What's your favourite leather boot care practices and products for hunting?

[DeerForce]

Hi Everyone

I'm hoping to start a little discussion on hear about leather boot care and see what some of you like to use and why.

I just picked up a new pair of boots and I'm looking in my cupboard at my wax and conditioner collection wondering if perhaps some of you have a secret sauce when it comes to boot care and hunting. While I know the products main intent is to perform and protect under gruelling abuse, we may also be concerned about the scent of said products.

If you post a recipe please state weather your using it on boots with a gore-tex(or equivalent) membrane as some of these boots can be poor in breathability to begin with and may act differently then a non membrane boot.

[Chrispryn]

Good thread idea. No one ever seems to pay enough attention to boots. Especially new boots that are "ready to go"

I take my boots home from the store and do a full waterproofing whilst the leather is still squeaky clean.

Current boots are Lowa Tibet GTX.

I soak them in the sink allowing the leather to open up for an hour or as long as it take to be fully soaked through.

Then I shake them dry and use my fingers to apply a thin coat of dubbin. That usually soaks into the boot within an hour or so then I apply another coat. I continue applying dubbin until the boots are dry from the original water soaking. Usually a few day process.

After that those boots are good to go. When I return home from using the boots I give them a good clean with water and a toothbrush and applying a thin coat of dubbin. Allow to dry and store in a dry location. HAPPY BOOTS!

I probably repeat the full soaking and waterproofing process 2 or 3 times a year.

No doubt someone will have issue with my process but I like it and I have warm dry feet!

Chris

[Shake&Bake]

I am so lazy about boot care. Sometimes I use wax but mostly ignore the fact they need some love.

[whitlers]

Good thread idea. No one ever seems to pay enough attention to boots. Especially new boots that are "ready to go"

I take my boots home from the store and do a full waterproofing whilst the leather is still squeaky clean.

Current boots are Lowa Tibet GTX.

I soak them in the sink allowing the leather to open up for an hour or as long as it take to be fully soaked through.

Then I shake them dry and use my fingers to apply a thin coat of dubbin. That usually soaks into the boot within an hour or so then I apply another coat. I continue applying dubbin until the boots are dry from the original water soaking. Usually a few day process.

After that those boots are good to go. When I return home from using the boots I give them a good clean with water and a toothbrush and applying a thin coat of dubbin. Allow to dry and store in a dry location. HAPPY BOOTS!

I probably repeat the full soaking and waterproofing process 2 or 3 times a year.

No doubt someone will have issue with my process but I like it and I have warm dry feet!

Chris

Never thought of doing that. Not a bad idea.

I'm currently running Hanwags and I just clean and re wax with their recommended wax aftet every outing. Store in a cool dry place no problems. Hunted this past winter in them, covered alot of ground wet snowy conditions and never a wet foot.

[DeerForce]

Good thread idea. No one ever seems to pay enough attention to boots. Especially new boots that are "ready to go"

I take my boots home from the store and do a full waterproofing whilst the leather is still squeaky clean.

Current boots are Lowa Tibet GTX.

I soak them in the sink allowing the leather to open up for an hour or as long as it take to be fully soaked through.

Then I shake them dry and use my fingers to apply a thin coat of dubbin. That usually soaks into the boot within an hour or so then I apply another coat. I continue applying dubbin until the boots are dry from the original water soaking. Usually a few day process.

After that those boots are good to go. When I return home from using the boots I give them a good clean with water and a toothbrush and applying a thin coat of dubbin. Allow to dry and store in a dry location. HAPPY BOOTS!

I probably repeat the full soaking and waterproofing process 2 or 3 times a year.

No doubt someone will have issue with my process but I like it and I have warm dry feet!

Chris

Hi Chris

Just Curious, what does soaking them in water do? I've done that with a baseball mitt, but never on my boots.

Cheers

[Chrispryn]

Hey deerforce.

From what I understand, it opens the pores of the leather and allows the treatment to get in really nice.

Give it a try. I think you'd be a happy hiker

[mmckimmi]

I've been using Snoseal with great success for years on the older Solomon Quest GTX series.

Get the boots warm by leaving them in the sun for a few hours or you can put them in the oven ON LOW until the leather is warm but be careful as to not over do it. A hair dryer can also work well, just make sure the heat penetrates the leather completely.
Then apply the snoseal generously with a toothbrush or rag and place back in the sun. The snoseal will get soaked up and dry from shiny to dull and waxy. You can do as many applications as you want. I've done this four times on a pair of boots before. Shine the boots with a clean rag to wipe off any excess if you wish.

I've also applied the wax to the tounge, which is a fabric goretex membrane and haven't encountered any issues in the wet or warm weather.

[Greenthumbed]

I clean my leather boots with saddle soap and a rag regularly which conditions the leather keeping it clean, soft and supple. It prevents the leather from drying out, shrinking and cracking. When I feel it is time to waterproof the boots I use Snoseal. I apply the wax with a rag to clean boots then I use a heat gun to get the product to penetrate deep into the leather. I sometimes do a second treatment if I think it is necessary.

[jennylyyy]

Hey, I know my newbie status on here leaves me with little credit, but I'm justifying this with the fact I'm trained in leatherworking and worked for a shoe manufacturing shop.

Any thick oil based shoe protector works, so just like Chris said with Dubbin, or mink oil, or even SPRING BEAR FAT!!!

The grain will naturally open up when you trek in them. Therefore it's not necessary to soak, but if you're soaking or if your boots are wet from use, it's important to store them stuffed with newspaper. This helps the boot holds it's shaped (depends on the boot) and prevents odor from all the dampness trapped in the layers of foam, Gortex, etc..

Regarding heating them up, I wouldn't recommend this for a technical shoe due to all the glue; it will weaken them. My boots are Scarpa R-evolution Plus GTX, and the whole sole is glued on.

But boots are made to work, you only need to grease them twice a year, and they will be fine!

[Greenthumbed]

Hi Jenny
I don't hold a post count as a status symbol. Some people just like to talk more that others.
Regarding boot care, I used bear lard for the first time to treat my Blunbstones and was really happy with the results. It seemed to soak in nicely without any added heat and brought out a nice deep colour to the leather. I don't know how it stands up as a water repellent as I haven't really had to put it to the test yet. I'm sure it would be as good or better than dubbin or mink oil or perhaps better.
In regards to added heat. I agree that heating the entire boot in the oven may damage them, but using a heat gun on the leather parts is a necessary step to get the wax/oil to penetrate the leather. Otherwise, the treatment just wears off too fast.
Lastly, I would argue that greasing your boots twice a year may be good enough for some, but if you spend any amount of time in your boots in dirty, wet or very dry conditions you may have to give them a bit more attention than that.
Thats just my opinion, though. I'm not an expert leather worker. I just have 25 years of wearing leather boots and gloves in all kind of conditions.