Scarpa Boot - Keeping it waterproof and rubber peeling away.

[scubajunky]

What is the best way to treat the leather and keep them waterproof and what can be done when the rubber trim starts slightly peeling away from the leather ?
Thanks in advance,
I have been using Nikiwax Aqueous wax.

 

[Ystranc]

There are some issues with Vibram soles breaking up and the rands separating from the leather uppers. I’ve had it happen with a pair of Scarpa and a pair of Han Vag. I think it is down to the duel density nature of the Vibram soles rather than the brand of boot. I’m much happier with stitched welted boots which are re-soleable.

 

[Paul_B]

The last scarpa SLs owned lasted less than a year. The sole tread wore down badly and the instep snapped right across. No crack to full width crack in one step! Quality dropped badly back then.

I've steered away from scarpa for years until last summer I got a pair of trail shoes. A plasticky bit on the side of the sole unit started peeling very quickly and a hole in the inside of the body of the shoe top.

Imho scarpa are iffy at times.

There's many glues you can use for peeled rubber. My advice is preventive gluing. Act at the earliest sign of peeling. Once it's peeled away more than a cm or so the rubber can stretch and it might not glue down flat. You can buy special shoe glue but tbh a good superglue suitable for rubber might be just as good. I use a gorilla glue that's described as flexible. I figure it'll stretch with the flex of the shoe.

I've just used it to seal slit holes at the crease lines in the instep region of the trail shoe body. Fabric with goretex lining. Gluing the long, thin holes with flexible glue will protect the membrane I think. Solomon shoes that have lasted surprisingly long for me.

Leather is about keeping it from drying out. "Moisturising " it with a wax or cream that gets into the fibres are good. Nikwax is good but others work too. I once heard dubbin rots the threads. I had a few boots fail at the threads but not sure that's why. Usual advice about drying out slowly away from strong heat like fires and radiators. That can crack the leather but also over dries it ime. Dry with the innersole out of the boot. Newspaper in the boot helps.

I know all the theories of maintaining leather boots but I never did it very often and tbh it didn't harm the boot as much as poor quality of major brands that shipped production away from Italy to Asia or elsewhere without getting quality matters right. As a result the boots failed at the soles through use, but not a lot of use. First SLs lasted nearly 10 years, second 18 months, third less than 12 months. No fourth one.

 

[Ystranc]

Clarified tallow is probably the best leathercare product that I know of. A guy on another forum did some pretty exhaustive tests preserving and renovating leather and tallow came out tops. I’ve used it ever since and I’m a total convert.

 

[Nice65]

Sno-Seal is the best stuff I’ve come across since Nikwax stopped producing oil based products. I’ve been using it on a pair of Bates for nearly 10 years. 2 or 3 coats and a hairdryer once a year and they’re waterproof until the next time.

There is/was an eBay seller in the US who will send UK. I’ve used about half a tin, maybe a bit over in the time I’ve had it, works out well economically.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

Do you mean the rand is starting to separate from the leather ? If so, this is often due to the leather getting repeatedly wet & then shrinking slightly when dried too quickly. - Stormsure - is pretty good at sticking back the rands.
If you're walking through wet vegetation, there isn't much you can do to keep leather boots waterproof. Whatever product you put on will be stripped off. For general boot care & rainproofness though I haven't found one particular product to be better than another.

 

[Ystranc]

Do you mean the rand is starting to separate from the leather ? If so, this is often due to the leather getting repeatedly wet & then shrinking slightly when dried too quickly. - Stormsure - is pretty good at sticking back the rands.
If you're walking through wet vegetation, there isn't much you can do to keep leather boots waterproof. Whatever product you put on will be stripped off. For general boot care & rainproofness though I haven't found one particular product to be better than another.

In this case I think it was more to do with the inner foam/plastic that the soles are made of breaking down and the outer rubber surface breaking up. I’ve never had that happen before and I put it down to a cut in manufacturing standards and material quality. I had a pair of Zamberlan that lasted me fifteen years which had the older, harder direct moulded Vibram sole with a toe cap but no rand. I actually wore them out before anything failed. Mid range boots just aren’t as well made as they used to be and I honestly feel that we are just paying for a name.

 

[scubajunky]

Thanks everyone for some very helpful and thorough answers. The boots are about fifteen years old but I only wear them for mountain hiking so they still have a good tread. Unfortunately I cannot add pictures on here but on the toe it has just peeled away a little bit an at one point on the side of the foot. They are still waterproof but I am concerned that they will continue to peel away. They are a great boot and I want to keep them functional.

 

[fatherdamo]

I've been using Scarpa HS12 Footwear cream for around 10 years. Treat all my leather footwear with this. Water repellent, i ahve one pair of scarpa boots that aren't goretex or anything, they've never let water in with this.

Repairs for footwear I've always used Shoe Goo, from repairing trail running footwear splits, sealing worn out holed undersole motorbiking boots to leather to boot seal joints. Shoe Goo is flexible once dry and can be used to repair almost anything boot/trainer related.

These are both the products for repairs and maintaining footwear kit I use.

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[scubajunky]

I've been using Scarpa HS12 Footwear cream for around 10 years. Treat all my leather footwear with this. Water repellent, i ahve one pair of scarpa boots that aren't goretex or anything, they've never let water in with this.

Repairs for footwear I've always used Shoe Goo, from repairing trail running footwear splits, sealing worn out holed undersole motorbiking boots to leather to boot seal joints. Shoe Goo is flexible once dry and can be used to repair almost anything boot/trainer related.

These are both the products for repairs and maintaining footwear kit I use.

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Thanks, very helpful.

 

[JB101]

If the uppers are in good condition they may be worth sending off to get resoled

Walking Boot Repairs and Resoles - LSR

Walking boot repairs, hiking boot repairs, resoles and full refurbishment. All makes of walking boot repaired and resoled.

lancashiresportsrepairs.co.uk

I picked up a pair of old leather scarpa boots which looked to have been unworn or used once or twice.After wearing them once the soles started to come off all the way arround just below the rand.
As the uppers were mint so I sent them to the above and they came back as good as new .
It was well worth the £80.00 spent on them doing it.
Conversly try a tube of shoe goo for circ £15.00 .