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To GORE-TEX or not to GORE-TEX, that is the question. I love my GORE-TEX tactical boots, I love to wear them when I’m hunting, I love to wear them when I’m working, I even just wear them out sometimes because they’re so comfy, but like most things in life there is a time and a place for everything. That goes for GORE-TEX boots as well, something I experienced quite recently as I was working on a course training brand new officers.
We spent some longs days and weeks in the field, navigating, doing recce missions, patrolling, and doing defensives and one of my big take away’s, among many others, was GORE-TEX all though awesome is not the end all be all for tactical boots.
Again, I love my GORE-TEX tactical boots, I have Salomon Forces Quest 4D’d, Salomon XA Forces MID EN’s, and LOWA R-8S GTX Patrol’s all GORE-TEX.
However, there are times those GORE-TEX boots just need to be left at home on the shelf and you need to break out the winter boots or the jungle boots.
Let me share my first hand knowledge with you, to hopefully arm you with a deeper understanding of GORE-TEX and when you should wear GORE-TEX tactical boots or not wear them.
WHAT IS GORE-TEX AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
GORE-Tex is a synthetic polymer called PTFE or (polymer polytetrafluorethylene). When PTFE is stretched extremely fast it becomes what is known as expanded polytetrafluorethylene or ePTFE for short. This end result, ePTFE, is an incredibly strong, microporous material with a long list of very useful characteristics such as being nearly completely waterproof and windproof, and yet still quite breathable.
Each square inch of the GORE‑TEX membrane has nine billion pores. Each of these tiny holes is 20,000 times smaller than a water droplet. This is what makes the GORE-TEX membrane waterproof: rain and snow simply cannot get in.
WHEN SHOULD YOU WEAR GORE-TEX TACTICAL BOOTS?
GORE-TEX tactical boots are perfect for the end of winter to the early spring months and from fall through too the early winter. Those times during the year when it’s not super wet but it is still quite chilly or getting chilly out side.
In other terms, during spring bear hunting or during deer season (which is usually in the October-November time frame) GORE-TEX tactical boots are absolutely fantastic. Hands down they’re perfect for these times. It isn’t super cold so the GORE-TEX will keep your feet nice and warm and it’s not monsoon season (metaphorically) so your not getting water in and through your boots.
Also, when we do our spring and fall exercises at work I’ll almost assuredly where my GORE-TEX boots. I hate cold toes so they really help when in a cold armoured vehicle.
Lastly, I wear them basically as rain boots for day to day activities. For example, If it’s a chilly morning outside or it’s raining or it just rained say the night before, every time just about I’ll through on my Salomon XA Forces MID GORE-TEX because they’re warm, waterproof, and comfy.
WHEN SHOULD YOU NOT WEAR GORE-TEX TACTICAL BOOTS?
Does GORE-TEX have its limits? YES. GORE-TEX does have its limits. But, what are they?
EXTREME COLD
Now, all though GORE-TEX will help to keep your feet warm in cool to cold weather it won’t do much come the middle of winter in the extreme cold of the north.
GORE-TEX boots keeping all moisture and wind out, will keep out the snow and the bitingly cold wind of the changing season, but as good as GORE-TEX is with these characteristics they are not winter boots. When winter settles in and the extreme cold comes, you still need a good winter boot over a GORE-TEX tactical boot.
Eventually the cold will get into the boot and your feet will be just as cold as they would be with any other boot, all though it will take a bit longer.
EXTREME WET
This next one might surprise you, but I can confirm this from extensive first hand knowledge! GORE-TEX also is not very good for torrential down pours or any environments where there is excessive excessive amounts of water.
Now, that could be water due to rain or water because of rivers if you’re having to walk through them and they’re more than ankle deep. Regardless of the way in which the water comes, when dealing with water to the level that your boots are in it 24/7 or it’s coming in the top of your boots, GORE-TEX actually just becomes a hindrance to you.
Why does it become a hindrance you ask?
GORE-TEX ‘s awesome ability to keep water out, also keeps water in. So, once you get water in your GORE-TEX boots, even if the rain stops and the sun comes out and it hits 30 degrees Celsius, unlike a good jungle boot, your GORE-TEX boots will take DAYS to dry out.
The GORE-TEX will hold all that water in the inside lining, keeping your feet wet, uncomfortable, and can potentially lead to trench foot.
WHAT SHOULD YOU WEAR INSTEAD OF GORE-TEX TACTICAL BOOTS?
EXTREME COLD
Come mid winter when temperatures are hitting -40 to -50 degrees Celsius in Canada or what is basically the same in the US -40 to -58 degrees Fahrenheit, you really need to move from just GORE-TEX tactical boots to actual winter tactical boots.
Thankfully some of the top tactical boot companies in the world have seen the need for tactical winter boots and have met that need:
TOUNDRA FORCES CLIMASALOMON WATERPROOF
ROCKY BLIZZARD STALKER WATERPROOF 1200G INSULATED BOOT
LOWA R-8 GTX THERMO
EXTREME WET
When a down pour of biblical proportions hits, the best and most ideal style of boot you can wear are actually… jungle boots.
The reality is when it is that wet outside no matter what you have on your feet…your feet will get wet. There is nothing you can do about that, you just have to accept it and not fight it. Now, what you should think about is your feet and boots once the rain stops and that glorious sun come back out
At that point you’re going to want to figure out how to get your boots and feet dry as fast and as best as possible. If you were wearing GORE-TEX boots through it all, well sorry to say your boots are going to be wet for days and your feet too if you keep those boots on.
However, when the rain stops and the sun comes out if you’re wearing jungle boots which are built to dry extremely quickly after getting wet, then your boots and feet will also dry very quickly.
Todays modern jungle boots are ideal for extremely wet climates, because after they get wet they whisk the water away from your feet and socks. In a time much quicker than you expect, your boots and feet will be bone dry!
I wore my Salomon XA Forces Jungle boots through some of the most torrential down pours this summer, I wore them while being thigh deep in freezing water time and time again, and each time the rain would eventually stop or I would get out of the freezing water and in no time, my boots and feet would dry off.
If you want to get a more in depth look at the Salomon jungle boots check out my article “Salomon XA Forces Jungle Tactical Boots: Ultimate Review“
For some other awesome jungle boots, check out these by some of the best companies around today. Next time your planning on getting wet, make sure you have one of these on your feet and I promise you won’t regret it:
SALOMON XA FORCES JUNGLE
ROCKY S2V ENHANCED JUNGLE
ROCKY S2V TACTICAL
TROPICAL USMC EGA
5.11 Speed 3.0 Jungle Tactical
CONCLUSION
GORE-TEX is awesome and I love, but it has its time and its place. Early spring or fall whether your in the field for work or hunting, GORE-TEX boots are absolutely great! A little bit of snow, a little chill in the air, a little water on the ground GORE-TEX is the way to go!
Mid winter get your self some good winter tactical boots. Mid summer in the dry dry heat get yourself some solid arid weather boots, and in times of torrential down pours, if you’ll be walking through swamps and rivers get yourself some good jungle boots.
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