Boots.....

[Hawkeye]

Some initial thoughts..... more to come on this topic.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

"waterproof" is very misleading. Waterproof height should be a requirement on labels IMO. Most boots are only waterproof to the top of the foot area because they are made by folks that don't really use them unless its to walk a whole 1/4 mile to the heated deer blind.
Good review and good points

[Diz]

Just to pile on what Hawkeye wuz saying:
-gortex is just not as effective as they say it is. It is W/P but it doesn't breathe nearly as well as advertised. And yes I have used gtx boots, rain suits, gloves, hats, etc for over 30 years to back up that statement. It doesn't perform THAT much different from rubber-coated or VB (vapor-barrier) products.
-gtx in boots is not that practical, especially in our AO (south-eastern US). They are hot as hell 3/4 of the year. It's like wearing a rain suit just in case it rains.
-gtx in boots will frequently leak if you introduce any contaminate, such as dirt, sand, etc which acts as sandpaper against the liner and will eventually wear little pin holes leaks in it. So now you have a hot boot which isn't even W/P anymore.

We think a different approach works better in our AO. That's to take the old jungle boot concept and update with current technology, like the Rocky S2V and S2V jungle. This boot will get wet, drain, and dry in a surprisingly short amount of time. The more you hike in it, the quicker it dries. When combined with good wool socks, you have a winning combo. When your feet are soaking wet, change into dry ones (as sit permits), hang wet ones on ruck, and drive on. This versus hiking all day in a gtx lined boot that will not dry out for days.

For those times when a W/P liner makes sense, we use Sealskins liner socks. This way we can add or remove the gtx liner as we see fit.

[justanothergunnut]

Hawkeye,, thanks for this video.. Nicely done. Out here in California the heat can be brutal and I am constantly trying to find a light boot that is comfortable in the heat. It's also nice to hear input from other regions of the US as the problems faced are different by locale. Thanks for time and energy..

[protus]

Just to pile on what Hawkeye wuz saying:
-gortex is just not as effective as they say it is. It is W/P but it doesn't breathe nearly as well as advertised. And yes I have used gtx boots, rain suits, gloves, hats, etc for over 30 years to back up that statement. It doesn't perform THAT much different from rubber-coated or VB (vapor-barrier) products.
-gtx in boots is not that practical, especially in our AO (south-eastern US). They are hot as hell 3/4 of the year. It's like wearing a rain suit just in case it rains.
-gtx in boots will frequently leak if you introduce any contaminate, such as dirt, sand, etc which acts as sandpaper against the liner and will eventually wear little pin holes leaks in it. So now you have a hot boot which isn't even W/P anymore.

We think a different approach works better in our AO. That's to take the old jungle boot concept and update with current technology, like the Rocky S2V and S2V jungle. This boot will get wet, drain, and dry in a surprisingly short amount of time. The more you hike in it, the quicker it dries. When combined with good wool socks, you have a winning combo. When your feet are soaking wet, change into dry ones (as sit permits), hang wet ones on ruck, and drive on. This versus hiking all day in a gtx lined boot that will not dry out for days.

For those times when a W/P liner makes sense, we use Sealskins liner socks. This way we can add or remove the gtx liner as we see fit.

kinda my way of thinking diz as well.
Only gtx boots i run are the beville 790's the old black ICB's. They done well the last few years BUT ive also got some rocky gtx hunting boots that after a few years arent so "h20 " proof anymore.

I wear mostly non h20 proofed shoes that breath well. Merrel moabs for one. They dry fast,,breath and drain well. I carry seal skins as well(or another gtx style sock). ive hiked enough down here when its wet that a solid style boot( one that will not drain or dry fast) is a nightmare after a few miles.
ive also got to wearing really light running style socks or packing them along with my smart wool socks as aliner or dry set. The socks by starter that are a spandex /lycra mix dry super fast as well. but the jogging ones work better . iirc they are wigwam iron man socks. plus ive found feet stay drier and havent had blisters since( then again having proper sized shoes cured that)