Gore-tex footwear

[Jasonst]

Aside from normal sweat, should gore-tex footwear ever wet through? I have had several pair of Gore-tex shoes and have never had this problem but I played golf last weekend with my TNF GTX-XCR trail runners and my feet were wet after 3 holes. EMS cust service wasn't much help (ie. Are you SURE the water didn't come over the top of the shoes?) Duh? Anyone ever have their GTX XCR shoes leak? Perhaps these are defective.

J

 

[Papa Bear]

Gortex shoes/boots leak all the time!

Several things can happen:

1) yes, it might be defective, especially if it leaks from day one.

2) as the shoe gets old, the Gortex liner may get cracked, break, etc. Also the outside loses it's water resistance (especiall with leather) and so the Gortex will have a harder time doing it's job.

3) If the shoe is soaked on the outside, there won't be much of a vapor pressure gradient from inside to out, so the moisture will not get pushed through. Remember, the system only works because your foot is warm and that heat drives the water vapor out of the shoe. I've noticed on long hiking trips if the outside stays wet overnight, the inside will get wet overnight night as the water vapor equilibrates. (not your problem). I found if I wiped the outside off at night they would work better the next day.

 

[jbrown]

Sounds like you got a defective pair of shoes. I have the same ones you do and have used them in many conditions including winter slush. I was just out walking in the rain this past saturday and walked through Watkins Glen on sunday with my nephew. His feet were drenched, mine were toasty dry.

I'd say to exchange or return them if you can...

 

[Jasonst]

Do you have these?

 

[jbrown]

Yup, that's the exact same model and color as I have. Haven't had any problems with them at all, except for trying to get the red permanant marker off the tongues and insoles...they were in the return pile at EMS last year, got 'em for $55.

 

[DougPaul]

Remember moisture comes from the inside too (your feet sweat). Gore-tex always reduces the moisture permeability of the shoe over what it would be without the Gore-tex. Gore-tex can also fail water-proof when it becomes dirty or greasy.

I have one pair of boots with Gore-tex. My feet are always damp in them--even when the trail is dry. Never again.

Any leather boot needs to be treated, if only to protect the leather. Once treated, it is adequately waterproof without the Gore-tex.

Doug

 

[moose_mckenzie]

General Gore-tex Care

Gore-Tex footwear needs to be cared for.

After each hike, use a stiff nylon brush to remove all the dirt and other crud.
Purchase a protective product, such as Nikwax, designed for protecting GT footwear. Follow directions of boot manufacturer for protecting. Don't use Sno-Seal on GT products, as it will hasten the demise of the teflon material.

Not surprisingly, nylon footwear breaks down a lot sooner than leather. With the latter GT footwear, after using protective product, apply a thin layer of shoe polish (not on suede or splits) to make boots look good.

I had a pair of Garmont Nadevi GT -- loved them, but, after 200-300 miles of Adirondack day hiking (two seasons) they came apart.

Moose

 

[spaddock]

(ie. Are you SURE the water didn't come over the top of the shoes?) Duh? Anyone ever have their GTX XCR shoes leak? Perhaps these are defective.

I guess you'll have to play with gators next time!


-Shayne