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Posted by pillowthread on May 16, 2008 at 4:36:03 am EDT
In reply to To Gore or Not to Gore posted by Keegan1696 on May 13, 2008 at 9:54:54 pm EDT

That's a great question Fred--I've often wondered that myself as well. I really don't know.

If I had to guess though, I'd assume it works through some kind of system of pores in the leather that, much like Gore-tex, let smaller water vapor droplets out without letting larger liquid water drops back in. Maybe some kind of diffusion happens as well, as the difference in humidity between the outside of the membrane--in this case a piece of leather--and the inside might "pull" the moisture to the dry side as it evaporates.

Also, I completely agree with you regarding the idea that most of the "breathing" within a boot comes from simply walking.

Keegan--If my reasoning serves me correctly, I think waxing a boot actually improves it breathability. Let's say you leave a leather boot untreated, go stomping through some wet underbrush, and come out the other side with dry feet, but wet, waterlogged leather. This leather, having absorbed however much water it has, now cannot allow vapor to escape in those waterlogged areas. By properly waxing a boot, the leather is kept free of any potential sogging, thereby allowing maximum surface area for your sweat to diffuse through the leather, and evaporate.

Again, this is all my best guess, so if anyone knows otherwise, please correct me.

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