Thread: What’s the best waterproof product for lowa boots

SnoSeal is a good product for improving the the softness/wearability of leather boots, but it needs reapplying after every trip to be worthwhile for water proofing.

I’m considering starting a new pair of boots on SnoSeal, to break them in and fit my feet, then investigate another product (Hubert’s??) as a longer term treatment.

If you render down Deer Fat in a tin can over a primus,its as good as anything else.
I was put onto this when I worked in BC 20 years ago.Its best to do it outside and any other fat might be just as good I dont know.
Hubards shoe grease is good,all anything does is block the pores in the leather.

Another thing is to treat your boots when they are completely dry.Take the inner soles out,set your oven to 60 deg C,chuck your dry boots in and keep them in there untill it reaches 60deg.Whip them out,coat liberally with your leather treatment of choice,chuck them back in and turn off the oven.leave untill morning

Warming the boots opens the leather pores and pushes out any old leather treatment,the pores close again full of treatment and away you go.

I’ve had a good yarn to the lowa rep. They don’t really mind what product you use as long as it’s not natural based (beeswax,animal fat, snoseal etc) as it supposedly eats the adhesives in the boots. Think rand separations. I use the meindl boot wax and the lowa cream.

I use sno seal and its crap . One light north island hunt and your boots need another coat. Even my slip on's for work after a triple coating doesn't seem to last. Will be keeping a close eye on this threat.

Any kind of wax or grease or silicone spray will reduce goretex breathability, so not great for new Goretex type products.

But put onto old leaky Goretex these products can make it waterproof again, but with loss of breathability. I'd go for waterproof any day, and once the boots are waterproof you can keep the moisture away from the insulating sock and boot lining with a vapour barrier system.



Bread bags do OK.

In my experience wax products are crap at softening leather. Dubbin is better for that and as long as things are dry less heating tricks are required because it's already half melted.

WD40

Originally Posted by Paddy79

WD40

@Paddy

I suppose it will penetrate better than Dubbin, and it will resist cracking better than wax (here I think is the reason Dubbin seems to waterproof better than wax).

But are you kidding? I mean, even humans will be able to smell you coming from upwind!

My boss just goes into our work shop and gets what ever oil he can find and pours it on his boots over winter

Originally Posted by Cordite

@Paddy

I suppose it will penetrate better than Dubbin, and it will resist cracking better than wax (here I think is the reason Dubbin seems to waterproof better than wax).

But are you kidding? I mean, even humans will be able to smell you coming from upwind!

it works I use it just don't hunt with the wind up your arse an youll be sweet

Originally Posted by bigbear

My boss just goes into our work shop and gets what ever oil he can find and pours it on his boots over winter

Dubbin suddenly no longer seems messy...

Are you really suppose to put stuff on them other than chain bar oil??I take them out of the box wear them almost every day for 12-14 months and then repeat the process.They still keep the water out unless it goes over the top.

Originally Posted by Markgibsonr25

Are you really suppose to put stuff on them other than chain bar oil??I take them out of the box wear them almost every day for 12-14 months and then repeat the process.They still keep the water out unless it goes over the top.

@Markgibsonr25

In fairness, you could use vaseline too, great for covering guns too and does not smell. Problem is some modern boots seem to have non-stitched seals/seams that may come apart when used with solvents - which includes most petroleum products.

I used to believe / be told that polish etc was to "protect" the leather, even "feed" it. Why feed something dead? Well, I was finally convinced when I saw a Kriegsmarine Stiefel lying on the seabed in the vicinity of the Bismarck. Properly tannerised leather does not rot, does not get eaten at any significant rate. The products are just for shine, pliability and waterproofing.

Here are some leather products from 1912:

Originally Posted by Cordite

@Markgibsonr25

In fairness, you could use vaseline too, great for covering guns too and does not smell. Problem is some modern boots seem to have non-stitched seals/seams that may come apart when used with solvents - which includes most petroleum products.

I used to believe / be told that polish etc was to "protect" the leather, even "feed" it. Why feed something dead? Well, I was finally convinced when I saw a Kriegsmarine Stiefel lying on the seabed in the vicinity of the Bismarck. Properly tannerised leather does not rot, does not get eaten at any significant rate. The products are just for shine, pliability and waterproofing.

Here are some leather products from 1912:

Attachment 89013

You may need to take into account the depth of the bismarck and what lives at those depths to eat leather.Try diving the Prince of wales and a few others in that area before the Chinese took them all and at that depth there was only the soles and a few bones left.The shrimp would eat all the dead skin off your face during deco.

Just purchased some german army boots by Meindl from army and outdoors surplus. I cleaned them and applied the huberts boot grease. Then I read meindl nz site that they recommend ONLY their sport wax for their boots, something too do with goretex liner and breathability. So ordered some of their product. Yet to test these boots.

[QUOTE=BRADS;713562]You dairy boys are hard out mate ya dont need that on your gumboots

Aye, maybe its not for his boots ??

Ran out of Huberds, and the mrs says try some of my fancy riding boot leather conditioner. We might think hunting and outdoors shit is expensive ... fark nothing on the horsey european boots and shite. So this fancy boot goo from Germany should be a bit of alright. Read the fine print on the back .... main component "used train oil". Go figure.