What have you found to be the best product to waterproof your boots?

I'm talking about regularly having to walk through marshes, swamps etc. And please don't say rubber boots. I used them for a few years but I need the support a good pair of leather boots give.

Marc,

I don't think there is any miracle topical dressing that is 100% waterproof....so, here's the real deal IMO....

Danner Boots are top shelf leather, waterproofed and lined with Gor Tex and available in all styles, Vibram soles and so forth. Not cheap, but with the waterproof Gor Tex you can stand in the creek for as long as you like.

Danner uses 3M Thinsulate Insulation, the warmest thinnest insulation on the market. If you Mink Oil these boots annually or more often they will last years and years.

Danner has been making boots since 1932 and Danner has been using Gore Tex since 1979 when W.L. Gore invented the stuff.

Made entirely in the U.S.A., in Portland, Oregon.

Regards,

I've been using a product called Nor-V-Gen boot grease and it has been working great for me, seals the boots and lasts a lot longer than sno-seal. I use it on my buckskin gloves also it doesn't soak through and leaves a slightly tacky finish.

What kind of boots? All leather or leather and cordura? Welted sole or glued sole? Claimed waterproof from the factory (good place to start)?

If you are in serious water without rubber boots, you might consider neoprene socks over your boot socks. Works for duck hunters, but you may need to size your boots accordingly. If you are buying new boots, I'd look at Danner, Filson, White, maybe something from L.L. Bean. You might also look at Nikwax products for waterproofing.

I thought some of the Danner products were now being outsourced? Am I wrong in this?

I'm a fan of snowseal. I've been using it for 30 years with great success. The trick is to get it well soaked into the leather. I use a blow dryer and lots of patience.

Picard's is the best boot dressing for all leathers. Also used it on my 1902 Westley Richards oak and leather case which was in bad shape until I gave it a coat of Picard's. Works great on gloves, belts, any kind of leather product except suede. Avoid silicone, it degrades leather. Ask the people at Russell boots (the best boots made in America although very expensive)about silicone.

You're only a phone call away, as is anybody,..the low end hiking boots are most likely outsourced. The lower the price, the lower the quality, nothing new about this marketing philosophy.

The high end all leather/Gor Tex Hunting and Work boots, Cork logging boots are all made in this country. At least the factory information cards that come with the boots say they are.....

For lighter upland hunting I use ECCO boots. But they are only 8 inches tall. For tall wet stuff, which is what you are talking/looking for, I use some high top (12 inches or taller) Filson boots - so far no problem with getting my feet wet.

BTW here is a link to the Danner website:
http://www.danner.com/boots/

Hundreds of Danner boots. Some are made in the USA and some are not.

I do not believe there really is a waterproof leather boot, sooner or later if submerged they all will end up leaking some.

I know russells are not waterproof, though I have had good luck with Gortex lined russells keeping my feet dry.

In terms of best compound to finish with I have been happy with Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP Leather Preservative. Earlier comments on silicone based products are correct, avoid them.

I have used Sno Seal in the paste and been happy with it as well.

I am probably a little overboard on boot care as it is the second thing I do after I get home. Order of march is: Dog, Boots, Bird, Gun, then other stuff. I clean and touch up my boots after about every hunt.

You can go to the Russell Moccason website for their description on proper leather care.

http://www.russellmoccasin.com/leather_care.html

On the subject of Rubber Boots there are high end rubber boots available that have the proper support construction. At the low end there are neoprene lined ones (I have a pair orvis sold me that I wear now and then) and I have seen the leather lined Chameau, but never could get up the nerve to spend that much on a rubber boot I might only wear three times a year. If you are in water a great deal then a high end rubber boot maybe a solution. If leather only is your view, go with a gortex lined boot.

I'd agree that if a boot is likely to leak, I wouldn't count on an outer dressing. My luck, five minutes out of the truck I get wet feet and grumble the rest of the day. I'd hope to figure out how much of a marsh it is, then plan for the worst. Sometimes it's hip boot or waders.

