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Edit; title should be another Goretex fail. The boots are fine.

I just bought a new pair yesterday. I can't find anything else that has the roomy forefoot and tight heel that doesn't cause slippage. I guess I'll just consider them disposable after a year and deal with wet feet. Dont know what else to do.

Great fit

Great hunting for six months then the dam broke.

It the wide Tibet doesn't work, Zamberlan Vios is on deck.

I will look at those and the cevedale. Good luck in your search.

The stiff hard mountaineering boots seem to keep the liner intact longer/better. Great boots for hiking/packing but not so much for bowhunting. Some of the soles are so hard you might as well be smacking rocks together as you walk over stuff in them.

I'd say you will be pleasantly surprised by the Wide Tibets... I had the same problem with Kenetreks I wore for years and other various boots I tried... My Wide Tibets fit me like a glove. Still getting used to using a stiffer boot (worked amazing on the Dall Sheep hunt last fall). Seems overkill at times in some terrains but it's better than squeezing my foot into a boot that doesn't fit.

Exactly what I was thinking.

If I take care of my end, which is a fair amount of labor, my leather Russells will keep me dry for days on end. Only get wet when my pants legs get wet and my socks wick the water down into them. (I think sometimes boots do get blamed for leaking when it's not their fault, socks wick in moisture seemingly better than they wick it out...)

Not only that, stitched on replaceable soles of a dozen different types.... they are on their 3rd sole (soft brown rubber vibram air bobs) and probably last legs... but they have lasted many years, several times over any other boot I've owned. I hunt in them nearly every week, much of it in pure lava rock like yesterdays goat hunt. Plus several pack-in trips on the mainland. One coming up in a few weeks. I'll give em one more year....

I'm looking at boots, those russells are real heavy in comparison to most, over the years I think my feet have gotten heavier too.... But I still might just order an new pair to replace em. Best boots overall I've owned. Custom built, fit like no other. 8" support. Soft rubber quiet. Build em with any feature you want. Still looking....

My next pair will likely be the Schnee Beartooth.

I also have Lowa Tibets that I honestly cannot remember when I got them! They just don't give me enough support in my bad leg, so don't use them elk hunting.

The Meindl Perfect Hiker is a great boot for sure. Wore them for years before picking up the Lowa.

I have the Stalkers(?). Did not get the steel shank, did get the heel counters. I forget what else I added to them but it wasn't much. Every time I put them on I wish I'd ordered them with the pull loop on the back.... I'm thinking I got them in 2003, 2004, around there. Fit like a glove the first day I wore them. Use them year round at least every week, not just a few weeks out of the year. They have their faults, again, mostly very heavy. But I've gotten some 11-12 years out of them. Maybe the Russel quality has fallen off some over the years? Don't know.

My measurements were a bit out of the norm, skinny 8 1/2" ankles and 16" calves. They called me twice to double check it before they built them. I use aftermarket insoles to adjust whatever support type I want. Superfeet I didn't care for, too hard and stiff, although I like them on the Schnees outfitters that have very little support. I forget whats in there now, I tried a couple others, the one in there now you heat in the oven before you slip it in the boot and put the boot on to form it.

Likely not a sheep mountain boot in the mountaineering sense, but ID, MT, OR elk they've done everything I've asked. Will be packing into a wilderness in the Cascades next month, did the same trip last year till the fires drove us out. Might be their last big trip as the leather has worn out through the sidewall stitching. But they are on their 3rd sole. It's about worn out too.

WRT all leather boots, right out of the box get two coats or so of Obenaufs over a couple days to soak in, set them in the sun so the treatment melts in real well, use a narrow stiff brush to work it into the seams. Then one or two coats of MT pitch blend. For me, I do this 1 or 2 times a year. A stiff brush cleaning and a quick coat of MT Pitch Blend once a month or so when I can remember to. It's a lot of maintenance to me, but if a person is using all leather that is what it takes to keep them waterproof and supple IMO. Only time they have leaked is when I let thing go and let them get dry.

Obenaufs is a great conditioner, not great waterproofing. The MT pitch blend pretty good water proofing/protection when it cures, not as good a conditioner. Together I think they work very well.

Stitched soles are normally wider than glued or "vulcanized" soles. Steep sidehills and such the "modern" narrower soles have a definite advantage. The "lip" on stitched soles can catch on rocks at times, advantage "one piece". But the softer, wider more flexible soles and boots have the advantage when you're getting close to game. 8" uppers I have real ankle support for skinny ankles and good protection in the bad rocks. The sharp lava here will cut you up pretty good.

Synthetics.... while they are essentially maintenance free, grab them out of the closet and put em on, once the liner is compromised there is nothing you can do to bring them back. They are toast. Wear out a sole, rip a seam, come unglued... toast. Essentially non-repairable.

