I've just got back from a trip to Kentmere where after 4 hours of heavy rain one of my boots started to take in water. I can see where it ingresses by the air bubbles when i applied pressure to the soaked footbed, its at the base of the tongue at the sideswhere it connects to the upper.
Could anyone give me their views or experience of repairing stuff like this?
Should i just spray them with proofer and hope for the best?
Is there something i can apply to the problem area?
Or is it time to look for a new pair? Or am i expecting too much for the amount of rain?
My boots are Soloman X Adventure 7 - there non leather and have a clima dry lining -Solomans version of goretex lining. I've had them quite a few years but they havent really had heavy wear during that time and not much exposure to bad weather.
I work as a custom boot fitter and have seen this many times before. The gusset on the tounge where it joins the upper is a weak point and a common place to see leakage in a fabric boot. There is probably very little you can do to elliminate the problem but using a Nikwax DWR (Durable water proof repellant) will keep the light stuff out.
If the boot was within the guarantee period you could try and warranty the boot through an authorised salomon dealer. Its unlikely considering the age but worth a try in my opinion.
The next time you look at purchasing a boot, and salomon still rock! look and see if its Gore-tex. Gore tex has a lifetime guarantee to be waterproof, with in reasonable wear. So if this happens again you would have a warranty option for longer.
I was really hoping there would be some solution, i have a habit of bruising my two biggest toes on my left foot wearing walking boots on downhills etc and these are the first pair where its not as bad. I'd rather not have to buy a new pair more for the ordeal of finding a new pair that fit!
How long is a 'lifetime of reasonable wear' for a GTX liner in a boot anyway? how do you assess it for the purposes of a warranty claim?
Hehe. It's amazing how many people take "lifetime warranty" to mean "their lifetime" and not lifetime of the product.
Good question. A 20-year-old GTX-lined boot that's had no use shouldn't leak. A couple of years of use, even heavy use, and I personally would say that's a warranty issue. Maybe if you're looking at 6 years of heavy, consistent use, and the boot is battered out of shape and it's leaking - maybe then you'd tell them to buy a new pair, particularly if it was a lighter-weight fabric boot. And of course boots and clothing will be completely different.
Somehing you just said about toe bang in boots caught my attention. This should never happen! It can be caused by different reasons such as boots that are to small (there should be approx 3/4cm at the end of the longest digit) and also mobility of the foot inside the boot. You should be able to stablise the foot from migrating forward by using a standard accomodative footbed. A good technician should be able to measure the amount of forward migration before and after the insole to see if its working as it should.
Benco, good point! Thats the catch isnt it, the within reasonable wear means look after the uppers of your boots and if you need to return them make sure they are clean. The manufacturers use a centrifuge to test the integrity of the membrane but this is not always the best method. I prefer to test ingress by using a toe flex test with the boots partially submerged. In many cases a well looked after boot will still clasify for warranty 3-5 years down the road.
