Waterproofing

[ChristopherX]

Hello everyone,
here is my first forum post. I intend to walk my first Camino Frances in January 2018. I bought a pair of North Face hiking shoes/boots which are said to be waterproof. When I told the assistant about the nature of the walk - 4 to 5 weeks, over variable terrain, in winter, his advise was to clean and re-waterproof the boots (for example using Nikwax spray) at least once along the route. However, in all the packing lists put online by Camino pilgrims, none mention packing a can of waterproofing spray. Has anyone here experience of walking through the rain, snow and mud of the Camino in winter?

 

[domigee]

Hi @ChristopherX and welcome!
You are bound to receive lots of different answers... I have walked in Winter and in very heavy rain (not on the Camino) and yes, shoes get wet. They even filled up with water sometimes. I never carried a waterproofing kit, just stuffed the shoes with newspapers at night... (and changed the newspaper often during the evening). They were usually good enough to go by the morning...
What I have seen other walkers use - again, not on the Camino - is gaiters but I haven't any personal experience of them. They seem pretty good though.
Oh and I have never cleaned my boots whilst on a Camino/long pilgrimage. I do it at home though!
Buen camino

 

[wayfarer]

Welcome Christopher. In the early part of my Camino I walked through a lot of mud and water due to heavy rain. I bought a small tube of Nikwax waterproofer in Burgos and worked it into the boots while we had our rest day. I repeated this about twice more before we finally reached Muxia. I would definitely recommend bringing a small tube or tin of waterproofer and apply whenever you get a chance and when your boots are dry.
Happy planning and Buen Camino.

 

[ChristopherX]

Hi @ChristopherX and welcome!
You are bound to receive lots of different answers... I have walked in Winter and in very heavy rain (not on the Camino) and yes, shoes get wet. They even filled up with water sometimes. I never carried a waterproofing kit, just stuffed the shoes with newspapers at night... (and changed the newspaper often during the evening). They were usually good enough to go by the morning...
What I have seen other walkers use - again, not on the Camino - is gaiters but I haven't any personal experience of them. They seem pretty good though.
Oh and I have never cleaned my boots whilst on a Camino/long pilgrimage. I do it at home though!
Buen camino

Thank you for that. And there are certain British newspaper titles that are indeed only fit for stuffing into boots. (!)

 

[Deleted member 43985]

I wore boots with gortex membranes in both January/February & April/May Caminos and had no issues with wet feet regardless of whether I walked in deep snow, torrential rain or deep mud. Pre-Camino I did treat them with a spray treatment (as I bought them many months in advance to be fully broken in) and as I recall the boots needed to be damp in order for the product to work properly. During the Camino, to help the boots ‘breath’ I would wash off mud at days end as best I could. Not sure if it helped but since I went feet dry I can say it didn’t hurt!

 

[Anniesantiago]

I've walked many many times and never have waterproofed my shoes.
I wear New Balance Trail Runners.
They rarely get wet but when they do, they are dry by morning.

 

[J F Gregory]

I use waterproof hikers on the Camino and here at home in the rainy Northwest Washington and have had no issues with waterproof shoes unless I walk in to deep of water and it comes in through the top.

 

[ChristopherX]

Hello everyone,
here is my first forum post. I intend to walk my first Camino Frances in January 2018. I bought a pair of North Face hiking shoes/boots which are said to be waterproof. When I told the assistant about the nature of the walk - 4 to 5 weeks, over variable terrain, in winter, his advise was to clean and re-waterproof the boots (for example using Nikwax spray) at least once along the route. However, in all the packing lists put online by Camino pilgrims, none mention packing a can of waterproofing spray. Has anyone here experience of walking through the rain, snow and mud of the Camino in winter?

Thank you everyone for your information and advice. I am particularly paranoid about getting wet feet as a while ago, wearing cheap boots on a training walk, my feet got wet and not being able to change into dry socks etc I had to continue walking for another 3 hours. As a result, the skin between some of my toes had torn off leaving the layer underneath red and raw. It took me 4 days to recover before I felt able to resume the hike. It may be that I am particularly sensitive to this problem. Although a couple of you have found your boots to be truly waterproof, I cannot forget the words of warning from the shop assistant when I bought my new North Face boots. So I think I shall waterproof the boots immediately prior to leaving for the camino and follow the example of "wayfarer" and buy some more once I am on the camino. I also like the "domigee's" suggestion of gaiters as a great of any water entering the boots would presumably do so through the top of the boots.

 

[alaskadiver]

My waterproof hiking shoes kept my feet dry through many puddles and rainstorms. My husband chose to carry a small tin can of boot dressing and a brush. He cleaned his boots every other night every day depending on how much mud they had. He used the dressing once or twice. He's always done that for long distance hikes. He usually does mine too, I just never notice He didn't care about the extra weight, that was no issue for him. For many people it is.
We also both use short gaiters and that always works well to keep the water out. In fact, I wear ankle high Vasque boots and wear OR short gaiters. I just went on a hike here in Alaska last week where I had to cross a stream. The gaiters kept the water from going over the top of my boots. Of course, I didn't linger in the icy creek and walked fast jumping from rock to rock

 

[Sixwheeler]

Or you could take some waterproof socks with you in case it gets really wet. I've never needed them but understand that Sealskinz are well regarded.
Ultreïa.

 

[Kanga]

Sealskinz or Dexshell socks and sandals work for me.

 

[Tia Valeria]

Are your boots fabric or leather? If the latter we can recommend Renapur waterproofer. It comes in 200ml pots. We took some in a mini pot with applicator sponge on our Caminos and used it a couple of times. It seems expensive to buy but lasts for years as a little goes a long way.
Whether using Renapur or a spray on make sure that all seams and welts are well proofed (an old toothbrush works well) not just the surfaces.