Kid, how high up the leg do you need them? If mid calf then there are plenty of options with Gore-Tex and Thinsulate boots being made, but if you need them higher up the leg then rubber boots may be your only option.

It's hard to get any more "marshy" than where I hunt. If there is a truly waterproof boot I've never seen it which is why I hunt in breathable waders and lug soled wading boots. There are sealskinz socks, a little more insurance inside whichever waterproof boot you choose. For leather conditioners I'm also a fan of sno-seal.

Kid, I know you said "No Rubber Boots" but the current issue, Nov./Dec. 2013, of Shooting Sportsman magazine has an article titled "The Great Rubber Boot Test."

It is a large article and seems very comprehensive. They test 9 different rubber boots. Some of the issues they test for include: On/Off, Fit, Arch Support, Comfort, Tread, Height, Weight, Intended Use, & Price.

I never realized how specialized/sophisticated rubber boots have become.

BTW, the winner or Editors Choice, was Bogs World Slam boots.

Guys, I'm truly grateful for all of your posts, but I feel bad that I didn't say from the get-go that the boots I wear are from Le Chameau, are leather (tops and bottom "shoe"), nu-buck in between, and lined with Gore-Tex.

They're about knee-high, or just below the kneecap. My wife bought them for me for an insanely low price about 9 or 10 years ago. They're great: as light as my Browning kangaroo leather boots but much more protection, and much lighter than my Danners that I bought from Cabelas in 1990 and used for only 3 seasons or so. They also work well with breeks, which I find extremely comfortable to wear as well as more maneuverable than my much loved old double tin Filson pants.

I just started feeling guilty because from the first time I wore them to hunt in I NEVER prepped them in any kind of protective way. It's true that they've held up remarkably well considering the terrain I hunt in - and have NEVER let me down by leaking or any other kind of way boots can fail.

So I got them out recently and cleaned them up even though I did that before putting them away, and I just felt like such a slug for never bothering to give them any kind of protection to keep them going forever. I think these kind of boots are meant to be worn in conditions like I wear them in but I bet 90% of the guys who wear them basically stick to clear moors and dirt roads only. No water to wade through, no blackthorns to rip at the leather. You know the type - the posers who've got the money for the expensive gear but heavens to Betsy they should soil or bump or scratch any of it!

And 1cdog, I read the article you mention just a couple nights ago. For what it's worth I have a pair of Hunter's rubber "Wellies" and I gotta say they're not too bad. The thing I like in my hunting boots is HEIGHT. 9 or 10 inches just ain't gonna make it for the places I hunt. It's a major reason I mothballed the Danners and the Browning Kangaroo's.

So I feel like I should apologize for leading everyone blind because I was too much in a hurry to specify exactly what the boots in question are. Guys, I apologize for doing this.

I must say, though, that the thread is genuinely good reading packed with good information.

I can't recall who recommended Picards, but I have a tub of that on my bench and I think I'll just smear it around the seams and work it in. Maybe then I can feel good that my boots will outlast me!

Again, a big THANKS to all of you!

Would you describe those boots as truly waterproof with the gore-tex? Given they are leather and nubuc would you have any hesitation about the wading through water as you would with a rubber boot?

BTW, I use Pecards

Amen to the above on Russell Mocassin, best boots ibn the world IMO, the preservative they recommend and so do I is Obenauf, see https://www.obenaufs.com/ I have been using it for 16 years and have never found anything else that comes close and if you have a triple vamped pair of Russell Grand Slam Sheep Hunter boots they are 100% waterproof, best, Mike

+3 on the Obenauf's. I've been using it for several years now with excellent results. That being said, once my Cabelas Kangaroo Upland Boots started leaking, even the Obenauf's (nor Nik Wax, Mink Oil, etc.) didn't fix them.

Tom

The leather boot has to be triple vamped for 100% water proofness (if there is such a word). A double vamp won´t do it in very wet conditions, best, Mike