How to look after your leather walking boots.

How to look after your leather walking boots.

Question from a customer.

Hi,

My Karrimor conniston boots have started to leak, can they be fixed with reproofing agents? I have only had them for 2 years and there's loads of tread left.Please advise,Thank-you

Thank you for your email.

I see that the Karrimore Coniston walking boot is made from smooth leather with an eVent lining to help keep it waterproof.

If your walking boots are definitely leaking (put them in a bucket of water and see if anything leaks in), and it isn't too much sweat, then it is highly likely that the eVent lining has worn or become damaged in some way. It was always a concern that the amount of flexing in a boot, particularly across the toe box, can cause the waterproof lining to wear out much quicker than when it is used on a jacket. This was definitely a problem with Gore Tex a number of years ago.

Another problem may be that, if you have not nourished the leather at all since you have had the boots, the leather will be wetting out, that is absorbing a lot of water and therefore this will really reduce the amount of water vapor being moved away from your feet by the eVent lining. The result will be wetter feet.

Though you cannot replace the eVent lining in your leaking Karrimore Coniston Walking Boots, you can really help to make them more water repellent, by treating the leather with a wax or cream such as Nikwax Wax. This will nourish the leather as well as really help with the water repellency, therefore allowing the eVent to breathe easier, which may help to make your boots more water repellent.

Leather by it's very nature is a porous material so therefore cannot be classed as 'waterproof', however with regular treatment with a product such as Nikwax Wax or Nikwax Aqueous Wax then this can really help to make the leather very water repellent.

Both these Nikwax products can be applied to the leather when it is either wet or dry, so is great to carry around with you all the time and is easy to apply to the walking boots, either by using your fingers, where you can really rub the wax into the leather (the warmth from your fingers can help melt the wax right into the leather) or with a cloth.

I hope this helps and if you have any more questions please do let me know.

Have you got a question about outdoor gear? I have over 15 years experience working in the outdoor industry and many more of going out walking and travelling. I am more than happy to try and answer any questions you may have on outdoor gear, or recommend what types of gear you need for a travelling, walking, a Gap year or Round the World Trip.

I look forward to your questions!

Walking boot review

An interesting article (is that the right word for a feature on a TV show?) Feature, sounds better...

An interesting feature on the Gadget Show on channel 5 this evening (21 September 2009), comparing 3 pairs of walking boots.

The gruelling test comprised of a pair of Meindl Vakuum GTX, Hi Tec V-Lite Altitude Ultra WPI, along a footpath on Chobham Common - my none other than Brian Blessed. Booted up, Brian and the presenter, mooched along the footpath discussing how good the fit was etc of the boots, whilst discussing the molecular build of the leather to stop water ingression. They even went so far as to explain how the memory foam works in the Meindl Boot.

This interesting test of walking boots was topped off with a squirt of water from a water pistol thing, quite a drenching I'm sure, but really a good way to test a walking boot?

I know the Gadget Show is probably some harmless fun, but they really do need to think about how they test things, especially boots that are, in reality, in different classes of use and build quality - easily reflected by their price point.

The Salamon boot came out on top, followed by the Hi Tec, followed by the slated Meindl Boot. I hope that Bramwell International, the importers of Meindl boots will follow this up... and to be honest I'm surprised they went in for this kind of test!

May trade my Meindl walking boots in for some Hi Tecs...