Silicone...or...nikwax?

imported
#1

ok…whats everyones opinion…really…for all leather boots…that will be wasted during or shortly after the AT…what are the main differences?

bigbird

#2

It depends how thick the leather is on your boots. Nikwax/ Silcone is fine for light weight leather but doesn’t go deep enough for thick leather and you need a more grease based product. I prefer a silcone based product for my boots. I’ve found Nik wax doesn’t last very long and the leather gets soaking wet when it wears off. Silicone goes deeper and last longer in my opinion. Limmer makes a grease product that is recommended for thicker leathers.

darthpacman

#3

I trashed my Vasques using the liquid. Made them way to soft and the ankles got all mushy. My Asolo 535s I used the paste Nix in the tube and it works okay. Leather stayed firm for more than 1000 miles.

Bushwhack

#4

paste nikwax in the tube. only way to go. use it on everything. i think my hands even have a permanant coating even after washing it off with lava soap in hot hot water.

Big Boy

#5

Backpacker mag did a boot test several years ago. Nikwax beat all others. It lasted almost three times as long as all other preps. I used it on my Vasque sundowners last year. The soles went out on me in PA but the uppers look like new. Great stuff.

Papa Smurf

#6

I used Aqua-Seal, which is silicon based, on my hike. If I had to do it over again I wouldn’t have. There is nothing wrong with Aqua-Seal’s product it is just that I later found out the manufacturer of my boots recommended Nikwax. But the Aqua-Seal paste is easy to use and I reapplied about every three to four weeks. You do want waterproofed boots. And in my opinion a gore-tex liner makes little difference. I had none, used waterproofing, used liner socks and had no, yes no foot problems. I don’t consider them problems but I lost the nails on my little toes and got the numb big toe everyone gets. When I bought my boots I was wearing the socks I intended to hike with and the guy selling them to me put his thumb in front of my big toe when he sized me. I also use arch supports. It took about three weeks to adjust to the supports but after that it was great. Now I had really tired feet every day in PA but who doesn’t. I know this is more than the question asked. I can’t answer a yes or no question nor a simple one easily.

Two Scoops

#7

If you talk with the boot experts, they recommend an acqueous based waterproofing like Nikwax rather than an oil based waterproofing.

Peaks