unfortunately you wear out boots by walking – repair attempt on Quest Mens IsoGrip Leather Waterproof Hiking Boots – from Mountain Warehouse

These walking boots were so exceedingly comfortable and waterproof that more was the disappointment when a wet walk ended with wet socks. In their one year of life these ‘waterproof’ boots had done 40 x 5 mile walks and even got me through a week in the wettest place I know: Keswick, England. It’s unlikely that I’ll find a real measure of how long boots could last but my 200 miles is surely at the low end. If I do two 5 mile walks each week I’m doing 500 miles a year. If you’re an everyday walker, like a postie delivering letters, you’ll do say 5-10 miles a day, or 1000 – 2500 miles a year and likely more than one pair of boots. Tip: find out what your postie wears.

So I’m disappointed enough to suggest you only buy these Mountain Warehouse boots if you look after your boots (cleaning after use). I was gullible to think they’ll stay fit for purpose forever.

It’s unlikely that both your boots will leak on the same day:

When they first leaked I gave these boots the benefit of the doubt and assumed water has just ‘got inside’ and they hadn’t really failed. Old timers will remind you that every boot has a huge hole at the top. When drying them, note that these Mountain Warehouse boots contain comfy inner foot pads which need to be removed to dry separately from the boot lining.

too late I realised that boots need cleaning and maintenance

After some months with occasional leaks, I noticed that the sole had separated slightly from the upper creating obvious points on each side for water to enter. This could be caused by the boots undergoing indoor and outdoor temperature changes through the winter. Experienced walkers will point out that boots must be cleaned. For example if grit gets into a seam it will abrade whatever and damage a seal.

ideas for repairing a leaking boot

If you kept your boot purchase receipt you could make a claim under warranty. The Mountain Warehouse store in Cambridge told me “that’s it – you gotta buy new ones”. However I wouldn’t be so sure that other brands of boots care more about the stuff they make (based on my reading of Amazon reviews of some top makes). The following are suggested to attempt a repair:

• GearAid by McNett Aquasure +SR shoe repair adhesive 28g at £10
• Shoe Goo – mini tube – 5.3ml at £5
• If all you need is to fill a hole (as opposed to glue things together) you might consider using a flexible mastic intended for outdoor use. I have used brown frame sealant on a toe section and this outlived the rest of the shoe. I cleaned all the dirt from the gash in the shoe and squeezed 10ml – 20ml of mastic into the gash. I used a lolly stick to smooth this and also a tissue dipped in isopropyl alcohol to clean away any overspill. Incidentally I wouldn’t use butyl roof sealant/mastic for this as this stuff only sets on its surface and a thick layer remains goey.