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I saw a thread a month or so ago but now I cannot find it through the search option about waterproofing boots. Can anyone remember it and give me a link? On that thread someone had talked about getting the leather wet first to allow the waterproofing to soak in. But I don't remember what waterproofing was suggested.
Is this it??? http://forums.bowsite.com/tf/bgforums/thread.cfm?forum=2&threadid=450744&MESSAGES=22&FF=2
I only wear all leather boots.. The last few years I've only used Nikwax on my boots and really like it. I believe that my leather boots breathes better than with wax based proofs.. Also I feel that when out in the back country and you only got one pair of boots with you that when your boot do get wet that wax based proofs take longer to dry. Think about it, if bees wax helps keep water out. Won't if also help keep water in??
That's why I like using the Nikwax anymore..
I always wear my boots out in wet grass getting them wet, take them home wash in sink with a brush and then apply my proof to my boots did this with most of my proofs including bee wax base proof..
Ed
Thanks for that link. However I looked at that one as well and did not see what I was looking for.
I have read a lot about the Nikwax and may try that. Previously I have used a silicon based product that I cannot find anymore on leather boots. When I used that I have walked through a swamp with at least 4" of water with the leather boots and my feet never got wet.
Try a wax ring for a toilet. Cheap and works killer.
Try Obenaufs heavy duty LP. Was developed for Wildland firefighters and is also used by loggers. I've been using it for years. It's the best I have found for leather. Worked and lasts much better than Nikwax or Snowseal for me.
I don't know if getting the boot wet as a means to apply waterproofing is a great idea. we used to break in new hockey skates by filling them with hot water and wearing them for practice, without socks as a means to break them in and help them form to the foot. but we weren't trying to waterproof them.
Obenaufs is great leather conditioner, I use it all the time. I wasn't real happy with it as a waterproofing, seemed to wear off quickly for that purpose.
MT Pitch blend is pretty good at waterproofing as well as physically protecting the leather. Normally a good coat of Obenaufs. set out in the sun to soak in a day or three and then a good coating or two of Pitch Blend.
A buddy suggested Mink Oil Paste for waterproofing, because he used it when he as in the military. So, I tried it on a leaky pair of boots and in the most recent wet-sloppy snow my feet were bone dry for the first time in a while. Sold on that stuff so far.
I saw one of those Alaska shows port protection and the guy on there uses bear fat rendered down and then brushes it in and he says his feet stay dry all season long.
A good pair of gaiters will go a long way toward keeping your feet dry. I have used Obenauf's and nothing else. The gortex has yet to fail me in my Pefekt Hikers and Lowa Renegades.
I also used mink oil in the Army back in the 80's, and still use it today. I clean with a light detergent, let dry, rub in some saddle soap to further clean and condition leather, then a layer of mink oil. Boots stay dry and they breath. It is important to clean your boots before using anything, if your boot are dirty, pours are clogged, boot won't breath, feet get sweaty, feet stay wet and get sweatier, pours get more clogged, viscous downward spiral.
Snoseal is another good product. I like to go at least one coat then out in the sun until it absorbs, then another. For sure the toe area two coats - that gets the most constant brushup against wet grass.
My personal experience is I can keep a leather pair dry longer than synthetic - perhaps because you can condition leather but what do you use on synthetic? Any liquid or spray isn't going to hold up - you need viscosity.
That being said, wonder how PEET's battery version works? Was woof hunting with a buddy a couple years ago basically walking in the snow all day, and we split the PEET in the motel afterwards and were really glad to climb into fully dry boots in the morning. Be nice if you could use their product to air dry the boots on the trail (assuming you didn't have to carry the thing).
Nikwax is awesome. To me the huge benefit of it is that you don't have to hit the boots with a hair dryer to melt it so it soaks in.
However...... I like the ones like Obenauf's and Snoseal that you do have to melt into the leather. The stuff penetrates better. You put it on thick and when you hit it with the heat there's nothing left. It runs down into the tightest gaps where there are seams, into the stitching holes and stitches and in between the uppers and soles really well. Into the leather too. Better than Nikwax.
So I hit them with the Obenaufs and heat pre season. Then when I'm hunting if the weather gets wet and nasty I'll hit them with a fresh coat of Nikwax in the morning, sometimes several days in a row if it stays ugly out.
That system has served me well for lots of soggy elk hunts using Gore Tex lined all leather boots.
I've heard people say mink oil breaks down stitching but I have no idea if that's true. The mink probably made that up. lol
I just decided the other day that I am going back to using Sno-Seal. I have been using Obenaufs on both pairs of Meindls and the waterproofing is ok but nothing great. I don't think it preserves the leather that well. I seem to be getting lots of cracks in leather and wearing out before it should. I don't remember having that problem with Sno-Seal, so switching back. I treat boots 2/3 x's per year.
most of the ones mentioned work well if applied properly.
Only caveat is with mink oil based products,,,,I also used them a lot back in the 80s for winter warfare stuff,,,,the mice really liked that mink oil,,,,chewed my Herman Survivors leather!!
