Boot Survival

[johnnab]

Hi,

A friend and I hiked the Gull Lake Loop from the Bear Creek parking area today. In a word the trail was WET. In fact it was up to the knees wet in several places. In the end, after nearly 8 miles of muck and mosquitoes, my boots were full of dirt and such and soaked through. When I got home I did as suggested by the manufacturer; pulled the laces and foot beds and rinsed them off, rinsed the boots inside and out and stuffed them with newspaper. They are now on the screened porch to air dry. My question is this, is there anything else I can or should do to make sure they fully recover? I would hate to ruin them for failing to do something as I have never had a pair that felt this good for my feet. I would appreciate any thoughts.

John

[erica]

If you leave them out to dry, they may shrink a little, especially if they are leather and dry in the sun. I'd wear them around untill they dry out to keep this from happening. Also a little leather conditioner isnt a bad idea.

When I was at Prescott College last fall, I backpacked for 20 days in SE Arizona through a canyon where we crossed a river at least 5 times a day (sometmes swam through it). Needless to say I had wet and dirty boots! My boots happen to be all synthetic, so they dried faster than leather. But they stood up fine and are still in great shape.

The most important thing is to get all the dirt out and prevent mold from starting. Just make sure they're clean and dried out and you should be fine.

[SKCM2006]

Erica is right, synthetic does dry faster than leather and the leather gets heavier on the feet than synthetic.

I also agree with that don't dry them in direct sunligt nor with a hair dryer. The best thing to do with them is when you get them home, remove the laces (they rot too) clean them well, take a small scrub brush and brush off the dirt and mud, then I damp wipe mine off again to get off any other dirt. I then remove my footbed liners and dry them and my boots on the porch out of direct sunlight. When they are dry, I add a "smathering" of NIKWAX to them to recondition them. Before I but them away in my closet I gather up the foot beds and the laces and place them inside of the boot.

Has worked well for me and my boots always take a beating on the Pennsylvania Rocks that are famous on the Appalachian Trail.

For the synthtic, I do the same thing as I do for the leathers except I have a different NIKWAX product that I use that is specific for synthetic boots.

Boots are expense and a vital piece of gear that if taken care of properly can last a long time.... but not forever though,

Great question that you asked!

Russ

[mtgoat]

John,

So far you are on the right track and they should be fine. Don't be tempted to dry them fast as that will cause excessive shrinkage and cracking. I second erica's suggestion of using a conditioner if your boots are leather. With leather boots you need to keep the "greased" with whatever the manufacturer recomends. If none is recomended I like bee's wax as it is natural and does a great job of replentishing the leather as well as making it waterproof. After what your boots have been through I would recomend rubbing it in real good (till it can no longer be absorbed) and let them sit in a warm but not hot room for a few hours and keep repeating until they won't absorb anymore. Then you can wipe off any that isn't absorbed. Make sure to treat your boots prior to any use and after. And if you don't wear them for any long period leave a coating on them as it will eventually be absorbed and keep them from drying out. Wheather leather or synthetic, the worst thing to do to boots is to let them dry out at all (not counting water).

[Boreal Chickadee]

I don't stuff mine with the newspaper because I want the maximum air circulation both inside the boot and out. Put them in the very best place you've got with a breeze that isn't in direct sunlight. For me that's usually outside on a deck railing, out of the sun. In weather like this past week, it would be inside with the lower house humidity.

The liners can be washed. Don't put them in the dryer. Air dry.

When the mucky water gets inside the boot I rinse them inside and out like you did. Otherwise you can just let them dry and brush off any dirt. You just want to keep the mud out of the boot to keep mud from abrading your foot.

Nikwax is good.

That trail is like that because of the ATVs that run through that area. They turned a very pleasant hike into a miserable one competing with those machines a few years back. And the operators of them were even cutting new wide swaths of trail going around their own muck pits. This was one place wehre you absolutely couldn't just stay in the trail or you'd sink out of sight.

