saying that it will cause the rubber rand to delaminate. Is this true? Is there something else I should be looking at? I cant afford to have damp feet right off the bat every time I go hiking when the grass is wet.

 

[airlocksniffer]

I've been using Obenauf's LP exclusively on my Tibets and still find that when moving through wet grass, etc they will eventually wet out. I just bought some Obenauf's Water Shield to spray on them although haven't had a real wet day to test it out. I think the nubuck that Lowa uses is going to eventually soak up water no matter what you treat them with. No major issues with rand delamination for me.

 

[duchntr]

Sno seal will waterproof them and last longer then nikwax or anything else I've tried for that matter, it will effect breathability but its a tradeoff I am willing to take. Ive used obernaufs and montana pitch blend and still use them for certain applications just not on my hunting boots anymore.

 

[5MilesBack]

I used to use just the regular old Sno-Seal on my hunting boots, but for the past 10 years or so I haven't been using anything at all. In 2013 we had over 15" of rain over two weeks in September and my feet stayed dry in my Zamberlans. This year the last week we had rain almost every day and my boots are soaked and still drying out, but my feet were fine. I wore gaiters but my pants got wet above the knees from all the tall grass out this year, but my feet were still dry.

 

[IDHUNTER]

I used to use just the regular old Sno-Seal on my hunting boots, but for the past 10 years or so I haven't been using anything at all. In 2013 we had over 15" of rain over two weeks in September and my feet stayed dry in my Zamberlans. This year the last week we had rain almost every day and my boots are soaked and still drying out, but my feet were fine. I wore gaiters but my pants got wet above the knees from all the tall grass out this year, but my feet were still dry.

Do you attribute this more to the Zamberlans or to the non treatment of the leather?

 

[gelton]

I crossed NiKWax off my list for boots a long time ago. I like their laundry solutions and spray on for waterproof gear but the boot wax sucks. I have tried Obenhaufs but wasnt impressed with them either, plus they are petroleum based which causes problems with rands seperating. I used Montana pitch blend this year and it worked good, trying HydroBloc from Zamberlan next...for me I think it will come down to Montana Pitch Blend or Hydrobloc...

 

[WoodBow]

Does anybody make a boot with a leather shell and goretex underneath? That seems like it would be the ticket. I like the durability of leather and the waterproofness of goretex. Seems like the leather shell would keep water from being pushed through the goretex when walking in wet grass. From what I have read, it simply is not possible to waterproof leather. It is just too porous. You can create a barrier on top of it but that will rapidly become compromised as the boot flexes under normal wear. I'm pretty tired of putting wet boots on every morning.

 

[5MilesBack]

Do you attribute this more to the Zamberlans or to the non treatment of the leather?

No idea. I just don't care for the dark smooth leather look on my boots so I don't treat them.

 

[murf45]

The kennetrek wax has seemed to work great for me.


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[TBossHSauce]

Just curious...why not just use the old fashioned mink oil? Grew up oiling my boots...never had much problems. Why don't people use it on mountain boots?

I ask because I just got a new pair of boots and was going to oil them...

 

[Cgeb]

I have a pair of goretex Saloman Hiking boots, soles are nearly flat probably about 10 years old. Never been treated with anything that I remember, still waterproof. I have several pair of nice backups, they (the Salomans) are the kind of boots your a little embarrassed to wear. Look like crap, still comfortable to wear, absolutely no traction when muddy or wet.

On the other hand have a pair of waterproof Timberlines that I think have leaked from about day one.

Sometimes I think its about 50 percent construction and 50 percent luck as far as boots go.

 

[duchntr]

Just curious...why not just use the old fashioned mink oil? Grew up oiling my boots...never had much problems. Why don't people use it on mountain boots?

I ask because I just got a new pair of boots and was going to oil them...

The reason some people don't like oil is because it softens the leather, hunters are generally looking to keep their hunting boots stiff for support.

 

[welpro222]

I used the Lowa branded water repellent spray and the leather cream for my boots and haven't had trouble yet. Only had my boots out 2 times so far, one time had them soaked but water never reached my feet.

 

[Laelkhunter]

Just curious...why not just use the old fashioned mink oil? Grew up oiling my boots...never had much problems. Why don't people use it on mountain boots?

I ask because I just got a new pair of boots and was going to oil them...

You have to make sure whatever you use doesn't affect the rubber rand running around the boot (like Kenetrek has). It might cause the rubber to delaminate from the boot. I use Kenetrek wax on my Mountain Extremes. It works really well, and doesn't soften the leather.

 

[Tiger Rag]

The only thing that's going to be completely dry is rubber knee boots in tall wet grass and then there is the breathability issue when your feet go to sweating. With leather, you're going to soak through at some point. Sno-seal is the best for pure water protection that I've used but it's still going to soak through with heavy wet grass. Nikwax is what the majority of manufacturers recommend and certainly breathes better than a Sno-seal or Obenaufs, and works well for general use. Keep in mind though, Nikwax recommends a reapplication often to retain the water resistance which makes sense given the thin nature of it during application. Everything is a compromise. Tool your gear toward your specific hunt. Maybe a back up set of boots is in order treated with snoseal if its routinely wet in the area you hunt. Moose hunting flatter ground in Alaska?- might want to bring your Muck boots.

 

[SDHNTR]

Gore tex is a crap shoot. Sometimes boots will stay dry for years is all but the worst wetness, and sometimes they will leak from day one in a sprinkle. I've had great and horrible results with the exact same make/model boot. Luck of the draw.

I've also tried every boot cream under the sun looking for the secret sauce. I literally have a closet in my garage with at least 15 different lubes, potions and lotions. Over the years, I've wound up right back where I started. Sno Seal.

 

[warrior80]

I crossed NiKWax off my list for boots a long time ago. I like their laundry solutions and spray on for waterproof gear but the boot wax sucks. I have tried Obenhaufs but wasnt impressed with them either, plus they are petroleum based which causes problems with rands seperating. I used Montana pitch blend this year and it worked good, trying HydroBloc from Zamberlan next...for me I think it will come down to Montana Pitch Blend or Hydrobloc...

I used the Hydrobloc on my Tibets this year and my feet stayed dry. I used the spray version for nubuck. Seemed to work ok. I haven't had issues with my Tibets leaking. Seems like some of the conditioners might limit breathability more than others making your feet sweat more.

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[outdoor_matt]

My favourite combo for dry feet with my Kennetreks is sno-seal and gaiters. I can go a looong time before my feet get wet.

 

[Tsnider]

i think unless you treat them with that new magical stuff, theyre going to eventually get wet

Amazing waterproof and oilproof coating (video) : TreeHugger

 

[Mmcan]

I treated my Tibets prior to ever having worn them. I think a big issue is whether you have any dirt on them or not.

I also used the cream and waterproofing from Lowa. Hunted/hiked in some heavy rain and wet forest. My feet never got wet at all. The only place my boots held any moisture was right up where the boot flexes at the toe box. And even that wasn't very bad.