How often should you apply waterproofing products to boots?

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Tom89

Tenderfoot
Jul 23, 2013
73
0
England
Hi, I've recently bought some altberg boots and their leder Gris product and I was wondering how often do you apply it (eg after every walk, once a week, month etc?). Cheers
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
You can tell by looking at leather when it needs treating. It looks dull and flat, it scuffs easily - especially at the toes I find and starts look dry and slightly rough. When it looks like that - treat it. Its not about miles covered but more "exposure to mud, wet and abrasion" which can be a lot in Winter...or Scotland :)
 

Teepee

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 15, 2010
4,115
5
Northamptonshire
I can sometimes get 4 or 5 days constant use out of a treatment, walking over mountains in the wet will see the wax stripped off in hours.

FWIW, I don't find much use for the dry treatments like Leder-gris. The leather has to be fully dry before applying and often, my boots are damp but still need treating. I much prefer the water based waxes which actually need to go onto damp/wet leather, dead easy after rinsing the boots under tap to fetch the dirt off.
 

Macaroon

A bemused & bewildered
Jan 5, 2013
7,209
362
73
SE Wales
I can sometimes get 4 or 5 days constant use out of a treatment, walking over mountains in the wet will see the wax stripped off in hours.

FWIW, I don't find much use for the dry treatments like Leder-gris. The leather has to be fully dry before applying and often, my boots are damp but still need treating. I much prefer the water based waxes which actually need to go onto damp/wet leather, dead easy after rinsing the boots under tap to fetch the dirt off.

The common or garden Ledergris, as opposed to the extreme, is to be applied to damp boots; unlike most other waxes you don't need to wait 'till the boots dry completely, though I don't think it's a water-based product.

Altberg have told me in the past that the Ledergris is made up to suit the specific tanning they use on their anfibio leather,
and I (for once!) have believed them.......................If you can't believe what's told you by a company with the great reputation of Altberg then we're all doomed; doomed, I tell you! :)
 

Teepee

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 15, 2010
4,115
5
Northamptonshire
I took that info off Altberg site. :lmao: We're doomed!

They state 'nearly dry'. That's about 2 days drying for me with newspaper stuffed in. I'm a bit anal with my kit :eek:

Does it go onto quite damp leather well then Mac?
 

Macaroon

A bemused & bewildered
Jan 5, 2013
7,209
362
73
SE Wales
Yeah, it seems to Pete; I've never had a wet foot with my Altbergs, now on my third pair. I'm wearing non-GTX ones at the moment and have been walking in the wet woodlands with these on for four weeks now, average about twelve miles a day so mine don't get much chance of a proper dry-out either, but I Ledergris 'em every other day and I've stayed dry so far.

I reckon you wouldn't go far wrong using the Nikwax products from the waterproofing point of view, but my problem has always been cracking of the leather behind the toe-box and the Ledergris seems to be the answer (for me) to that.

I'm anal with my kit too mate, *I only buy the best I can get to do the job I need and I don't see the point of not putting the time and effort into looking after stuff; very much like tools, which I suppose is what they are.......:)
 

Teepee

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 15, 2010
4,115
5
Northamptonshire
Yeah, it seems to Pete; I've never had a wet foot with my Altbergs, now on my third pair. I'm wearing non-GTX ones at the moment and have been walking in the wet woodlands with these on for four weeks now, average about twelve miles a day so mine don't get much chance of a proper dry-out either, but I Ledergris 'em every other day and I've stayed dry so far.

I reckon you wouldn't go far wrong using the Nikwax products from the waterproofing point of view, but my problem has always been cracking of the leather behind the toe-box and the Ledergris seems to be the answer (for me) to that.

I'm anal with my kit too mate, *I only buy the best I can get to do the job I need and I don't see the point of not putting the time and effort into looking after stuff; very much like tools, which I suppose is what they are.......:)

Nice one Mac :)

Couldn't agree more mate, a bit of love shown to boots is well worth it. An old adage I stand is 'If it touches the ground, spend money on it'. Money= time in this context in my mind . Nothing touches the ground more than footwear.

I don't think the waterproofing of Nikwax can be much improved but the waterproofing wax doesn't seem to halt the cracking or do much for softening, I use the conditioner for that but have always wondered if there's something better on the market that would go on damp boots.
 

Macaroon

A bemused & bewildered
Jan 5, 2013
7,209
362
73
SE Wales
Apart from all the finer points of finding what works for you personally and your own patterns of use, British Red is right on the money in his post above; in the general run of things leather will tell you when it needs treating if you spend a little time cleaning mud off etc. and observe the look of it. As with all good kit, you need to get to know how it looks when in good nick,
and when it begins to look different, fettle it!
 

big_swede

Native
Sep 22, 2006
1,452
8
41
W Yorkshire
I'm a bit anal with my kit :eek:

Horrible mental image that gave me! What has been thought can not be unseen.

back on track. I find that a thorough cleaning with first brush than saddle/leather soap (look it up, it's a fantastic piece of maintenance kit!) applied with a sponge, followed by a generous amount of leather wax (I use a product from lundhags with tar in it) which is left to absorb for a time and then is brushed to a polished state works best for me. My blundstones are looking young and healthy after several years and my lundhags hasn't aged a bit.
 

Duggie Bravo

Settler
Jul 27, 2013
532
124
Dewsbury
I use Kiwi polish on my Meindl boots and of course on my BCH/BCA when I was still in.
I occasionally use G Wax both the tin and the cream when I'm away from home.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

CAL

Forager
May 16, 2008
235
0
Barnsley (in Gods Own County)
I was using Ledergris on my Altbergs but have switched back to the coloured Brasher wax I used for years on my Brashers as that seems to soak in better and kept my brashers looking new for 12 years. I always found the Ledergris seemed to dry up and crack off. I just rewax mine when they have been really wet / muddy or when they start to look dry/dull.
 

bigbear

Full Member
May 1, 2008
1,061
210
Yorkshire
Really want to endorse the point about spending money on good footwear, you only get one pair of feet !
as BR said, just look at the leather dry looking, matt, scuffed, it needs treatment.
Just bought a pair of riggers for the allotment as wellies too sweaty in warm weather, and don't want to wear my mountain boots there. They we not cheap (de walt ones) but looked after properly O reckon I will get a good few years out of them, which males them very good value.
as a friend once said, buy cheap, buy twice !
 

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