Waterproofing oils for boots

[Cooper911SC]

Another vote for Atsko Sno Seal. I’ve used it for years. Did a pair of boots and work shoes last year.
Like many of these products it will darken the leather.

[Evans, Marv]

I used Snow Seal 45+ years ago while working in the mountains and winter mountaineering & travel. I always applied a few coats and set the boots in the sun (turned the sides toward the sun) to let it soak in. I'd always wipe them down before putting another coat. It did a good job of making them water resistant and maybe increased the life of the boots.

[tdw28210]

Assuming the OP is from Canada.



Just having some fun.

[bleucamaro]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

So this stuff?

https://www.amazon.com/Obenaufs-Leather-Conditioner-Natural-Beeswax/dp/B003SKCARK/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&hvadid=3527280533&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&keywords=obenauf%E2%80%99s&qid=1603812238&sr=8-1&tag=mh0b-20&th=1

I see that is "Repels chemicals, manure acid, salt," and that is handy is I wander over into PARF. ')

Another plus one for Obenaufs. I use it on my leatherwork projects and Allen Edmonds. Its a wax/oil mixture and has a thick paste texture.

It will also soften and darken the leather, which is sometimes a benefit, sometimes not.



For my cars and couch (full grain) I like the Gliptone conditioner. It smells really good, is safe on painted leather, and doesn't transfer to clothing.

[flipper35]

I have always used mink oil and the boots lasted forever and i used a layer on the tongue as I booted up for the day and it kept water out as long as it didn't go over the top of the boot.

I am out so I will try the stuff from vash.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I have one pair of boots that I bought in the early 1970s. They are Air Force issue boots for new recruits. I bought them on base when I was in high school. I bought them for working on my car and they were soon covered in motor oil and garage grunge. Every-time my Air Force office father saw them he would just shake his head. He taught ROTC for more than a few years. His students needed to see a the reflection of their smile in the same type of boots.

I just want something that keeps the leather healthy and waterproof and I think Vash's recommendation will do just that.

I'm thinking some 75W-90 gear oil rubbed in and then a thin coat of axle grease will keep things waterproof.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by masraum

I'm thinking some 75W-90 gear oil rubbed in and then a thin coat of axle grease will keep things waterproof.

Yep, nothing like the aroma of rear end lube.

[fanaudical]

I have a set of leather/kevlar hiking boots that I bought in '89 and have used SnoSeal on them exclusively. The soles are about done but the leather is still good and waterproof.

[LWJ]

Thanks Vash. Bought it.

[RedNiner]

Otter wax. Made in USA. No affiliation, just happy customer. Boot wax is what you want.
Many good products and the wax bar for waterproofing fabric is great.

[wswartzwel]

How do these chemicals affect boots with Gortex ? I have some Salomon hiking boots that are waterproof, I have been spraying them with Kiwi to keep the textile outer from staining.

Second question, I recently bought some Revolution Race trekking pants (similar to Fjallraven) for my outdoor activities, they offer a melt wax for waterproofing. Anyone ever used otter wax or other meant wax on clothing? Does it make them feel slimy ?

[RedNiner]

I have not used the melt wax on fabric, only the solid bar. Looks like a bar of soap and it is rubbed into the fabric.
A second coat ensures full coverage. A bit of a waxy feel at first then after a few days the fabric feels almost dry.

[vash]

i really dont understand waterproofing Goretex lined boots. they are already waterproof. you can pull that membrane out, slip it on your foot like a sock and step into water and stay dry.

its a leather conditioner that you want. sno-seal is a sealant, sure. i used to use it before i had goretex, or i bought cheap ass Danner Pronghorns, which leaked.

my brother wears a Kenetrek boot, and he voids a warranty if he uses anything other than their conditioner.. he sticks with the program.

[GH85Carrera]

I always wonder just how tough the old mountain men from the 19th and 20th century had to be. Wool clothes, no goretex, rubberized products or the modern technology of the clothes of today. Anyone that has even stepped into deep snow while wearing jeans knows how miserable that is.

Those guys were just super tough. Now imagine how tough the Native Americans had to be. They were truly stone age peoples, but they figured out how to survive.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I always wonder just how tough the old mountain men from the 19th and 20th century had to be. Wool clothes, no goretex, rubberized products or the modern technology of the clothes of today. Anyone that has even stepped into deep snow while wearing jeans knows how miserable that is.

