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On the topic of dry feet…

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On the topic of dry feet…

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 03 14, 2022 •  [Post 1]

Way, way back in the day (before some of you were born), it was wonder bread bags, over a pair of wool socks, squeezed in a pair $19.29 rubber bottom Sorrel boots from the Libby True Value hardware store (I was styling) that kept the toes dry for a spell, before the condensation inside a plastic bag reared it’s ugly head. Modern day, for true waterproof boots (rubber Lacrosse boots not allowed for this mission). What do you have, have you found, that are actually waterproof boots? I currently have one pair of dunk em in a cold mountain stream pair of hunting boots that answer the call of duty. How about you cats? What boots have you found to be waterproof?
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Re: On the topic of dry feet…

Postby 7mmfan » 03 15, 2022 •  [Post 2]

I've been on the hunt the last couple of years. I once had a pair of Danner's that were phenomenal. Several seasons of snow hunting and my feet never got wet. When they finally bit the dust, I tried 3 more pairs of Danners with awful luck. Since then I've had Meindls that maybe would have worked but they absolutely destroyed my feet. Then a pair of Solomans that were exceptionally comfortable, and kept me dry for 1 season. Now they leak when I mow the grass. Last year I settled on Schnee's. Once I got them broken in, which took longer than expected, they have been great, and have keep me dry. I guess we'll see how they hold up for a 2nd season.
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Re: On the topic of dry feet…

Postby Swede » 03 15, 2022 •  [Post 3]

Plastic bread sacks are still what I use. Just be careful not to rip them when you put them on, or have them too tight, so they won't break open. None of my leather boots keep my feet dry for more than a couple of seasons. I guess staying in the tent on wet days might be an alternative for keeping your feet dry. Turn up the heater.
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Re: On the topic of dry feet…

Postby >>>---WW----> » 03 16, 2022 •  [Post 4]

I have never had a pair of leather boots that didn't leak after a few times in the mountains. And believe it or not, the worse ones were Gortex lined. I had much better luck with regular leather coated with Snoseal. When the weather gets nasty, I break out my Muck Boots.
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Re: On the topic of dry feet…

Postby Swede » 03 16, 2022 •  [Post 5]

I think the worst leakers I have had may have been Gore-Tex lined too, now that you mention it. I never wore Gore-tex lined boots all the years I worked in the forest. I sealed my boots with different kinds of slime over the years. Most kept my feet dry for a day and I would re-slime them each night. Leather soon shrinks around the stitching, so the holes get larger. Slime fills the holes and coats the leather. Some grease or waxes are a little better than others. Neat's-foot oil softens the leather the best but does the least to seal them against the weather. The waxes seal them the best but does the least to soften the leather. I liked Hubard's boot grease. It did nothing great but was fair at sealing and softening. I disliked the Loggers World grease the most as it was messy and turned your trousers black and wherever else it touched.
There you have it sports fans. Swede's take on boot sealant.
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Re: On the topic of dry feet…

Postby Tigger » 03 16, 2022 •  [Post 6]

Schnees. Hands down the best!

One pair is vintage 2008 and still waterproof with many, many elk and pheasant hunting miles on them. Another pair is from 2016 and still waterproof. So comfy, my favorite footwear. I have Muck boots too for pheasant hunting in calf deep water, but always prefer the Schnees.
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Re: On the topic of dry feet…

Postby Jhg » 03 18, 2022 •  [Post 7]

Talking leather, 30 yrs ago I had a pair of Meindls that were phenomenal- wet snow, the ultimate test 12 hr days guiding elk hunts. Dry feet. So that pair bought my loyalty and it took three other pairs all leaking badly under mild conditions for me to give up on that brand.

My Danners have all been horrible. My Zamberlans, which fit my feet great sucked in wet morning grass it was like they were designed to soak up water. I can tell you I was pissed getting wet feet by walking a meadow on my way up the mountain.

My Crispi boots are excellent and very waterproof.

I hear the Irish Setter elk hunter boots are well made too. If the maker cares the boots will be watertight. It takes care in the manufacturing for the membrane to work as intended.

I have some Kennetrek mountain extremes and am certain they will be waterproof under wet service but have not had them under any real world conditions myself yet. I do not like that they feel like cinder blocks on my feet. Jury out on those due to that. They are clunky boots.


I believe that early on manufacturers were diligent in how they incorporated gore tex and the result was great performance. Now, not so much. They can do this because today most "outdoorsman" do not spend much time in reality outside the truck. So the boot makers can slide on quality because the "hunter" is more a concept these days than a fact.


Buy Oregon Trail Boot Wax. It is the best and this from a die hard snoseal guy. No more snoseal. Oregon is superior.

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Re: On the topic of dry feet…

Postby saddlesore » 03 18, 2022 •  [Post 8]

Except for rubber muck boots,I have never had a pair of boots that were waterproof after two seasons.

