5 Reasons Why You Should STOP Wearing GORE-TEX Hiking Boots

GORE-TEX footwear can cause problems and most of the time I leave mine at home. There's a time and a place for GORE-TEX footwear but in my opinion it's an overhyped technology when it comes to what you put on your feet (clothes is a different story).

0:00 - Intro
0:08 - Reasons to not use GORE-TEX footwear
4:50 - Situations when you should wear GORE-TEX footwear

[chaseadventures]

Gore-tex footwear is a controversial topic for sure and these are my personal pros & cons and when I would and wouldn't wear Gore-tex. What's your experience been? Do you wear Gore-tex footwear? When do you wear it and when do you leave it at home?

[Totemparadox]

Just my opinions and some generalized facts.

1. Fair. For people who sweat a lot GTX can be too much, but most people I have hiked with are completely fine with GTX boots.

2. GTX does not dry slowly. Maybe a hair slower, but not by much. Water evaporates and vapor is what GTX lets out. Sure if you leave a boot that is full of water then it's not going to dry like a non GTX boot that leaks all that water out, but no one leaves their boot full of water. Those tiny droplets that would stay in regular boots turn into vapor and come out of the boot either from the shaft or through the membrane like it would on a non GTX boot. River crossing is legit issue with GTX, but I simply dump the water out after crossing and the heat from my feet dries the boot. Hooray for merino socks and feet that don't sweat a lot. Most of the time what people take as GTX drying slowly is the cushioning holding water.

3. It's not necesseraly heavier. Most modern boots have cushioning and a liner. Gore-Tex works as the liner so another non GTX boot will require some sort of fabric to line the boot and that lining weighs something just like GTX does. We are talking at most a few gram difference if even that. Flexibility has everything to do with the boot or shoe design and outside materials rather than the lining. And GTX boots are not at all burlier because the GTX bootie is the liner.

4. Good point, but from my experince using high quality GTX boots for 15 years, my boots have all failed before the GTX membrane. For 10 years I solely used Haix P9 Desert GTX boots. My father has used the same boots for around 15 to 20 years. 5 pairs between us and 3 pairs have failed due to the outsole cracking after many Finnish winters and summers.

My main problem GTX is boot height. If boots are 6" or under, GTX is wasted and actaully works against the user because water can so eaily get in from the top. 8" is good, but 10" is better and many people think that 8" is too much. In the past few years I have also begun to use barefoot shoes like FiveFingers. If those were GTX they would be absolute trash. With basically no liner they act like thicker grippy socks. Fantastic.

Great video and in the end GTX is just a "tool" that needs to be used properly or it can seriously hinder the user. My body plays well with it and to me the positives outweigh the negatives.

[LappDog]

A simple solution for the "bucket problem": (waterproof) gaiters or footbags can be used to keep water and/or snow from going into your boots from above.

[safromnc]

I am w/you 100%. I live in the South, so I really don't deal w/Winter conditions unless I go looking for them. When I KNOW I am going to have to be dealing w/water/wet feet (like lots of water crossings) I'll actually layer up my feet like I would my body, w/either wool or alpaca socks w/neoprene socks overtop.
It is interesting as I was recently up in AK for about a month. Everyone there wears Muck boots, all the time. Which has to be worse than Gore-tex, but is literally part of the 'Uniform'. Maybe they know something we don't ? LOL

[YB]

Hi all :-) ! ...please, I've asked several stores but I can't find stock. Until now I used the Sal0m..n "aero" without goretex, but this year they no longer make them. Merr3ll is out of stock too. I'm looking for something similar, not leather, boots that are made of mesh and very very breathable. Please can you recommend it to me 🙏🏽 (just boots). Thanks!

