Quick Hiking Boot Protection Question

Ta me anseo

Hello all,

Recently settled on a pair of Salomon Mega Trek 6 after an extended and frustrating search following my initial misfortune of buying the wrong boot. I must have tried on at least a dozen and a a half pairs in the past fwe weeks!!

Happily, my new boots feel like slippers on my feet and I can't wait to get them outdoors.

I bought these boots in the same place that mis-sold (as far as I'm concerned) me my original pair since I ended up with a credit note for them. They gave me a free bottle of Nikwax Conditioner for Leather with the latest pair.

But looking at the Nikwax website it says that this product is for smooth leather finishes. My boots are oiled nubuck and it seems that I should really have been given Nikwax for suede and nubuck instead. Of course given my experience of the place so far, I'm not surprised that I was given the wrong thing.

So is there really any difference between leather products that say they are for different finishes? Aren't pretty much all leather boots made from similar leather anyway? Can I use the leather conditioner on my nubuck boots?

preacherman

The only way to know for sure is to ask Nikwax themselves. Try this link http://www.nikwax.com/en-gb/contacts/sendarequest.php

Hope this helps

Andrew

Alun

To be honest I think they're all much of a sameness. If anything, I suspect the only difference is that the one for nubuk leather is designed to maintain the look or colour of the leather or some such rot, they even allude to this in their FAQ's. I mean, a pair of boots isn't going to look anything other than brown after a day or two in the Wicklow muck anyway, so who cares?

I use the Aqueous Wax stuff on my Hanwags which are supposedly Nubuk leather and it works just fine.

BTW I see from the Nikwax website that they've added yet another ambiguously named wax to their selection ... "Waterproofing Wax for Leather". Who dreams these names up, I wonder?

sheesh

I have been told that if you put the nikwax for leather in a nubuck/suede it will loose the suede finish that is all if you can live with this and accept the shiny leathery finish then you can go ahead I was told this when I was working in a Outdoor shop by someone Who would know.

Btw you know that most boots have a goretex or something similar lining to keep out the water these days the.

Ta me anseo

Thanks for the replies everyone.

My boot are Gore Tex lined so it's not so much waterproofing as the condition of the leather itself that I'd be concerned about. I have an old pair of (much lower quality) boots which have cracked and split in various places.

I'll try the preachermans link and see what they say. Although I expect they will recommend I purchase their latest Wonka Wax for Nubuck!!

TMA

Ta me anseo

Well fair play to NikWax. I think in total in took just over 15 minutes to get a response. Emails copied below:

===================================

Dear Sir/Madam,

I recently purchased a pair of GoreTex lined oiled nubuck hiking boots and was advised by the salesperson that I should buy NikWax Conditioner for Leather which I duly did.

After returning home and looking at the information on your website it seems that your Conditioner for Leather is actually intended for use on smooth leather finishes only and that I should have been sold Nubuck and Suede Proof instead.

So my question is; are there any adverse side effects from using Conditioner for Leather on Nubuck boots? What is the difference between Nubuck and Suede Proof and Conditioner for Leather?

Many thanks,

(Ta Me Anseo)

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Dear (Ta Me Anseo)

Thank you for your enquiry.

As the nubuck is oiled there is not a problem here. Although I would actually suggest the Aqueous Wax or the New waterbased Nikwax Waterproofing Wax for Leather cream as the main proofer with the conditioner used two or three times a year once the boots are broken in unless required. The nubuck and suede proof is designed to add water repellence without affecting the nap of the leather, however as oiled and greased nubuck boots already have the nap matted to look more like standard leather this is not an issue.



I hope that this information is of use.



Yours Sincerely

Tristan Ranford (Technical Customer Services Administrator)