UKC

What is the general consensus on what if anything should be applied to the Nepal Extremes (the non-goretex lined version)? Do they keep out water without the need for anything applied to them?

(.....I suppose one benefit of applying any product is that it would probably dull the bright yellow colour before their first use)

In reply to abcdef:

Hi, I just used Nikwax on mine and have never had any water ingress. They probably would be fairly water tight without, but the less water they absorb the quicker they dry and it did help tone down the yellow!
Jon

In reply to abcdef:

I'm not sure if mine are goretex or not but I just wax them like normal leather boots. It does turn then brown rather than yellow which is undoubtedly why Jon Griffith and Ben Tibbets aren't elbowing each other out of the way to shoot me for the next Patagonia catalogue.

Nepals are simply leather boots and the leather needs to be maintained to keep it supple and stop it cracking as well as keeping out water. Maybe there are sprays which are just as effective? Super/yeti gaiters are a good idea for Scotland/Lakes/Wales where you will be almost certainly be getting them seriously wet.

In reply to abcdef:

I guess I have never waxed a boot in my life (lazyness?!) so wasn't sure if NEs could just be left to their own devices. The fact that they might take on less water and therefore dry quicker makes some sense though.

Is Nikwax still the choice nowadays?

In reply to abcdef: I've always nikwaxed my nepals including my evos and now cubes even though they're goretex'd. Like said by jshields, it stops the leather absorbing water so not only dries quicker but will surely be warmer

In reply to abcdef:

I've tried few options on Scarpa SLs (Grangers Wax, Nikwax watery solution) and nothing worked perfectly if you don't apply it often enough. Just keep that in mind. Maybe it's the type of leather, though.

Whatever you end up using, just man up and get your hands dirty. I tried different cloths and nothing works better than your own hands. Yup, it's greasy and it takes a good effort to wash your hands after that, but at least applying the waterproofing material is somewhat easier. It allows you to get in the seams and narrow bits a lot easier.

I just got some Scarpa HS12 cream for my Nepal Extremes. The discolouration is awful, but hopefully that works. I found Berghaus Yetis to be adequate for the job as long as you don't damage the rubber (super easy for clumsy person like me). I usually keep a pair of Sealskins socks for emergency use as well.

In reply to abcdef:

They come treated already, I waded through a stream on one of the first uses and it was like water off a ducks back

I found in the long term the nikwax treatment is ok but it doesn't actually keep them fully dry especially for multi day trips. The original treatment on the boots is silicon I believe. You may want to investigate using the scarpa HS12 cream which is silicon (but may also change the appearance somewhat).

Another option is just to beeswax them, that will keep them dry as long as you keep reapplying it, but it will change the appearance of them a bit

In reply to abcdef:

I've nikwaxed mined and their Scarpa Cumbre predecessors. Neither pair leaked. I don't get this obsession with Goretex liners, except in fabric boots. It begs the immediate question 'What's wrong with the leather?'

In reply to nniff:
I guess - although with my freneys they don't really get damp when used for multiple days like the nepals do. My nepals also didn't leak but once the silicon treatment had gone no matter how much/ frequently I applied nikwax aqueous they never really performed like they did new in a hydrophobic manner. My leather SL3's with no goretex are brilliant after an application of normal beeswax. I find the reversed leather on the Nepal just gets slowly damp over time and that soaks in to the boot more each day and they are slow to dry out.

I'm not a big fan of leather boots for Scottish winter, I'll be getting another pair of super light gtx boots again next something like the Rebel Pro GTX. Not only are these type of boots lighter on, but I find they are much less prone to giving me blisters and as mentioned seem to stay dry better and dry out faster if they do get at all damp, also they breathe perfectly well for winter use.

In reply to abcdef:
My first season out with my NE's, I didn't wax them and they did tend to get a bit damp by the end of the day. Every year since then I've used liberal amounts of Nikwax and have had absolutely no ingress. It works like a dream. As stated above though, this will affect how they look and you will lose that nice nubuck finish.

One bit of advice I would give is to wax them when they are new. Mine have various dirt marks waxed in place now that I suspect will always be there. Great boots though.

In reply to abcdef:

Mine hold the water out fine despite being quite old and I've only ever treated the more flexible leather in the tongue area to keep it supple.

In reply to nniff:
I had a pair of Cumbres (don't any more, they were too good at removing my toenails - too small!) But I never waxed them with anything and they never leaked.

In reply to abcdef:

On mine there is a label that has images that say now wax but use a spray, but does not say what kind of spray. Maybe a visit to the Sportiva website is in order.

In reply to abcdef:

I've had my pair for almost 15 years now, still going strong. Use aqueous Nikwax with them, never had properly wet feet in them despite being out in some pretty minging connies. If Carlsberg made mountain boots they'd be Nepal Extremes.

In reply to abcdef:

They don't need anything.

RN

In reply to rossn:

Agree - had mine 10 yrs and never treated them and never had wet feet. So impressed I have just replaced them with the Evo.