Last year the first day of buck in western Pa it was like a monsoon. Luckily I had new Irish Setter boots with GOR-TEX. My feet stayed totally dry. I was under the impression that GOR-TEX was totally waterproof. Well to my dismay I was bird hunting the other day and my feet got totally soaked. So I'm here to ask, is GOR-TEx totally waterproof or am I expecting too much?
GOR-TEX
- Thread starter jeo556
- Start date
davlandrum
New member
Gore-Tex is totally water-proof. They make waders out of it.
Did the top of your socks get wet and then it wicked down in your boots? That happens a lot when walking in wet grass. I finally got some gore-tex gaiters so I am covered almost to my knees. Lets me stay dry even in heavy morning dew, and are easy to take off and throw in the pack as the dew dries up later.
Did the top of your socks get wet and then it wicked down in your boots? That happens a lot when walking in wet grass. I finally got some gore-tex gaiters so I am covered almost to my knees. Lets me stay dry even in heavy morning dew, and are easy to take off and throw in the pack as the dew dries up later.
FrontSight
New member
Gore Tex is not water proof, but VERY water resistant...but dunk it in water for a while and it WILL leak
Waterengineer
New member
Yes the boots will leak
Asking "gore-tex" to keep boots dry is asking too much. As stated above, gore-tex is an semi-permiable membrane that is "welded" to the inside of the material the boots are made from.
Long story short - the boot seams (at the welt) are the likely suspect for leakage. I waterproof the welt area as is commonly done with all leather boots.
Another option is to wear gore-tex socks. These things work amazingly well. The seam is taped and welded if you purchase the correct ones. And warm too - perhaps too warm sometimes.
Asking "gore-tex" to keep boots dry is asking too much. As stated above, gore-tex is an semi-permiable membrane that is "welded" to the inside of the material the boots are made from.
Long story short - the boot seams (at the welt) are the likely suspect for leakage. I waterproof the welt area as is commonly done with all leather boots.
Another option is to wear gore-tex socks. These things work amazingly well. The seam is taped and welded if you purchase the correct ones. And warm too - perhaps too warm sometimes.
I bought my first Gore Tex parka and insulated pants back in 1985 from Cabala's. I still have them and they are still mostly waterproof. Twice I've had trouble with water.
Once when I was sitting up against a stump in a pouring rain that lasted some time. I had my legs bent up in front of me. After some time sitting there water started seeping though at my bent knees.
A second time I was in a climbing stand. It started really pouring down like it can in East Texas, a real frog strangler! After about 30 minutes water started seeping back up from the bottom of the parka and inside the hood. I don't think this was really a problem with the Gore-Tex. I think the problem was with the lining of the parka being exposed to the elements.
My main gripe is the noise the Gore-Tex of that day and time made.
Once when I was sitting up against a stump in a pouring rain that lasted some time. I had my legs bent up in front of me. After some time sitting there water started seeping though at my bent knees.
A second time I was in a climbing stand. It started really pouring down like it can in East Texas, a real frog strangler! After about 30 minutes water started seeping back up from the bottom of the parka and inside the hood. I don't think this was really a problem with the Gore-Tex. I think the problem was with the lining of the parka being exposed to the elements.
My main gripe is the noise the Gore-Tex of that day and time made.
If the boots have a GoreTex hang tag or label then Gore Inc will warranty your boots or force the manufacturer to do so. Contact the manufacturer and then, if you dont'get any joy, contact GoreTex directly and the vendor/retailer of the boot. If they're made correctly, they will not leak.
GoreTex should be impermeable to water and permeable to water vapor. As someone mentioned, waders made of GoreTex dont leak.
I'm an apparel project manager at a small footwear and sprotswear company in Oregon...the one with the Swoosh.
One of the thing that you get when you buy a product that bears the GoreTex bingo cards is the underwriting of it's performance from Gore Inc.
Oh and next time buy Danner....never had a leak with them....ever.
GoreTex should be impermeable to water and permeable to water vapor. As someone mentioned, waders made of GoreTex dont leak.
I'm an apparel project manager at a small footwear and sprotswear company in Oregon...the one with the Swoosh.
One of the thing that you get when you buy a product that bears the GoreTex bingo cards is the underwriting of it's performance from Gore Inc.
Oh and next time buy Danner....never had a leak with them....ever.
Gore-Tex is actually made out of TEFLON. Hard to believe but how could I make something so crazy up?
I've got a OLD pair of the Irish Setter Wingshooters made out of Kangaroo leather. They are the tall snake-proof ones. Had them for about 6 or 7 years. As we can have a warm day almost any day here in Florida they get a lot of wear. Besides that they are VERY comfortable boots, and well made. Always my first choice when going to the swamp after pigs.
That said the Gore-Tex was leaking by the end of the second season. What I've found is that regardless of the brand, and I've tried a bunch of good ones, the boots will leak by the end of the second season.
Seems to me that what happens is that the Gore-Tex suffers from abrasion between the outer part of the boot and the inner liner. And when that abrasion becomes a small hole water will come in. Just a fact of life.........
Good wool socks, and keep the leather treated properly and the boots are still plenty usable.................
I've got a OLD pair of the Irish Setter Wingshooters made out of Kangaroo leather. They are the tall snake-proof ones. Had them for about 6 or 7 years. As we can have a warm day almost any day here in Florida they get a lot of wear. Besides that they are VERY comfortable boots, and well made. Always my first choice when going to the swamp after pigs.
That said the Gore-Tex was leaking by the end of the second season. What I've found is that regardless of the brand, and I've tried a bunch of good ones, the boots will leak by the end of the second season.