I was upset enough that I complained bitterly to the DEC. This was in the the same time period where "trail maintenance" on a snowmobile trail going into Safford Pond off Big Moose Road bulldozed a swath 30 to 35 feet wide. I felt like I was walking down a highway. Trees just chewed off at the gorund. The good thing that came out of that was it had crossed any conceivable line for snowmobile maintenance and the DEC was brought to task for allowing such a thing to happen.

[redhawk]

All of the above suggestions are right on, especially he one about wearing them until they dry out if they are leather by Erica. When I make a pair of moccasins out of elk, moose or deer hide, I tell people to wet them and wear them so that they fit right and to wear them if they get wet to keep the peoper fit.

Beeswax is about the best thing you can condition and waterproof your shoes with. Sno seal is a bees wax product. In that case, warm the shoes to open the pore in the leather and then just keep applying it until it won't absorb any more. Will kep them waterproof, soft, pliable and comfortable.

Take your laces completely out often and re-lace also.

[johnnab]

Thanks for the input everyone. Montrail suggests Nikwax so I picked some up this afternoon. I will be looking for some beeswax though. The leather is still very wet so I have not yet done anything with them. The newspaper really did the job on the interior, it is bone dry. Probably will wear them to walk the dog tonight and in the morning and use the Nikwax when I get home from the office tomorrow night.

That trail is like that because of the ATVs that run through that area. They turned a very pleasant hike into a miserable one competing with those machines a few years back. And the operators of them were even cutting new wide swaths of trail going around their own muck pits. This was one place wehre you absolutely couldn't just stay in the trail or you'd sink out of sight.

Your so right Peanut Butter. The trail was really chewed up in numerous areas by vehicle traffic. We spent a lot of time trying to find ways around these messes. Unfortunately that didn't always work which was how I found myself up to my knees in muck the first time. It really is too bad because it is such a nice area. The lean-to is very well kept and the setting is great. I definitely plan on an overnight there sometime in the future.

Thanks again.

John

[adkdremn]

Question about synthetic boots-is the affectiveness of goretex lost quicker with synthetic boots rather than leather boots? I always figured that leather boots would stay waterproof longer than the synthetic ones, but I really don't know. Can anyone fill me in on this subject? I wear my boots more for work than hiking-unfortunately. I work at a golf course and the best boots I've had yet are a pair of goretex Cabela's Rimrock hikers that only cost $70. They've lasted me almost two years now where other hikers and work type boots have only lasted me six months max. I walk 8 miles every morning mowing greens and sometimes up to 13 or 14 miles when I have to mow the collars. These boots get soaked every day, but my feet stay dry and comfortable. I know it's a little different than following a rocky trail up a mountian, but 8 miles in two hours is still a pretty good distance anyway you look at it. On a good note, I will get to wear my boots hiking this weekend in the ADK's instead of at work. Can't wait!!

[Neil]

After some hikes my boots would take several days to dry out completely and I was worried about mildew or some form of rotting so after cleaning them (garden hose, brush etc.) I now stick a hair dryer in them. I only use the "cool" setting and it works a treat. No shrinkage or drying out of the leather.

[erica]

The synthetic boots I've had for a while aren't waterproof, but here's my two cents on the issue.

Whether the boot is synthetic or leather shouldn't affect the waterproofness of the gore tex, but it could affect the breathability of the goretex. Waterproof/breathable membranes (goretex) depend on the outer surface to be open to the air in order to work. On a jacket that has lost its water repelent treatement (through use or washing) water will soak the outer surface and the moisture inside the jacket (sweat) won't be able to pass through the goretex.

Thus, on boots, if the outside of the boot is wet (the leather or synthetic) the breathability will be compromised, resulting in wet feet. As synthetic materials dry faster, synthetic boots may be more breathable.

Montrail has a new synthetic boot with the goretex on the outside, the Stratos. I got a pair recently, and they seem to work fine.