Chainsaw Boots

[Mikey P]

If you're on a budget and still want a reasonable pair of boots, get some Stein Bergsteigers. I wouldn't bother with the ones with the Goretex liner - waste of time & money on just about any footwear. Use something like Nikwax on the leather and they'll stay waterproof - this also encourages you to clean all the mud and s**te off them to reproof.

 

Can't comment on other brands/makes but the Steins have been exceptionally comfortable.

[nepia]

Looks like I'm the third person voting for Meindl Airstreams. Great boots; not as red as they look in the pics! And I like the diddy little lace hook on the tongue to stop it slipping down the boot's throat. Very comfortable straight from the box - I can't fault them.

[skyhuck]

. I wouldn't bother with the ones with the Goretex liner - waste of time & money on just about any footwear. Use something like Nikwax on the leather and they'll stay waterproof - this also encourages you to clean all the mud and s**te off them to reproof.

 

 

Totally disagree!!

 

I have had many pairs of the Haix Goretex lined boots and have found them 100% water proof, never cleaned or waxed any of them.

[Tom D]

Have to agree with skyhuck, I have a pair of haix treckers that are now over 18 months old and still just as waterproof as the day i got them. In fact after fridays down-pour my feet were the only dry parts when I got home.

[Mikey P]

The goretex lining in the boot is sandwiched between the inner and outer leather. The liner works on the principle of water vapour molecules (from sweat) being small enough to pass through the pores in the material but 'liquid water' is unable to pass into the boot as cohesion through hydrogen bonding makes it too 'large'. Furthermore, a durable water-repellent coating on the outside of the liner prevents water from pooling on the surface - it beads instead (like it does on your goretex/eVent jackets).

 

The liner also works on the principle that there is a water potential gradient between the outside and the inside of the boot. This allows water vapour from sweat to diffuse out of the the boot, assuming that there is a lower potential outside.

 

In practice, the liner will work for a while, the leather/fabric of the boot also contributing to preventing water from getting as far as the goretex layer. However, as the boot gets older and has more use, dirt (from the inside of the boot) and particles from the inner leather/fabric face of the boot outer will block the pores on the goretex liner. This dramatically reduces the performance of the fabric and actually prevents water vapour from moving to the outside of the boot.

 

If we look at leather, which has been used for generations as a waterproof material for constructing shoes, this breathes naturally (it is, after all, natural) and water resistance can be maintained by cleaning the dirt off, drying boots properly and treating them with something like Nikwax of Grangers water-based reproofers.

 

In my own opinion, goretex liners are redundant. Once the pores are clogged they are extremely diffuclt to clean and you might as well be wearing a plastic bag, or vapour barrier liner, on your feet. Furthermore, they are far better in cold environments where the water potential gradient between the inner and outer of the boot is maximised - the result is that your feet sweat far more in a goretex lined boot on a hot day than in a leather/fabric equivalent.

 

The bottom line is that, on most goretex lined boots, it's the leather outer that does most of the work, so you need to look after it anyway. In which, case, why pay the extra £15-20 for the goretex liner?

 

OK, I admit that that's a very basic look at the performance of sports and technical fabrics but goretex is far better in clothing than it is in boots. Personally, I believe it's a sales gimmick, so just look after your leather boots and they'll serve you just as well, if not better. It's horses for courses and if you find a boot that works for you, stick with it, but don't discount 'standard' leather boots just because they don't have a goretex/eVent lining.

 

Phew...

[skyhuck]

The goretex lining in the boot is sandwiched between the inner and outer leather. The liner works on the principle of water vapour molecules (from sweat) being small enough to pass through the pores in the material but 'liquid water' is unable to pass into the boot as cohesion through hydrogen bonding makes it too 'large'. Furthermore, a durable water-repellent coating on the outside of the liner prevents water from pooling on the surface - it beads instead (like it does on your goretex/eVent jackets).

 

The liner also works on the principle that there is a water potential gradient between the outside and the inside of the boot. This allows water vapour from sweat to diffuse out of the the boot, assuming that there is a lower potential outside.

 

In practice, the liner will work for a while, the leather/fabric of the boot also contributing to preventing water from getting as far as the goretex layer. However, as the boot gets older and has more use, dirt (from the inside of the boot) and particles from the inner leather/fabric face of the boot outer will block the pores on the goretex liner. This dramatically reduces the performance of the fabric and actually prevents water vapour from moving to the outside of the boot.

 

If we look at leather, which has been used for generations as a waterproof material for constructing shoes, this breathes naturally (it is, after all, natural) and water resistance can be maintained by cleaning the dirt off, drying boots properly and treating them with something like Nikwax of Grangers water-based reproofers.

 

In my own opinion, goretex liners are redundant. Once the pores are clogged they are extremely diffuclt to clean and you might as well be wearing a plastic bag, or vapour barrier liner, on your feet. Furthermore, they are far better in cold environments where the water potential gradient between the inner and outer of the boot is maximised - the result is that your feet sweat far more in a goretex lined boot on a hot day than in a leather/fabric equivalent.

 

The bottom line is that, on most goretex lined boots, it's the leather outer that does most of the work, so you need to look after it anyway. In which, case, why pay the extra £15-20 for the goretex liner?

 

OK, I admit that that's a very basic look at the performance of sports and technical fabrics but goretex is far better in clothing than it is in boots. Personally, I believe it's a sales gimmick, so just look after your leather boots and they'll serve you just as well, if not better. It's horses for courses and if you find a boot that works for you, stick with it, but don't discount 'standard' leather boots just because they don't have a goretex/eVent lining.

 

Phew...

 

Interesting stuff!!

 

All I know is that all the other boots I've had over the years have a let in water.

 

The Haix , which have a Gortex lining, remain 100% water proof.

 

I NEVER clean or wax my work boots, I have better things too do, like coming on here:001_cool:

[Stephen Blair]

hey skyhuck, i wreckon the reason your tennis elbow is better and your boots last so long is because you have a big sky hook that lifts you over the puddles, and you section trees in about 3 bits. have you ever thought about ratchit strapping a 046 to the crane and just sitting in the mogy with the heaters on, then just crane it straight into the trailer. ha ha

[skyhuck]

hey skyhuck, i wreckon the reason your tennis elbow is better and your boots last so long is because you have a big sky hook that lifts you over the puddles, and you section trees in about 3 bits. have you ever thought about ratchit strapping a 046 to the crane and just sitting in the mogy with the heaters on, then just crane it straight into the trailer. ha ha

 

I have a bad back and sitting makes if much worse.

 

Its much less pain full when I'm climbing.

[Mikey P]

hey skyhuck, i wreckon the reason your tennis elbow is better and your boots last so long is because you have a big sky hook that lifts you over the puddles

 

Now there's a thought....