After a great weekend walking in north wales I have thrown my crappy £100 boots which were extremely comfortable for walking the more advanced routes in snowdonia. Unfortunately they are about as watertight as a tea bag, even with multiple coats of decent waterproofing agent.

So, do boots that are actually waterproof and will stay that way if you walk through small streams all day, encounter some extreme weather or step in a puddle that cost between £0 and £150 exist?

I’m done with getting wet feet. What do I need to look for? Goretex obviously, Leather or fabric?

(Oh, and I’ve had a few gore tex boots in the past which were utter sh!te.

You don’t need goretex if they are decent leather boots – well treated with wax. Good leather ones will last much longer than any with a membrane. Last time I bought some though, I struggled to find any without goretex in. People don’t want to buy them without apparently.

So I’d recommend leather ones, well looked after with nikwax, with or without a membrane.

Salamon boots

I just bought some Peter Storm leather boots, reduced to about £70. I’ve only done a couple of day long walks in them but they’re surprisingly good, seem well made and are waterproof. They’re the first leather ones I’ve had for ages, I’ve decided leather is the way to go, but you do need to look after them.

+1 for Salomon.

I have 2 pairs which have been very waterproof.

I’ve been impressed with my Berghaus ones. A few Northumbrian winters, a wet few weeks in Iceland and some drier walking in Ethiopia.

I’ve also been impressed with my Meindl ones but as they are leather lined they are heavy so I defaulted to the Berghaus Trail lights in all but the worst weather.

What socks are you wearing. I found that good merino or synthetic liner socks and good thick socks helped keep my feet feeling dry. I’m using smart wool hiking socks and the cycling socks off on-one. Before that my feet were sweaty and felt wet but weren’t.

You could also take a lesson from the Newzealanders and just get over wet feet. Not a problem if you aren’t getting cold or blisters.

No – unless plastic style mountaineering boots – everyboot will eventually let in water if trekked in wet conditions over a long period of time…its just some boots will stay drier for longer than others..

seal skins?

In my experience membrane style boots might stay waterproof for a while but eventually the membrane WILL fail, especially on lighter weight fabric boots which flex more.

My Scarpa Manta winter boots don’t have any membrane but are the driest boots I’ve ever worn, largely I suspect because they are a one piece leather upper with the alpine style/bellow style tongue (i.e. no seams, just a fold in the leather). They also have a massive rand betwixt sole and upper which probably helps, and of course they don’t flex so the leather never gets creased or cracked.

Scarpa do a ‘4 season’ equivalent called the SL Activ which looks brilliant, no pointless membrane, bellows tongue, one piece leather. However, it seemed quite stiff for a summer boot which boot me off, plus they retail at about £245!

Alt Berg do the Tethera which has all of the above although also a ‘sympatex’ membrane which is a pity, seems like extra money and weight (negligible I’m sure) for sweatier feet. I tried some Tetheras on and they felt great so I’m probably going to pick up a pair this weekend in preparation for slushy wet thaw/spring conditions. £200 though.

I think there’s a Zamerlan boot which is also one piece leather but I didn’t like the fit or feel.

Scarpa do a ‘4 season’ equivalent called the SL Activ which looks brilliant, no pointless membrane, bellows tongue, one piece leather. However, it seemed quite stiff for a summer boot which boot me off, plus they retail at about £245!

That would be because they’re a winter walking boot, not a summer one. Anything described as ‘4 season’ is really only suitable for winter because it’ll be a stiffened crampon boot and relatively heavy too. Only an idiot would wear a boot like that in summer imho etc…

Fwiw, Gore-Tex lined boots are technically guaranteed against leaking for life, so you can always take them back if they do. But water tends to get into anything if conditions are wet enough, not least because unless you wear overtrousers over well sealed gaiters, it’ll eventually go down the hole in the top that your feet use.

I like OutDry as a waterproof technology, but as far as I’m aware, no-one uses it for boots currently, though Columbia makes trail shoes with it.

In my experience Goretex walking boots are water proof until the boots are properly knackered

Don’t wax them treat them with that hydrophobic stuff

These are excellent. Used mine on many multi day wet trips without any problems. Light and comfortable.

Worth a wee look in Cotswold, if you have one near you. £125

My experience is along the lines of “if they flex, they’ll leak eventually”.

All the 3 season or lighter leather and/or fabric/lined boots & approach shoes either I or my other half have owned have started letting in around the ball of the foot after more or less time – its simply the bending action trashes both leather and the membrane. Even when newish, if I’ve spent the day paddling in the mud (not unknown in the Peaks), the constant immersion and the “pumping” action generated by bending the boot can force water past the membrane.

On the other hand, my current winter boots – la Sportiva Trangos, which barely flex at all have been completely dry, even though I picked them up second hand off here – big thick rubber rand and very stiff.

Anecdotal, but there you go.

Any boot will leak, eventually. Especially where they flex. A leather boot can be reproofed indefinitely, a fabric is goosed.
Ime, in properly wet conditiond, nothing stays dry. It splashes in, it soaks in round cuff, your feet sweat etc.
Do you use gaitors? Good ones are ace, and although you get sweaty, it is less than the streams and bogs wet – and warm. What have old Patagonia trousers with an internal, splash proof and uber breathable inner Gaiter that are just brilliant.

Altberg tethra +1

Kept me dry through anything! I’m sure they’re not as breathable as some but my feet have never been sweaty enough to cause blisters 🙂

Karrimor braemar here with event lining. 99.99 at sportsdirect at the mo. Very comfy, vibram sole. Full rand. Done loads of very wet walks in lakes and been totally waterproof. Quite light too.

its simply the bending action trashes both leather and the membrane.

Apparently what can happen is that if you let the leather get dry it tends to crack where it flexes and the edge of the cracked leather can then hole the membrane. It’ll flex repeatedly without breaking, but add in sharp-edged leather and it’ll kill it.

Issue two is the way Gore-Tex and similar sock liner-type membranes work. Effectively they’re a floating sock inside the boot, which means that the outer of the boot is simply as waterproof as its constituent materials and construction allow.

In really wet conditions, the outer fabric or leather can soak out, water can get in past the stitching and sit between the waterproof liner and the boot outer and, as a result, the breathability of the boot goes to hell in a hand cart as it’s trying to allow water vapour out into a saturated environment. Same happens with Gore-Tex gloves.

Your feet can produce half a pint of sweat in a day, so if that can’t get out eventually it’ll pool inside the boot and your feet’ll get proper wet regardless of whether the boot’s leaking or not.

Anyway…

That would be because they’re a winter walking boot, not a summer one. Anything described as ‘4 season’ is really only suitable for winter because it’ll be a stiffened crampon boot and relatively heavy too. Only an idiot would wear a boot like that in summer imho etc…

It wouldn’t take an idiot to consider the SL Activ as a summer boot given that it’s marketed as 3-4 season, suitable for anything except winter mountaineering, no mention at all of crampon compatibility so not stiffened for crampons.

They definitely are stiffer than a 3 season boot though, that’s why this idiot considered them but decided to look elsewhere 8)

I walk with (good) gaiters all year round. Even in summer – it’s very good for keeping fine grit and grass seeds out of the boot top and your sock cuff. I have several different types of gaiter for different seasons/conditions. They can even help make approach shoes as protective of the elements of many types of boots.

I have scarpa Sl for 3 season walking (I dont do snow/ice walks) but my faves are some ecco fabric walking boots.