Waterproofing for Shoes

[2009ThruHiker]

Heading to Damascus for a 3-4 day hike with my wife and she is extremely opposed to boots. We have done some overnight hikes before with perfect weather and trail conditions, but nothing of this length of days. I'm concerned about her current hiking shoes, which are a suede like material, no waterproofing whatsoever. The upside is that they are comfortable for her. Does the waterproofing sprays made for shoes work for this type of material, or should we look towards a low cut hiking shoe with more waterproofing?

[Alligator]

I've used Nikwax on my full leather boots, and had good success when properly applied. They may have a product for suede. An alternative to a spray/wipe on product is water proof socks such as sealskinz.

[The Cheat]

I use trail shoes too, I just spray them with scotchguard. YMMV. Also realize the best this will do is keep the dew from soaking the shoes. Any other water (including dew on socks and lower pant legs) will get in no matter what, they are lowtops afterall.

[wilderness bob]

I use sno-seal, a bee's wax, for waterproofing boots of this type. Pull your laces out and pre-heat your oven at around 200 degrees (no kidding). This will open the pours ot the suede and make the shoe soft and pliable. Put your shoes on a pan and in your oven for about five minutes (with the oven turned off of course). Pull out the shoes and use your fingers to rub an even coat of the sno-seal all over the shoe (don't forget the tongue and be sure to cover all stitching). I recommend using an old tooth brush, if needed, to get in to the cracks. Put them back in the oven for another ten minutes or so to melt the wax, buff with a rag or horse hair brush (something soft). Do the same thing again if your not satisfied with the first coat. For longer hiking adventures, keep a small amount (a film canisters worth) in your gear and re-seal (when they are dry) as necessary. Practice on an old pair of similar shoes if you need to. Good luck and have fun.

[neo]

:D if you water proof them they will hold water better,:cool: neo

in warm weather i prefer trail runners that drain and dry:cool: neo

[Seeker]

i gave up leather boots and now hike in either running shoes in the really rainy season or slightly higher-ankled suede/nylon boots the rest of the time. in my neck of the woods/swamps/bayous, it's wet most of the time anyway. sometimes you can keep you feets mostly dry, other times, i don't even try... i prefer something that dries quickly, and running shoes work great.

that said, in a really cold/wet climate (like i was raised in) i prefered schlepping a sled/toboggan full of gear in a nice pair of Sorels (with the felt liner and waterproof bottoms/leather uppers).

in a mid-cold (35*-60*F) climate, i might consider going back to leather. i had an 'ok' pair of gortex/thinsulate boots (Matterhorn?) issued by the army that worked ok in that range. we used Sno-Seal on them, as someone mentioned earlier.

(but i don't voluntarily go out in the cold anymore... rain's fine... i just don't like the cold.)

[JoeHiker]

I waterproofed my already partially GoreTex trail shoes (Lowa's) last fall with excellent results. My feet almost never got wet. Of course, since it was Fall, my feet weren't exactly sweating a lot. And in my case, the manufacturer recommend the waterproofing

[Peaks]

If you talk with boot manufactures, they recommend an aquaous based waterproofing, like Nikwax.

[fiddlehead]

get used to walking with wet shoes/boots. there is no way to keep them dry once it starts raining hard.

[Turtle2]

It is possible to purchase bottles of silicon. I have used them to coat my boots/shoes with good results. Recently, I stepped into a puddle that almost covered my boot and when I pulled it out (quick, quick, quick) it wasn't even wet. The 5 oz bottles with a dawber are not easy to find, however, so I stock up when they are found.

[sparky2000]

To broaden the opinions - the NEOS has light pullovers that breathe well with nylon.

[JoeHiker]

get used to walking with wet shoes/boots. there is no way to keep them dry once it starts raining hard.
That's what everyone told me. But after 8 consecutive days of solid rain up in Vermont last fall, my feet were still dry. I kept expecting them to be soaked but it never happened.