Water proof boots

[ZooKpr]

Not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but not sure where else to put it, so any help would be appreciated.

A few weeks ago I bought a pair of boots. I love them they fit like a glove. I came across the box and was going to toss it and noticed that the box didn’t say water proof. I was surprised, I thought just about all good boots were water proof today. I called the company and found they are water resistant.

My question is. Is the spray that is for water proofing good enough to make the boots water proof? And what is the best spray that I could use?

Again thanks for any insight.

 

[JimP]

The only water proof boots that I have found are irrigation boots that are made out of a totally waterproof material.

I have also found that any water resistant boots will need a coating of something to keep water from soaking into the material, be it leather or anything else. Also if the boots have stitching on them to hold them together then water can make its way into the boot following the stitching hole or the thread.

Most boots now usually have a water proof liner made out of Gortex, be even Gortex will allow water through the seams and stitching. The only way that Gortex will keep water away from your feet is if it is a solid piece of material with no stitching.

So depending on where you are located at and what you can get you do need to put a coating on the boots to help keep water out. I like Sno-Seal. I'll put a coating on my boots every couple of months if I am wearing them or once a year before fall hunting season when I can be out in the snow. There are other products out there but I like Sno-Seal better than any of the others. To put it on I'll warm the boots up and then place them near a heat source until the Sno-Seal is absorbed into the leather. Once it starts pooling on the surface I know that I have enough.

I have no idea on the sprays. I have seen silicone spray in cans that may last a day or so but I wouldn't trust it for prolonged use.

 

[WAB]

If they are leather I would use a good hand rubbed oil on them. I would not use the spray on stuff. I’m with Jim, the only totally waterproof boots I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a bunch, were rubber.

If hunting in dry country, gore Tex is a huge negative to me as it reduces the boots breathability causing it to be hotter.

 

[Boyd Brooks]

If they are not rubber boots they won’t be water proof. I use Mink Oil or Dubbin on all my leather boots. Here in Ontario we get rain and/or snow during hunting season and the treatment is only for incidental contact, step in a creek or puddle and your feet are wet.
Safe hunting and stay dry!

 

[R.M.C.]

I wear rubber boots when I absolutely want dry feet . I agree with pretty much all the previous comments about leather boots. Hard to stay completely dry in them no matter what you do.
I wear Kanuk boots with thick felt liners in winter and plain in uninsulated barn boots the rest of the year. I don't care for muck boots.

 

[Randy F]

IMO the quick spray-on silicone type sealants and some of pastes out there seem to prevent even good leather boots from “breathing” resulting in sweatier feet and more discomfort. Maybe that’s just me.
Good rubber boots to be water proof confident.
The best luck I’ve had for my day-to-day work boots is bear oil. After rendering down the fat from a black bear, ( I got four gallons off one bear...need some?), the grease thoroughly rubbed into the leather seems to make them pretty darn water resistant. I slightly heat it so it’s clear and runny so it soaks in great. Yet the leather still seems to breathe. Heavily used leather boots need to be “freshened up” every couple of months but it’s worth the trouble.

However, if there is an ornery dog in your neighborhood, be sure you can outrun it with your boots on. Your boots may have a very slight, albeit pleasant, “baconish” (yes that’s a word...my word) aroma that will likely get the attention of nearby carnivores.
It makes a great trap dip too...it’s a coyote killer.

Did I get far enough off the track here?

 

[JimP]

IMO the quick spray-on silicone type sealants and some of pastes out there seem to prevent even good leather boots from “breathing” resulting in sweatier feet and more discomfort. Maybe that’s just me.
Good rubber boots to be water proof confident.
The best luck I’ve had for my day-to-day work boots is bear oil. After rendering down the fat from a black bear, ( I got four gallons off one bear...need some?), the grease thoroughly rubbed into the leather seems to make them pretty darn water resistant. I slightly heat it so it’s clear and runny so it soaks in great. Yet the leather still seems to breathe. Heavily used leather boots need to be “freshened up” every couple of months but it’s worth the trouble.

However, if there is an ornery dog in your neighborhood, be sure you can outrun it with your boots on. Your boots may have a very slight, albeit pleasant, “baconish” (yes that’s a word...my word) aroma that will likely get the attention of nearby carnivores.
It makes a great trap dip too...it’s a coyote killer.

Did I get far enough off the track here?

My dad used to make some out of deer fat, kerosene, and bees wax.

It seamed to be better than any other waterproofing out there.

 

[Standard Velocity]

My dad used to make some out of deer fat, kerosene, and bees wax.

It seamed to be better than any other waterproofing out there.

