used boots

[betteroffishing]

well i would never have chosen to spend the 250.00 or so that they cost new , but i stumbled upon a craigslist add for a slightly used pair of danner montanas in my size. tried them on and they fit like a charm so i paid the man his 100.00 and have them at home . now what ??? will they take a commercial spray to enhance waterproofing , should i use conditioning oil on them , again , never having owned an expensive pair of leather boots i have no idea how to care for them , and any help would be greatly appreciated.

[swampthing]

Use niwax on them and put in new insoles so they break into your feet. I get my niwax at valhala pure. Pull the insoles out to dry them and dont use heat as it will wreck the leather. After they get wet you must re-apply the niwax. If you need to dry them in a hurry, put a fan on them to speed up the process.

[betteroffishing]

thanks swamper , so they are or are not the ideal boot for a week long camp in the rain/snow ?? i say this cause if they have to be dried and rewaxed after every soak , but can not be dried with heat , how does that work?? we will be staying in a wall tent and the only way something will dry overnight is if its close to the stove. i guess im bringin my other hiking boots as well then.

[pappy]

I use the bee's wax from mark's work warehouse, its called sno-seal. It takes a while to put it on properly with a hair drier, but once its on it lasts a good amount of time. I have used it on cheep boots and on scarpa's.

[swampthing]

Hang them from the roof near the stove, but not too close. Put your insoles a little closer so you have a dry footbed when you put them on in the morning. Dont worry about greasing them on the hunt, do it when you get home. I ran the danner canadians years ago and they worked well. If your goretex is still good you will be ok. Enjoy your hunt and your new danners. A good hunting partner and I ran the same canadians. We called ourselfs "team danner"

[swampthing]

I almost forgot, the most important thing you can do is get a product called seamgrip and apply it to all the seams on your boots. It dries to a rubbery coating and doubles the life of your boots while adding extra waterproofing. Do this at least once a year. Follow the instuctions on cleaning your boots before doing this.

[moosinaround]

Are they gortex? If so just keep em clean! Snow seal Niwax, Bee wax all will work just keep em clean. Dry them upside down up in the air they will be fine, and watch that the insoles don't get too close to the stove. I have a pair of Cabelas big game boots and I have treated them once in 3 years!! I just clean them when they get muddy and don't let the mud sit on them too long as it will dry the leather out and it will crack and leak. Leather is pretty tough if it is kept clean! Good luck with them, Danners are a pretty good boot. Moosin