Poly socks under wool socks helps with sweaty feet.
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Re: On the topic of dry feet…

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 03 19, 2022 •  [Post 9]

Great comments/discussion guys. The only leather boots I’ve owned that actually kept the water off my socks were the Zamberlin 980s and my current pair of Lowa Tibets. Used the brand specific goo on them and no issues. My hunting buddies Kenetrek mountain boots seem to answer the mail also. I’ll check out that Oregon treatment Jhg, sounds like it’s up to the mark.
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Re: On the topic of dry feet…

Postby Indian Summer » 03 22, 2022 •  [Post 10]

My Kenetrek Mountain Extremes which you are familiar with by now have not leaked for 10 years. Every year I pull the laces and brush the dirt and debris out from all the nooks and crannies and rub them down with a heavy coat of Obenaufs and then hit them with a hair dryer on low heat to melt it in. I put so much on that it can’t possibly all be absorbed so they are pretty sticky to start out. If you really want an insurance policy keep a bottle of Nikwax in camp and hit the areas that take abuse, mainly the front end, with that every day or two. Nikwax is liquid so requires no heat to apply. I used to do that when I was outfitting and really putting the miles on. I find that moisture from the inside, sweat, is as big of a culprit so my boots hang up high near the woodstove every night. Not too close though! A good pair of gaiters goes a long way too.

Why do my pics keep turning sideways? Libby…. You old hillbilly!
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Re: On the topic of dry feet…

Postby Tom Grates » 03 24, 2022 •  [Post 11]

I have a habit from the military of taking care of my feet, without them you are worthless.
Like Joe, I believe in drying your boots every night. When I am at my cabin, I put them overnight on a PEET boot dryer, out west I learned from Joe to hang them above the heat source. I change my socks regularly, and powder my feet with foot powder every day. I would alternate my boots daily in the past, but recently I have bought a set of Kennys so I will probably not be doing that unless it gets real warm.
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Re: On the topic of dry feet…

Postby 7mmfan » 03 24, 2022 •  [Post 12]

Indian Summer wrote:My Kenetrek Mountain Extremes which you are familiar with by now have not leaked for 10 years. Every year I pull the laces and brush the dirt and debris out from all the nooks and crannies and rub them down with a heavy coat of Obenaufs and then hit them with a hair dryer on low heat to melt it in. I put so much on that it can’t possibly all be absorbed so they are pretty sticky to start out. If you really want an insurance policy keep a bottle of Nikwax in camp and hit the areas that take abuse, mainly the front end, with that every day or two. Nikwax is liquid so requires no heat to apply. I used to do that when I was outfitting and really putting the miles on. I find that moisture from the inside, sweat, is as big of a culprit so my boots hang up high near the woodstove every night. Not too close though! A good pair of gaiters goes a long way too.

Why do my pics keep turning sideways? Libby…. You old hillbilly!


Joe and I have the same boot care system it seems. Multiple coats of Obenaufs goes a long way, and then a topical treatment of liquid water repellant like Nicwax or Granger stuff as needed. We also rack our boots above the woodstove at night. I even have a setup in my backpacking teepee to run a trekking pole across the peak that I can hang stuff from above the stove. Makes an enormous difference.
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Re: On the topic of dry feet…

Postby Swede » 03 24, 2022 •  [Post 13]

OK jerks: If you are going through all of this boot and foot work to keep your feet dry, how is it that you say your boots are waterproof? I did the boot wax and grease thing back in the 1960s and it worked for about a day. I brought them into the house and set them by the wood stove and dried them out and re-greased or rewaxed them daily. Leather shrinks and swells and tiny holes develop around the stitching. Kulien oil-tan leather boots out of Centralia WA were the best I ever had for being semi-waterproof. The way they stitched the uppers to the soles of the boots was by turning the leather from the uppers outward and stitching them onto the sole instead in slicing the lower part of the uppers thin and turning them inward. That made them more water resistant. You can still but Kulien boot today, but you might want to check the limit on your credit card before you order a pair.
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Re: On the topic of dry feet…

Postby Tigger » 03 24, 2022 •  [Post 14]

I put a coat of Obenauf's on my Schnees annually. They are always waterproof.

I think the reason guys hang them up to dry at night is from foot sweat, not leaks. My feet rarely sweat, so I don't always do this. But sometimes I rotate pairs just for giggles!
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Re: On the topic of dry feet…

Postby 7mmfan » 03 24, 2022 •  [Post 15]

My feet definitely sweat. I can tell a big difference between sweaty feet and wet feet. I also clean and dry my boots at night especially in wet conditions because they will eventually become saturated if I don't. There's no waterproof membrane in boots that can withstand days on end of being saturated. In the end you're right though Swede, none of them stay that way forever. Leather boots mature and they become less resistant to water over time. Doing my best to maintain them is my hedge on that aging process.
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Re: On the topic of dry feet…

Postby Swede » 03 25, 2022 •  [Post 16]

The only sure way to maintain dry feet is to stay in your tent when it is wet outside. The second-best trick is to go hunt from a tree stand that requires only a short hike to access.
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Re: On the topic of dry feet…

Postby 7mmfan » 03 26, 2022 •  [Post 17]

Swede wrote:The only sure way to maintain dry feet is to stay in your tent when it is wet outside. The second-best trick is to go hunt from a tree stand that requires only a short hike to access.


You're right. In the days that I hunted late archery blacktail from treestands I either wore rubber boots, or sometimes I'd ware my Goretex chest waders. I frequently had to cross creeks and flooded roads to get to my spots and one day I just kept them on. Was the best decision I ever made.
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