boot treatment?

[kevinc54]

bought some Keen boots, made in china, they have some leather bits.
not sure about a treatment for this leather to ensure long life?
pic attached. thanks.

[vicrev]

Dubbin.. saddle/leather polish works for me........... .

[Strider]

Nikwax

[GPSGuided]

Love my numerous Keens for their comfort and convenience. What I suggest is that the sole and stitching will wear out long before any problem with the leather. It's almost a waste of time and money to apply any additional treatments. At most, a quick spray of DWR if you really really want to. As matter of fact, I have never sprayed mine and have had no issues. Just wear it!

[icefest]

The last I heard, dubbin can break down some stitching - something about acidic ingredients, I haven't fact checked it.

I've personally used sno-seal with great success. It's good for waterproofing.

Whatever you chose, the most important part is cleaning them. It's acidic dirt that actively destroys leather and stitching. Make sure to wash and clean them after use.

Some people also use some thinned down seam grip on the seams. The theory is that the wicking glue prevents a single torn stich from propagating down the line and letting the shoe fall apart.


Top be honest though, the glue holding the sole and the sole itself are more likely to fall apart and/or wear out.

[GPSGuided]

+1 on keeping it clean after each use. That 'Keen Dry' membrane is good enough to keep the inside dry until it wears out as most membranes will in time. Not a worry for these single sole-life boots.

[slparker]

+1 on keeping it clean after each use. That 'Keen Dry' membrane is good enough to keep the inside dry until it wears out as most membranes will in time. Not a worry for these single sole-life boots.

I haven't used leather treatment for years - my boots' soles have always worn out long before the uppers have - even with deep scratching and abrasion that nikwax etc does nothing to prevent. I don't see how it achieves anything that the tanning process hasn't done already.

In terms of 'waterproofing': I've never had a pair of boots stay dry for longer than about an hour irrespective of how much dubbin, snoseal or nikwax I've laboriously soaked into the leather - much to my chagrin.
edit: I agree with the above regarding cleaning after wearing...

[kevinc54]

ok thanks for the tips. yes bit worried about all that stitching.
hopefully i won't use them in extreme conditions.
most of my stuff in the past has eventually become 'unglued' in the sole somewhere.
just walking trails trying to find a lyrebird to photograph in northern NSW.

[farefam]

For boots with leather I'd recommend clean and naturally dry them immediately after every trip then once they're dry apply a couple of coats of sno-seal. Cleaning seems to help slow the deterioration of the stitching and the sno-seal helps keep the leather more supple and lessen cracking. Footware should always be cleaned anyway to help prevent the spread of phytophthera fungus (dieback) and weeds more generally.

[GPSGuided]

ok thanks for the tips. yes bit worried about all that stitching.
hopefully i won't use them in extreme conditions.
most of my stuff in the past has eventually become 'unglued' in the sole somewhere.

Out of all my Keen boots/shoes/sandals, none have fallen apart but from eventually wearing down of the soles. They are very durable and get replaced when their sole have done its lifetime of work. Just wear it, walk it and clean it. They'll be fine.

[Zone-5]

Kiwi Select Mink Oil.



This is amazing stuff when you can find it for sale.

[slparker]

Kiwi Select Mink Oil.



This is amazing stuff when you can find it for sale.

I bought some in New York in 1996 and I've used half of it. i wouldn't call it amazing. I'd call it similar to dubbin.

[johnrs]

Hi Kevin
Shoe makers prefer beeswax based products over pigfat (Dubbin).
I am not sure why
John

[north-north-west]

Dubbin can hasten the degradation of stitching. Does something to the thread. Wax based products like Snoseal or Nikwax are best.

[vicrev]

Never had a problem with stitching using Dubbin.....must be just lucky...

[kevinc54]

thanks for the tips.
have used nothing so far.
first use was up the pyramid in girraween national park qld
they were amazing, perfect straight out of the box
what happened to the good old days when you soaked your boots in horse urine for a couple of days followed by walking in water for
a couple of hours and walking them dry. then taping over all the blisters?

[GPSGuided]

Consider these as beefed up joggers and associated comfort. These are no traditional leather boots.

[Aidan]

How many of these native NZ mink does it take to squeeze enough oil for a tin?
Quite extraordinary my never realising that despite coming across stoats,weasels and ferrets, I'd never so much as heard a whisper of native mink.
Could it be a conspiracy?