UKC

Back in the start of 2019 I bought myself a new pair of nice, yellow, Nepal Cubes. The other weeek in Italy I noticed my feet were getting damp after a slushy decent, this happened 2 days in a row on both boots so it looks like the Goretex linings are failing. I've done a total of 59 mixed/ice routes from 1 single pitch to multiple pitches which I guess sounds like a fair bit of action. I suppose the kicking in will be one of the factors contributing to the failure.

I'm reluctant to part with another pile of money so I wondered if the membership have any tricks to keep them from leaking before I bin them. Visually they are in great condition but I've had wet boots freeze on my feet and I'm not having that happen again.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

You could try treating the leather. That would at least help a bit. 

Just out of curiosity, what have you done in terms of maintenance? Gore-Tex linings tend to get saturated over time (with salt, grime, dust - basically anything that comes off your feet) so it could also be a deterioration in the breathability of the membrane. Maybe soaking it with water and a bit of techwash might help clean it. Especially because you describe your feet as being damp instead of wet. 

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

Get some yeti-style gaiters. Quite expensive new but cheap ex army ones can be found.

Some people seem to be very anti these but I've used them for years on leaky boots and it genuinely solves the problem.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

Thanks for both comments so far. I've never considered a deep clean of boots using tech washes and this could be worth a shot. Due to the size and rigidity of the boots I'm guessing it would be a bucket and some wash, letting them soak for an hour or so before rinsing.

Yeti gaiters may work but I wonder if they would stop wet snow pushing under the material and getting trapped? They seem to be worse on big days when the snow is wet which is quite often.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

This is unlikely to make any difference, if the membrane is gone it's gone.

Glue the gaiters on.

Seriously, it's a 100% fix. I currently have them on a set of Nepal Evos which started leaking depressingly soon (but not soon enough for a warranty claim) and I previously had them on a pair of Freney XTs and they worked a treat on both.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

You could try going through gortex using the "guaranteed to keep you dry" promise they have . 

In reply to olddirtydoggy:  I wonder if the membrane has gone?  I don't know why this membrane should behave differently to one in a jacket, and one thing that a jacket requires is renewal of the DWR outside the membrane else performance sufffers.

In your case the membrane is sitting inside the boot, and the 'outside' of that is a load of wet material thanks to the slush.  Maybe adding, renewing a DWR finish here will allow the membrane to work again?

In reply to wbo2:

Jacket membranes are usually bonded to the face fabric but I think boot ones are more like a sock or lining inside.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

NIkwax on the leather.

Is it possible that they're just sweaty rather than wet?  If the leather looks dry, then it's hard to see where water would get in.  I have a simple pair of boot driers just to dry sweaty big boots every evening.

Personally, I loathe goretex liners in boots.  Nasty, sweaty things, and redundant now that most rigid boots have bonded, rather than stitched, soles and a huge rubber rand. 

Apparently though, we, the consumers, want goretex liners and so every now and then I have to set off on something of a mission to find a nice pair of leather walking boots with a leather lining.   Sadly the current pair fell victim to a puppy and might not live as long as hoped

In reply to DaveHK:

If there's a leak I'd imagine it's on the normal flex points and the membrane has got some holes in, A deep wash would definitely help to see if that is the problem and it's a nice quick fix instead of worrying about new boots!

Hopefully it's as simple as that otherwise maybe have a chat with these guys?

https://lancashiresportsrepairs.co.uk/

In reply to Euan McKendrick:

How would washing fix this?

Membrane repair service isn't listed on Lancashire Sports repairs website and it's hard to see how it could be done.

In reply to DaveHK:

Sorry, confusing sentence, If there is a leak washing won't fix it, but, it's possible its not a leak just a build up of gunk in the membrane and once cleaned it will start breathing again.

If it is a leak it's worth a chat with them as they can probably advise better and point the OP in the right direction. Other option is to reach out to Gore or the shop from which the boots where bought.

In reply to DaveHK:

Glue them on? Sounds a bit extreme but compared to throwing them in the bin I've nothing to lose.

I'm guessing my experience hiking with gaiters, they would sweat out a lot worse.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

Washing the boots will be the first option, no harm doing that.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

Gluing them on is standard practice. Get the rand of the gaiter seated where you want it, pull it up a little and put some wee dabs of super glue in. It keeps them in place walking through things like breakable crust but they can still be removed if necessary.

I think washing them is a waste of time as it's almost certainly an issue with the membrane getting either holed or abraded. Also hard to see how the detergent is going to get into the membrane in any meaningful way.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

Are they definitely leaking? For water to be coming through from the outside it's presumably coming through the 3mm+ of saturated leather and also a failed/punctured Goretex lining.

It is quite often the case that the outer leather of boots gets saturated causing a complete lack of breathability resulting in moisture build up from inside as the "breathable" membrane can't work magic and move moisture through a soaked outer fabric. 

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

I haven't used them much in recent years but I bought a pair of Nepal Extremes in 2000 and they still work ok. The Cubes are just the same leather aren't they? If so, can't you just load them up with Nikwax (they won't be the same cheery yellow after that though), that's what I've always done with my Nepals and I don't remember ever having problems with them leaking.

I have used super-gaiters over them (mine are Terra Nova rather than Berghaus Yetis), including on ice climbing trips to Northern Norway, mainly to add a bit warmth (they don't add much) and stop the laces getting all frozen up. Like others are suggesting, a few dabs of glue has always been pretty standard with gaiters, it never seemed particularly permanent even with super glue, Just don't put loads and loads on.