Seems to me that what happens is that the Gore-Tex suffers from abrasion between the outer part of the boot and the inner liner. And when that abrasion becomes a small hole water will come in. Just a fact of life.........
Good wool socks, and keep the leather treated properly and the boots are still plenty usable.................
As stated above, Gore-Tex is made of Teflon. Waterproof boots are lined with a "bootie" that is shaped roughly like the inside of the boot, then a cloth liner inside of that gets sewn to the boot itself. The Gore-Tex liner never gets dewn, that would make it leak. But Gore-Tex boots do start to leak if they get flexed too many times, just like any plastic material. The problem is worse in cold weather. Call the manufacturer of the boots to see what they will do, or call the vendor.
phil mcwilliam
New member
I find a fully gortex boot superior to a leather boot in wet & muddy conditions. I think the boot you describe is leather ,with a gortex lining. I find leather boots eventually soak through & get heavy, whilst fully gortex boots remain lighter , drier, & quieter. Gortex boots are comfortable from day one, but the down side is they are easily worn, & will only last one season as a fully waterproof boot if used daily.
Gor-Tex is ok when you are hunting in snow, but if you are hunting in rain nothing beats a pair of rubber boots. After hunting coastal AK and just getting drowned in NY this weekend I can't say enough about my LaCrosse boots with Thinsulate. I can't say enough about Helle Hansen Impertech rain gear either, if you ever need light weight rain that is what a person needs.
davlandrum
New member
Phil - do you mean a cordura (is that the right word?) boot? The nylon-kinda stuff? That is not the Gore-Tex.
Unless there is something wrong with the gore-tex lining it will not let water through. I have used gore-tex lined boots for more than 20 years with only 1 leak. That happened because I had the boots re-soled and the new soles were sewn on instead of glued. The needle punched dozens of holes through the lining which worked like a wick to draw water into the bottom of the boots.
As another person posted the better quality boots seem to do a better job with installing the linings. Never had a leak with Danners either, and have worn them 12-13 years before tossing them.
As another person posted the better quality boots seem to do a better job with installing the linings. Never had a leak with Danners either, and have worn them 12-13 years before tossing them.
I've had two pairs of Danners in the last 18 years and both eventually started leaking a bit. But I put a lot of miles and hard wear on them. I'm still on my second pair (11 years) and they're about ready for a resoling. I also put some Obenauf's on the leather to make them a bit more water resistant.
I work in a lot of muddy and wet environments and wear 16" Matterhorn brand goretex boots ......http://www.vanderbilts.com/product_detail.aspx?ID=562
These are what I wear hunting If I know im going to be somewhere wet.
With these boots I can be in and out of 12" of water for a cpl of hours and never get wet. Ive got a pair over 3 yrs old that stay dry as the day I got them.
When new they give you a packet of leather treater/seam sealer and I redo that once a year.
While this particular boot is made for coal miners who are usually working in wet environments Matterhorn is one of the top military providers and makes all styles of boots.
In 20 years of daily boot wear I havent found another boot that worked as well as these do.
These are what I wear hunting If I know im going to be somewhere wet.
With these boots I can be in and out of 12" of water for a cpl of hours and never get wet. Ive got a pair over 3 yrs old that stay dry as the day I got them.
When new they give you a packet of leather treater/seam sealer and I redo that once a year.
While this particular boot is made for coal miners who are usually working in wet environments Matterhorn is one of the top military providers and makes all styles of boots.
In 20 years of daily boot wear I havent found another boot that worked as well as these do.
rem870hunter
New member
i have a pair of gore tex booties, and a pair or irish setter (pathfinder model) boots.
the setters have the gore tex w/1000 grams of thinsulate. i bought them back in '02 when i was doing tower work. kept my feet dry and very warm i noticed the insides were getting soaked with sweat and had no way to dry them between wearing them,other than placing them in front of a heater vent overnight. i've applied waterproofing to them once so far and they still work fine. i mainly wear them on really cold days where i'm not doing much walking. my feet sweat tons if not.
the booties i wear in my sorel rubber pac type boots. they work very well. keep my feet warm and dry. the felt liners inside the boots tend to get soaked with sweat,because of the wicking effect of the booties. but my feet still stay dry.
i got a boot dryer setup that can plug into a car lighter w/wall adapter for christmas last year. works really good. i just plug it in as soon as i get home from the woods or whenever i'm done wearing the boots. in a day or 2 at the most they are bone dry inside. i picked up a pair of all rubber knee tall boots with liner last winter at walmart maybe $40.00. they so far seem be working well. some of the places i've gone is kinda mucky. hips boots would be too cumbersome and noisy for me,and i use them for fishing anyhow.
the setters have the gore tex w/1000 grams of thinsulate. i bought them back in '02 when i was doing tower work. kept my feet dry and very warm i noticed the insides were getting soaked with sweat and had no way to dry them between wearing them,other than placing them in front of a heater vent overnight. i've applied waterproofing to them once so far and they still work fine. i mainly wear them on really cold days where i'm not doing much walking. my feet sweat tons if not.
the booties i wear in my sorel rubber pac type boots. they work very well. keep my feet warm and dry. the felt liners inside the boots tend to get soaked with sweat,because of the wicking effect of the booties. but my feet still stay dry.
i got a boot dryer setup that can plug into a car lighter w/wall adapter for christmas last year. works really good. i just plug it in as soon as i get home from the woods or whenever i'm done wearing the boots. in a day or 2 at the most they are bone dry inside. i picked up a pair of all rubber knee tall boots with liner last winter at walmart maybe $40.00. they so far seem be working well. some of the places i've gone is kinda mucky. hips boots would be too cumbersome and noisy for me,and i use them for fishing anyhow.