Mathews Inc.
Stopping Gortex from
Equipment
Contributors to this thread:
Too Many Bows Bob 03-May-18
greg simon 03-May-18
Jaquomo 03-May-18
Proline 04-May-18
Woods Walker 04-May-18
carcus 04-May-18
Woods Walker 04-May-18
shane 04-May-18
Jaquomo 04-May-18
Boris 05-May-18
Jaquomo 05-May-18
Inshart 05-May-18
dizzydctr 07-May-18
hooch08 07-May-18
03-May-18
I have a pair of snake boots that are Gortex lined to keep my feet dry. Well they don't and are too old to return, so I'm wondering what I might do to help them along.

Thanks,

TMBB

From: greg simon
03-May-18
Spray them with silicone waterproofer. Seams will still leak standing in water but boots won't soak up water in wet grass.

From: Jaquomo
03-May-18
Avoid any petroleum-based waterproofing, like Sno-Seal. It breaks down the membrane. My good friend who is a big shot in a well-known hunting footwear company told me that petroleum-based sealants are the number one reason why people send back "leaky" Goretex boots after the first few months.

From: Proline
04-May-18
Sno seal is not a petroleum based product but rather made from beeswax. I use it on all my leather boots and everything I have read says it's fine for gortex.

From: Woods Walker
04-May-18
Gore-Tex is NOT water proof. At best it's water resistant....for a while....and then you have to spray it with a water proofing sealer. It is good in wind. I still have some from when I hunted a lot of waterfowl but I'll not buy it again for a garment. Too expensive and does NOT "work as advertised". If I'm going to be damp I may as well be warm, so I wear wool.

From: carcus
04-May-18
Gortex has a lifetime warranty as far as i know, return it, they covered my guidewear

From: Woods Walker
04-May-18
The stuff I have is 25+ years old, I don't even remember where I bought it!

From: shane
04-May-18
My snake boots started leaking. I sprayed them with the Rustoleum clear water blocking stuff. Going on two years now and no wet feet. I will admit I was very skeptical but it worked.

From: Jaquomo
04-May-18
Proline, Sno-Seal is a beeswax product, correct. But it has a petroleum-based medium to make the beeswax spreadable and penetrate the leather. Unless they changed their formula in the last couple years, this is what my friend told me, and he's at the top of the boot business. But Sno-Seal has been around for longer than Goretex. It was made to treat leather. Similar products like Obenauf's don't contain petroleum.

From: Boris
05-May-18
Jaq, I am not arguing with you. Because you would know. But, I have been using Sno-seal for well over 30 years. I have not had a problem. I was told to rub the stuff on and then take a hair dryer an melt it into the leather. Then repeat 3-4 times.

From: Jaquomo
05-May-18
Boris, I don't know either, only from what I was told by a trusted friend who is in the hunting boot industry.

I do know anecdotally that since I switched from Sno-Seal to Obenaufs the water resistance of all my Goretex boots since then seems to last longer than before.

From: Inshart
05-May-18
Wondering what would work for my older, scuffed up (no big cracks or cuts) pair of Danner's? Super comfortable, but my feet get wet instantly in wet grass. Do you think they might be to far gone to try to "re-seal"?

Last year I tried 3 coats of beeswax (heat with hair drier between coats) didn't work.

Looking for possible suggestions?

From: dizzydctr
07-May-18
I have an older pair of Danner snake boots also, and agree that they are about the most comfortable footwear I own, and light as a feather. I wore them for a year or two turkey hunting and early bow season, but remember the day I waded a shallow stream and said, "Oh, Oh!!" (or something more profane) when they leaked like a sieve. I now have gone to pac boots or rubber boots when in wet conditions. I still have my Danners but use them primarily in the dry summer when I'm in the bush. I tuck my brithches legs in the boots and spray with permethrin. So far, no chigger, tick or snake bites. And comfortable feet.

From: hooch08
07-May-18
Send them to Goretex, they will honor regardless of age....excellent warranty!

  • Sitka Gear