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So now that I have my new Keen boots and paid $250 for them I want to protect them well from the snow and salt. I bought some mink oil at the store the other night in anticipation of getting my new boots. The guy at the store recommended it. I was doing some research tonight though and from what I was reading it sounds like mink oil is not the way to go since it can soften the leather too much and break it down over time. Most people were saying that a beeswax type product works better than an animal based product. They also sell this at the same store so I think I might go back and exchange the mink oil for this.
What do you guys use and what have you found to work the best on your boots?
Dan
danpattison.com
If they’re waterproof, I’ll just hose them off every few days or so. Rub some Shoe Goo in the scuffs and scrapes if they’re deep.
I have had good luck with both mink oil and beeswax. Beeswax needs to be reapplied more often than mink oil. A trick I learned years ago was to warm up the boots first. You can put them in the oven at keep warm temperature or safer and more socially acceptable is to heat them up with a hair dryer. Then hit them with the water proofing which ever you use. After you have applied the wax or oil heat them again and the waterproofing will go deeper into the leather and will last longer between reapplication. I learned this from my Dad. We used the oven when Mom was gone and the hair dryer when she wasn’t.
I’ve always used Mink Oil. It’s one of those things that if it isn’t broke,,, On that note, over the last few years, I haven’t had any boots I cared enough about to worry whether the product I use was going to wear them out.
I’ve always used Mink Oil. It’s one of those things that if it isn’t broke,,, On that note, over the last few years, I haven’t had any boots I cared enough about to worry whether the product I use was going to wear them out.
I used to use care products on my boots, but the soles wear out on mine before the leather does. Plus, I never seen much of a difference between the boots I used the stuff on and the ones I didn’t.
I think since the boot is inherently waterproof a goof leather conditioner is all you really need. I haven’t applied any to my boots but I certainly should.
I picked up some of the Moneysworth & Best snow guard today while I was out so I’ll try applying some of that to my new boots. They recommend heating the leather first with a hair dryer for best results. I agree with you guys though that the soles usually wear out first but where I’m going to be wearing these primarily in the winter in all the slush and mess I figured it would be worth protecting them.
Dan
danpattison.com
Dan, that is a good idea since the salt and grime really can take its toll on leather. The leather shoes I am wearing right now are starting to crack form the salt and weather.
Check out Rust-Oleum NeverWet 2 Part Spray $38.94 you can buy it on amazon. Youtube has a bunch of videos on this stuff.
Automotive Pro
Fayetteville, NCI have used both the wax products and Mink oil. I think the wax products work the best. I heat my boots in the over and them apply the wax. you have to be carefull not to get them to hot. I have no0t had good luck with a hair dryer. When I get a new pair of boots, the first thing i do is coat the toes with Aquaseal to protect them if they dont have built in protection.
My current boots are not holding up to the snow well so I think I will try the never wet coating on them to keep my feet dry this winter. I may have to save my points for a new pair of Keen boots, I love their shoes.
I heated up my boots with the hair dryer tonight and applied some of the wax to them. It seemed to work well and just darkened them a bit. I’ll give them a test in the snow this week and see how they do.
Dan
danpattison.com
I just bought some new boots by Kamik and they are well insulated and waterproof . No worries here 🙂
I’ve always used Mink Oil. It’s one of those things that if it isn’t broke,,, On that note, over the last few years, I haven’t had any boots I cared enough about to worry whether the product I use was going to wear them out.
I used to use care products on my boots, but the soles wear out on mine before the leather does. Plus, I never seen much of a difference between the boots I used the stuff on and the ones I didn’t.
If the boots are worth it, I’ll resole them, but I have never had a pair that didn’t have bigger issues than the soles.
Come to think of it, I had a pair of Brahma boots that I had for a very long time, like 10 years before they wore out. Guess I wasn’t hard enough on them.
DanModerator
I heated up my boots with the hair dryer tonight and applied some of the wax to them. It seemed to work well and just darkened them a bit. I’ll give them a test in the snow this week and see how they do.If I am worried about the boots being waterproof, I buy boots with GoreTex. Never had a problem with boots that had it.
You are right Lon. Gore-Tex is the best way to go for waterproof. I have waterproofed many pair of boots over the years but none were 100%. The Gore-Tex boots were until I wore a hole in them or accidentally cut all the way through them.
years ago when i had a pair of dr. martens boots i used mink oil on them as recommended by the girl at the store however the mink oil soffened the leather so much that they no longer had any support in a short time. if i do treat my boots i use silicone spray thats sold in the outdoor section of walmart and canadian tire. it works on tents, boots, jackets and what not
heres a tip, dont fart in a space suit
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