[maxgraham]

I can’t agree with you, although in part you are right, I have been working as a geologist for more than 15 years and of course I have shoes with a membrane, ordinary mountain boots for both winter and summer, in my profession I have to be above 3, 000 thousand meters above sea level, where naturally the weather changes 3 times a day and not once have my shoes been wet from the inside, naturally if they pass through the fords above the level of the boots, where water gets on top of the boots, then yes, this will definitely create problems, but when I use where i usually work I repeat I never once felt wet. Of course, there are disadvantages when using a membrane, although I think it depends on the human body, the membrane in the cold, well, I’ll tell you, it’s not very good, if it’s normal even up to -10, then from above, the legs are already freezing without active movements. With my activity, shoes suffer more from sharp stones that cut shoes like a knife, rubber welts save, but not for long, but for my professional activities I can say for sure that shoes with a membrane are necessary, since this is your own health. There is a saying of fried geologists, they do not exist in nature, but there are many frozen ones. Yes, for winter, when there is not much activity, it is better to choose eva boots in them are much nicer and lighter, but still there is nothing better than boots, even in summer, even in winter

[hider]

My asics gel sonoma 7 have gortex, after first long walk, my feet feel warm and sweaty i didnt know why. Too bad, i love shoes so much, they are most comforable shoes ever.

[Shakusky]

Good socks are important as well. Merino wool socks save your feet.

[onlyhuman]

Can GTX be a good option to run in rain everyday for 15-30 mins?

[juanesteban]

For those that don't believe Gore-Tex fabric is breathable get a pair of Gore-Tex leather boots and apply normal shoe polish to one while leaving the other untreated. I can guarantee you will experience profoundly more sweating In The polished boot.

[justinitsthatguyme]

I sweat a lot. And my feet get stink quickly. I can’t use goretex from late spring - early fall. But for winter I’d definitely use goretex cause I’m not sweating much and it can keep wet snow out.

[jaaps]

Why is nobody worried that it’s made of PFAS? The forever plastic… Should be forbidden imo.

[bigduphusaj]

You seem like a nice guy so i wont insult you but im not going to beat about the bush either👍 You're at best 25% correct here by scientifically provable fact. You were spot on when you spoke about extra layer weight and if any moisture gets inside the boot you have the added effect of any waterproof+breathable membrane/material that it either needs a long time to evapurate out or evapourate in as it will essentially act near enough the same in both directions for anything that isnt a vapour. However I'd argue thats a bit of a mute point based on the fact any footwear is going to get flooded out if you submerge it beyond its upper seams and be a long labourious drying out phase.. apart from one exemption, Fast drying footwear like the fishing or marine branded trainers etc that is basically a net equivalent of footwear that wil get swampled in about 30secs.. but equally dry out again in about 3 mins flat.
True "Quick-dry" and true "waterproof" will never exist as a single material its a myth that any material can ever achieve this. That out the way i think the rest of what you claimed is easily wrong as if weight per layer of membrane is the issue then Gore-tex isnt the worst offender and i honestly think the manufacturers that know where to put it and how many layers on each part of the boot/shoe are using it right. The ones just buying older stock and layering it up as a "sock" inside the upper i think are the ones creating a plastic bag. Also, any decent gore-tex hiking boot you can get it too dry out quick wearing proper Merino wool socks but get the ones with 35+% merino and put up with the knotting after a few washes for the sake of extra merino. The Merino stuff that is less than 30% wont dry out gore-tex as fast as the genuine hunting socks will. I have older merino wool socks i got from Japan with 80% merino and they can dry off a drenched wellie boot in about 2hr mate so i suggest you try out proper merino socks sold outside the "hiking" range as you will be shocked. If you need any advice on what ones to use in even badly made gore-tex boots then im happy to share the ones i know of if i dont get comment removed for naming the exact sock from the exact brands?

[christiangallik]

The vivobarefoot tracker esc is my solution to this. Not a great boot for intense hikes but the breathability to waterproof Ed’s is great for daily life

[jonathand]

never experienced more sweating than other shoes

[nateclarke]

one random guy says wear gore tex... another random guy says don't wear gore tex... seems nobody can agree on anything in the hiking world...

[ArthursSimpleLife]

Buy then form your own opinions. Different for everybody.

[yltf]

Пусть лучше мои ноги потеют, чем в горах будут защищены только тряпкой.
Я ходил в горы в кожаных рабочих ботинках, иак они все были отбиты и поцарапаны