Are boots ever totally waterproof?

“Yes,” the sales person insists, “these boots are totally waterproof!”. You look forward to many comfortable miles in the Berg with your new boots, come sun, rain or snow. When the rain does set in, you take care to put on your expensive rain paints over your knee high gaiters, which cover your Nikwax-soaked, Gortex-lined boots. Should keep the water out, you think. But it’s only a matter of time before you feel the warm, damp feeling in your feet as your boots’ limited waterproofing is breached, and the Dragon wins once again!

Familiar feeling anyone? I use some of the best boots I can get my hands on and appreciate the beating they endure in the Berg. But never be fooled by sales people that insist they are totally water proof. This simply isn’t true. And their ability to keep water out diminishes rapidly with use. You can be sure that anyone insisting that a particular boot will keep you 100% dry in the Berg has obviously not done any significant hiking there!

Try rain for hours on end, walking through many miles of soaking wet vegetation (which is anything from ankle high up to your shoulders), and endless crossing or rivers and streams – nature still outdoes technology! I have accepted these limitations over time and have come to appreciate the Salomon Tech-Amphibians, a wonderful hybrid of trail runners and aqua shoes. When the going gets wet, I just give up trying to stay dry and switch to these. My boots hitch a ride on my pack until it gets drier again.

My experience is that one really needs to know how to drive gaiters... I made the crucial mistake once of tucking my rain pants into my gaiters, causing the rain to run into my "waterproof" boots... They have never been the same...

I've recently had it suggested to me by more than one person at various outdoor stores that I return any Gortex-lined boots that get wet. Gortex is "Guaranteed to keep you dry" - apparently a life-time guarantee. I've also had a certain shop assistant not believe me that they do get wet! Hmm, I'm wondering how many of these people have experienced harsh Berg conditions for themselves.

Every Gortex-lined boot I've ever owned, or that my friends have used, have leaked at some point.

Nonetheless, I will try to get my leaky boots replaced sometime. It could prove to be an interesting exercise!