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Why Boots Start to Leak

Almost every pair of walking boots gives up its waterproofing long before the soles wear through. The culprits are usually small and unglamorous: a cracked flex point across the toes, grit wedged into stitching, a dry seam that has finally stopped swelling shut when wet, or a pinhole from a stray hawthorn. Leather boots that have been dried too fast beside a radiator will crack along the crease lines, and fabric boots can lose their coating where the upper meets the rand.

The good news is that the vast majority of leaks are at seams, creases and stitching, not through the membrane itself. That means you can often fix them at the kitchen table with materials you probably already own, and get another few seasons of proper fell days out of a boot that still fits perfectly.

Find the Leak Before You Reach for the Glue

Sealing the wrong spot wastes an evening and a tube of sealant. Take ten minutes to locate the problem first.

• The paper test: remove the laces and footbed, stuff the boot with dry kitchen roll or newspaper, then stand it in a basin with 2–3cm of water and leave it for twenty minutes. Where the paper dampens first tells you exactly where water is getting in.
• The bubble test: submerge a dry boot and squeeze it gently. Escaping bubbles mark a hole or a failed seam, which is especially useful on fabric uppers.
• The torch test: in a dark room, shine a bright torch inside the boot with the lights off. Tiny perforations in thin uppers will show as pinpricks of light.

Note the location on each boot. Leaks rarely travel far from where they start, so if the paper is wet at the heel, look at the heel counter seam rather than the toe box.

Clean, Dry and Degrease the Area

Nothing sticks to mud. Scrub the boot with warm water and a mild soap or a little washing-up liquid, using an old toothbrush to work along the seams and stitching. Rinse thoroughly, then dry the boots slowly at room temperature, stuffed with newspaper, for at least a day. Never force the drying with a radiator or a hair dryer, as this is what cracks leather in the first place.

Once dry, wipe the repair area with a cloth dampened with isopropyl alcohol or methylated spirits. This lifts the oils and old wax that would otherwise stop your sealant bonding. Let it flash off for a minute, then mask around the area with low-tack tape if you want a neat finish. On very smooth synthetic uppers, a light scuff with fine sandpaper gives the sealant something to grip.

Sealing Leather Boots

For scuffs and general dryness, a beeswax-based dressing or dubbin worked in with your fingers is still the best treatment going. Warm the leather gently first, then apply thin layers rather than one thick one, paying particular attention to the seams and the crease across the toes.

Where leather has actually cracked and water is coming through, wax alone will not bridge the gap. Use a flexible polyurethane sealant or a clear silicone sealant, applied sparingly with a cocktail stick into the crack, and smooth it flush with a wet finger. Build it up in two thin coats rather than one lump, allowing several hours between them, and leave it to cure fully for twenty-four hours before you go anywhere near a puddle.

Avoid superglue and ordinary craft adhesives. They set hard and brittle, and they will simply crack again the first time the boot flexes on a descent.

Fabric, Synthetic and Mixed Boots

Synthetic uppers respond well to clear, 100% silicone sealant — the sort sold for bathroom work, not the acrylic decorator's caulk. Run a thin bead along the offending seam and work it in with a fingertip or a small brush so it sits inside the stitch holes rather than perched on top.

• Seal the inside of the seam as well if you can reach it, using a long-handled brush or a bent piece of wire. This is far more effective than a thick external layer.
• For small punctures in fabric, a bicycle puncture repair patch or a piece of flexible patch tape makes a tough, discreet repair.
• If the rand or sole edge is lifting, clean underneath with alcohol, then use a neoprene contact adhesive. Press firmly, weight it, and leave it overnight.

Whichever product you use, allow it to cure for the full time on the tube. Silicone needs at least twenty-four hours, and longer in a cold garage.

Field Repairs and Keeping Leaks Away

A small tube of sealant, a length of gaffer tape and a spare lace weigh almost nothing and have rescued many a wet walk. Tape over a leaking seam will get you off the hill; fix it properly when you get home.

The real secret is routine. Clean your boots after every muddy outing, re-wax leather two or three times a season, reproof fabric uppers when water stops beading, and dry them at room temperature rather than by the fire. Rotate between two pairs if you walk often, so each has time to dry right through.

If the leak persists after sealing, or the sole is separating badly across the whole length, it is time for a professional cobbler rather than another tube of sealant. But for the ordinary wear and tear of British hill days, a patient hour at the kitchen table will usually see your boots right.