Those guys were just super tough. Now imagine how tough the Native Americans had to be. They were truly stone age peoples, but they figured out how to survive.

I actually have some experience with this...

As many of you know, I've been an avid hunter all of my life, often hunting with muzzle loaders. Most of the time, even when out during these "primitive weapons" seasons, I simply wear what I would wear during any other hunting season. There was a period of time, however, during the '80's and '90's, when I fell in with a pretty cool group of guys who definitely went "all in" on the "primitive" aspect of the whole thing. They were a local chapter of the American Mountain Men, who are still one of the preeminent clubs of that nature. A guy who owned the gun shop where I was buying my muzzle loaders and supplies was a member and invited me in.

Their rules were absolutely no modern gear in camp whatsoever. Not even things like matches... All equipment and clothing had to be authentic to the Rocky Mountain fur trade era of approximately 1810-1840. Membership (which I never achieved) required one to make at least a couple of extended wilderness trips with these guys, while demonstrating the request skills, including trapping, tracking, fire starting, dressing game, brain tanning hides, etc.

So, well, over the course of eight or ten hunting seasons, I did all of that with these guys. And let me tell you - the period clothing is eminently suited for that kind of living. Nothing will keep you warmer or drier than a real blanket capote' made from a real Hudson Bay "point" blanket. Heavy, though - I bet mine was all of a quarter inch thick of pure wool, and weighed a good seven or eight pounds dry. And don't ever discount proper moccasins with a few heavy wool socks inside - I don't think anything will keep your feet warmer and drier. Interestingly, these guys will tell you that the hard rubber soles on modern boots are what make your feet cold. And I think they are right - that rubber is wonderful at heat (or cold) transfer.

So, yeah - don't discount what those men wore. They had it figured out. Granted, the "store bought" stuff they all left St. Louis with initially soon fell by the wayside as entirely unsuitable. The stuff they made for themselves, however, (under Native American tutelage) worked as well or better than any of our modern stuff. It certainly wore better and lasted longer, even if it required more day to day care.

[vash]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I always wonder just how tough the old mountain men from the 19th and 20th century had to be. Wool clothes, no goretex, rubberized products or the modern technology of the clothes of today. Anyone that has even stepped into deep snow while wearing jeans knows how miserable that is.

Those guys were just super tough. Now imagine how tough the Native Americans had to be. They were truly stone age peoples, but they figured out how to survive.

dude..i cant even walk across my front yard barefooted. i would die in the old days!!

[vash]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I always wonder just how tough the old mountain men from the 19th and 20th century had to be. Wool clothes, no goretex, rubberized products or the modern technology of the clothes of today. Anyone that has even stepped into deep snow while wearing jeans knows how miserable that is.

Those guys were just super tough. Now imagine how tough the Native Americans had to be. They were truly stone age peoples, but they figured out how to survive.

i'll go further. on every one of my cross country roadtrips..i ALWAYS try to imagine what i was like back in the old day with a COVERED WAGON!!

imagine headed west, over the Continental Divide? i bet they did 5 miles a day.

[GH85Carrera]

My grandmother came to Oklahoma City in a open wagon, pulled by one horse from Salem, SD in 1909 when she was 6. The mountains in Kansas were not too bad.

[s_morrison57]

I don't seal my boots, used to but they are for work and exposed to fuel that eliminates most products like Sno Seal. I worked with an Aussie helicopter pilot and he had shoe polish, we were on top of the Pakarimia Mtns in S America, you can't get more remote than there and I was teasing him about polishing his boots, he claimed that regular shoe polish was the best for leather boots, his were 15 years old and exposed to Jet B fuel all the time, resoled many times and still in decent shape, might be something to the old school stuff.

[Evans, Marv]

"resoled many times and still in decent shape" I had two pairs of Galibier Vercors over time working in the Sierras. I had them resoled and found out they could be resoled maybe three times. It wasn't that the boot suffered some kiind of failure. The thing was each time they were resoled, they got a tiny bit smaller from the resoling process. By the third time, they were getting a bit too much of a squeeze. That was having them done by shoe repair guys who did it all the time.