Probably will try another boot and see how it holds up. But I don't want any more one or two year $250-300 boots that leak or break down. If that's the case I'm back to the Russel's.

TTT. Keep the info coming folks. Enjoy reading what everyone is liking or disliking in their boots. Pretty clear different boots fit different people.... um, differently....

We had pretty good rain the last elk hunt. And I don't remember my feet being wet. Maybe it is the "new and improved" boots with the waterproof and durability issues?????

I have 2 new pairs that I think I'm going to test that way before taking afield.

I have one pair that I have beaten literally to death (most hikes here in NM are dry, so no way to know if the GTX is working). Last hike in the rain they got very wet. I wondered if it was just foot sweat so filled them with water and let them sit. Leaked like a sieve, although like I said I have abused them hard for several years.

That's also been my experience. Unless I'm going to be hiking 10 miles/day and/or doing some serious mountain climbing, I just use my Mucks.

As rooter stated about water getting push through the g-tex I believe is very true.. Here's why I have a good g-tex jacket and on a all day rainy day it will keep me dry. If I put a backpack on, on a rainy day and wear that same jacket my shoulders get wet right under where the pack straps on my shoulders are. Ed

I have used this on boots I was going to throw out. I had a cheap pair of Irish setters that were the most comfortable boot I ever wore but they leaked bad. I coated them with a wax ring and that stopped the leaks. It didn't help the soles, they wore out less than 2 years later. Now I know why they were cheap.

Bottom line, I'll be buying another pair...

Goretex is a thin liner/barrier that can be put into all leather or cordura boots usually between the leather or cordura outer surface and the soft inner lining.

I've had 3 pairs of Lowa Tibets over the years (1 regular and 2 wide). In my experience they are waterproof for about a year or 2 and after that they leak like a screen door on a submarine. I'm still amazed at how comfortable they are and how supportive they are even after they are saturated, but as Elkaddict said, wet feet SUCK!

I'm at a total loss as to what to get. Elk Hunters, Pronghorns, Vasque Breeze, Lowa Zephyr, Lowa Renegades, Merrell Moab, Salomon Quest 4d's, and now Lowa Cevedale. All leaked in short order.

I know Gore-tex can't work in a flexing boot by it's very nature unless you get extremely lucky. As pointed out, hydraulics will force water thru it and any flexing will stretch or tear it. Not sure why I keep trying to find that one boot that works, I guess I'm just bull headed.

Here's how i keep my feet dry. I put on dry wool socks then put on a pair of gore-tex socks (currently Rocky's). Then I slip my feet into wet boots and cover with gators. Keeps my feet dry the first few hours of hunting and I usually take the gore-tex socks off when I stop for lunch. Sometimes my feet get slightly wet after a few hours but it's very tolerable. If i can get til 9 or 10am with dry feet i'm good.

I have 2 pairs that i rotate daily so i always have a dry pair for the next morning.

For GTX boots my Asolo tps 520 gtx have held up the best so far. Better than Tibets, Renegades, and Meindl hikers.

i too have not found a pair of boots that are waterproof in many years. some leak out of the box some take a few weeks. but none last!

a stiff soled boot sucks for hunting, sucks for being quiet. i like to be able to conform to the rocks and logs, stiff boots are like an over inflated tire, haul bigger loads, but the traction sucks.

What I've done is gone to multiple pairs of boots that fit me right. All are gortex to some degree, but most importantly, they provide the support and fit needed. If a pair leaks, I switch to another and let the first dry out. I always use a good conditioner on all of them when needed, and as they continue to break down and are less and less water resistant, that's when they're put to rest.

IMO, You're asking too much. Start looking for boots that fit you right, and give the durability needed to survive the terrain your hunting in. Then buy a second pair and start rotating... Good luck

I do give Lowa props, they did contact me today asking to have the retailer send them in for inspection.

Glad to here Lowa is giving you an ear. I have a pair of Tibets that are 4-5 yrs old now. Don't wear them much due to weight. But they are my "go to's" when I know it's going to be an all day soaker. And yes, they have leaked on occasion. But never a complete soak through.

My two year old Solomon GTX mid tops only leak a tiny bit still.

I must be having better luck with my shoes than most.

cheers, Pete

Here is why. Logically the gore tex membrane is taking too much abuse in a boot. Think about your rain gear, I have tried it all and more or less it will all leak at some point unless it is rubber.

Fine European bootmakers have always leaned towards full leather, The leather must be cleaned and waxed regularly but will keep your feet dry at least as much as a gore tex boot with a patchwork of 8 different sewn together items.

The Key reason I say all leather is that at least you have a chance to dry out a leather boot. It breathes and allows the water to escape and dry as you walk etc. Once a gore tex boot is wet it will not dry out in my experience once wet it will take 2 days indoors in front of a heat source and even then it will probably be wet inside.