How many miles are you getting before your Gor-Tex liner is breaking down ? I’m between 1250-1500 miles

[b_doornenbal]

For the last three years I have been running through a set of boots nearly every 10 - 12 months before the gortex liner is failing in various spots. I do a good job of keeping them treated with wax based creams but once the liner fails I can’t keep my feet dry. I have tried a few different types of boots all lasting about the same.

Meindl Canada Pro 3000’s
Lowa Tibets x2
Scarpa KInesis Pro

I am currently splitting my boot time between Hanwag Alaskans and La Sportiva Trango Towers and Meindl Canada Pro 3000’s

** I am also from Canada so I can’t easily get the awesome boots that are available in the US, I refuse to pay 20% duty and shipping so I stick with what I can get in Canada**

I spend about 60-80 days a year hunting, 20 days setting and checking cams and another 10 days scouting averaging 6-12 miles per day during those activities. I also do a a fair bit hiking and training through the summer. The Garmin watch and Apple fitness apps sure helps with tracking how far a person is walking.

I would estimate I am walking 1250-1500 miles a year in a set of boots but still feel like I should get more than 10-12 months out of them. Yes I know you can return them and warranty them and I have but having wet feet at the wrong time is what makes me more annoyed. Last year the liner failed on day 3 of a 7 day sheep hunt, having to dry out boots daily sucks !!!

The reason I am asking is that I am a Forester by trade and I used to get 3-5 yrs out of a set of boots and I was literally in the bush for 4 months straight doing layout.

If this is all I should expect I guess I will just live with buying a new set every 10 months and keep submitting warranty claims.

How many miles are you getting ???

 

[ElPollo]

So, back when I was in the field full time, I never got more than about a year out of a pair of boots. Even when I was wearing wildland fire fighter boots, I was wearing off the soles in a season to the point where they needed rebuilding. But modern boots like those you are wearing are different. The soles and midsole are designed for more shock absorption to reduce the pounding on your joints. Those wear out and are not as easily rebuilt. The leather is also generally a nubuck, which is lighter than full grain leather. I find it stretches a bit more than full grain. The long and the short of this is that the newer style boots are designed to be more comfortable and ergonomic but you sacrifice some durability over old school forester/fire boots. I think most boot manufacturers would say that 1250-1500 miles is a pretty good life expectancy for an average modern mountain boot. For “hiking” boots, it’s probably more like 300-500 miles. Wearing boots out every season is what got me into the forester/fire boot world. My experience with them was mixed. They are durable but are less water resistant, so you end up just dealing with wet feet more. I also did not generally have good experiences with rebuilds. Perhaps it was due to leather stretch, but my rebuilt boots always had new odd fit issues that didn’t always sort themselves out with break in. In the end I found that I preferred a lower top, stiff, hiker type boot with a full rubber rand, and I just deal with the expense of replacing them for more comfort.

 

[MallardSX2]

My Kennetrek mountain extreme boots leaked after about 4 months. I have no idea how many miles that was, but the boots certainly didn't look new anymore.

 

[*zap*]

gortex in boots may not be a good thing. feet constantly sweat from that liner, jmo.

 

[b_doornenbal]

gortex in boots may not be a good thing. feet constantly sweat from that liner, jmo.

That defiantly can be a problem for some but if you can't seem to treat them to keep the leather from repelling water you have wet feet either way. Having tried both I will take gortex and dampness from sweat as opposed to dumping water out of my boot and not being able to dry them for 10 days.