I’d believe it. I have two quarts of deer fat in the freezer. Venison is high in saturated fat but most people (myself included) can’t stomach it so it’s a nonissue. With virtually no intramuscular fat it’s easy enough to trim all the fat away. The texture is like candle wax.

All animal fats and almost all plant oils will eventually go rancid though.

The only boots with stitching I’ve had that don’t leak are a pair of Vasque hiking boots. Rubber boots are the only ones I have real confidence in though.

 

[Randy F]

I’d believe it. I have two quarts of deer fat in the freezer. Venison is high in saturated fat but most people (myself included) can’t stomach it so it’s a nonissue. With virtually no intramuscular fat it’s easy enough to trim all the fat away. The texture is like candle wax.

All animal fats and almost all plant oils will eventually go rancid though.

The only boots with stitching I’ve had that don’t leak are a pair of Vasque hiking boots. Rubber boots are the only ones I have real confidence in though.

I keep all the jars in the freezer though and, at least so far, I’ve had nothing turn rancid. Time will tell.
But thanks for that reminder. I need to check some of the older jars. Might need the freezer space.

 

[Tra3]

+1 for mink oil. Beeswax is good too of it is blended in with an oil. It needs to be liberally rubbed in to the leather. Plan a minimum of 15 min to do a pair of boots. If you care about the color of your boos leather, make sure to check A small part of the leather with the product as most oils will surely change the leather color.
Make sure to get excess dirt off the boot first so the leather can absorb more.
Hip waders are waterproof, until it rains too much. Leather is not.

 

[Ray B]

I haven't seen the advertisements lately, so they may have backed off of the guarantee, but Gore-Tex use to advertise that their film in a boot made it waterproof. I had a pair of Danners that for a few years were waterfproof, but I think the Gore-Tex dried or something because about the third year the boots like a sieve. So Now I wear Russells that are custom fit and use the stuff that starts with O to make them water-resistant- which means they keep water out if I stay out of ankle deep water for periods of time longer than ten or fifteen minutes.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

I quit using mink oil and switched to Obenauf's (https://www.obenaufs.com/heavy-duty-leather-preservative-s/111.htm) several years ago. My Montana elk outfitter put me onto this product and it's great. I use the Heavy Duty LP (paste) on boots and used the liquid on a leather jacket. It made a 10 year old jacket look better than new!

 

[JimP]

Gortex s a amazing product but if there are any seams in the material or stitches then it is no longer totally waterproof. Then there are the wear points that get worn down and compressed.

It is mostly all marketing. But if you don't take care of the outside of the boot there isn't very much that can help the inside of the boot.

 

[inkonkoni]

My 2c ...

Locally I buy boots from Jim Green. They are waterproof but eventually if you muck around in the water enough your feet do get wet...

 

[Ray B]

Obenauf's

That's the brand that I use- I coat all seams and stitching with the liquid, let it dry than apply the paste to the entire boot, two coats. I have 14" tall Russells that I've waded 13" streams and provided I don't splash, slip or spend more than about 10 minutes in the crossing, I come through totally dry.

 

[wlambert]

No boots are truly waterproof. The problem lies in the two big holes where your feet go.

 

[BeeMaa]

I quit using mink oil and switched to Obenauf's (https://www.obenaufs.com/heavy-duty-leather-preservative-s/111.htm) several years ago. My Montana elk outfitter put me onto this product and it's great. I use the Heavy Duty LP (paste) on boots and used the liquid on a leather jacket. It made a 10 year old jacket look better than new!

I have 2 sets of Wesco boots that I use Obenauf's on.
Doesn't take long to treat and lasts a good while in the woods.
Totally waterproof...no, I use Muck boots for that.

Side note...
I've started using Obenauf's to treat my Filson tinned garments.
Works great and a lot cheaper than the Filson wax.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

That's the brand that I use- I coat all seams and stitching with the liquid, let it dry than apply the paste to the entire boot, two coats. I have 14" tall Russells that I've waded 13" streams and provided I don't splash, slip or spend more than about 10 minutes in the crossing, I come through totally dry.

The Russell Moccasin Company also recommends Obenaufs

Custom Made for More than 100 Years

www.russellmoccasin.com

 

[Red Leg]

The only truly "waterproof" boots other than a Wellie of some sort that I have found for hunting are Dubarry. https://www.dubarry.com/men/footwear/country-boots/?p=3 I don't use them in Africa, but I have hunted all over the US , BC, Argentina and Europe in them. They are not a true mountain boot, but are great for everything else. For warmer conditions, I love the Galway - for a bit colder, the Wexford. Just an incredible product.

British Columbia

Austria

Argentina

 

[Tra3]

@Red Leg what is the lower level temp that you would wear the Dubarry boots?