 

[Field Marshall]

Hello everyone,
here is my first forum post. I intend to walk my first Camino Frances in January 2018. I bought a pair of North Face hiking shoes/boots which are said to be waterproof. When I told the assistant about the nature of the walk - 4 to 5 weeks, over variable terrain, in winter, his advise was to clean and re-waterproof the boots (for example using Nikwax spray) at least once along the route. However, in all the packing lists put online by Camino pilgrims, none mention packing a can of waterproofing spray. Has anyone here experience of walking through the rain, snow and mud of the Camino in winter?

Chris, I just completed the Frances with more than perfect dry weather, and in my preparation I spoke to Nikwax a few times on their boot & shoe spray.. Since
I had unsatisfactory results on my at home tennis shoes, but very good results w/the other prods., that's what initiated my call to one of their specialists.
I was told the pump spray, which barely dispenses is a watered down
(my words) version of the push applicator version which sounded like they were discontinueing .. I therefore highly suggest GorTex/ Event membrain boots. BOOTS only that is, with ankle support...! Not a low cut shoe of any kind.. The rounded river rock you are about to encounter on many of the Kilometers is extremely dangerous especially when wet or God Forbid slightly glazed w/ ice.

 

[HedaP]

Another vote for waterproof socks.
Was tossing up whether to reply to this thread as have never walked in January so basically know zip. However, I have walked through some snow and torrential icy rain in April. Despite spending a lot of money I have not been able to find a pair of boots that don’t eat my feet from the ground up. Instead I walk in quick dry trail runners which also means damn quick to get wet. This year, my last minute insurance policy against snow was to buy one pair of waterproof socks. They weigh more than normal socks. Wearing them feels like wearing what I imagine a wet suit would feel like. Getting them dry after washing them which in itself is tricky, takes ages unless lucky enough to find a heater. But boy do they keep your feet dry. My feet never once got wet while wearing these socks. I would definitely pack them again if doing a cold weather camino. I would also pack some silk or other light weight liner socks to wear under the waterproof socks because in really icy weather my toes were dry but they did get cold.
Buen camino.

 

[Tia Valeria]

Having always walked in leather boots we have never had a problem with wet feet. For a winter Camino I would certainly wear leather rather than anything else. (Our current boots are Hi-Tec 'Ravine' ) Many boots these days seem to be cloth or a mix of leather and cloth which IMO are never going to be as waterproof as all leather ones. Re-proofing is also easier as the proofer is a light wax type rather than liquid.
We did have a different make of boot one year which was not fully waterproof because of a design fault. They had an oval shaped 'crease insert' across below the lacing which let water in through the stitching. The newspaper drying system worked but we ditched the boots on our return home and bought the Ravines.

 

[ChristopherX]

Sealskinz or Dexshell socks and sandals work for me.

Just a word of caution to potential pilgrims from UK, sealskinz socks cost £20-25

 

[ChristopherX]

Chris, I just completed the Frances with more than perfect dry weather, and in my preparation I spoke to Nikwax a few times on their boot & shoe spray.. Since
I had unsatisfactory results on my at home tennis shoes, but very good results w/the other prods., that's what initiated my call to one of their specialists.
I was told the pump spray, which barely dispenses is a watered down
(my words) version of the push applicator version which sounded like they were discontinueing .. I therefore highly suggest GorTex/ Event membrain boots. BOOTS only that is, with ankle support...! Not a low cut shoe of any kind.. The rounded river rock you are about to encounter on many of the Kilometers is extremely dangerous especially when wet or God Forbid slightly glazed w/ ice.

OK that sounds like good advice. The information I was given is that the waterproofness of any boot will deteriorate over time; it's just a matter of whether relatively new boots will last for 5 weeks, which in turn is a function of the weather and ground surfaces encountered as well as, in my case, genetic factors.

 

[ChristopherX]

Having always walked in leather boots we have never had a problem with wet feet. For a winter Camino I would certainly wear leather rather than anything else. (Our current boots are Hi-Tec 'Ravine' ) Many boots these days seem to be cloth or a mix of leather and cloth which IMO are never going to be as waterproof as all leather ones. Re-proofing is also easier as the proofer is a light wax type rather than liquid.
We did have a different make of boot one year which was not fully waterproof because of a design fault. They had an oval shaped 'crease insert' across below the lacing which let water in through the stitching. The newspaper drying system worked but we ditched the boots on our return home and bought the Ravines.

That's interesting. Thank you. Perhaps I am in a small minority here but as a vegetarian I wouldn't be able to follow your advice to wear leather - which is a pity. However, if I keep up my present training walk regime, the skin on my own feet may well have turned to leather itself; in which case, problem solved.

 

[Turga]

Another thing to consider when using leather boots with Goretex-membrane (or other waterproof membrane) is that there are special kinds of wax/sprays that are supposed not to block the breathability of the membrane. I don’t know if this is just a sales-hype, but why not play it safe…?

 

[Tia Valeria]

That's interesting. Thank you. Perhaps I am in a small minority here but as a vegetarian I wouldn't be able to follow your advice to wear leather - which is a pity. However, if I keep up my present training walk regime, the skin on my own feet may well have turned to leather itself; in which case, problem solved.

I have great respect for your position on this. As a general non-wash in waterproofer (for ponchos and jackets) we have found the Nikwax pump-spray-on range to be good. Millets stock them and you might be able to proof your boots before hand and then take some in a smaller travel type spray bottle for the Camino. They currently have a sale.
Buen Camino