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GTX in shoes generally does not last very long. In my experience in about a season or so there are patches/ cracks that let the water in. I guess something to d

GTX in shoes generally does not last very long. In my experience in about a season or so there are patches/ cracks that let the water in. I guess something to do with the stresses of using a soft membrane meant to wrap around human body to support the weight of said body...

adrian_b 4y ago
I believe that the durability of Gore-Tex in shoes might depend much more on the quality of the shoes than on the material itself. I have used Gore-Tex only in shoes, but in various kinds of high-quality shoes (i.e. not cheap), either made by a less known Swiss company, or by brands like Adidas or Asics. In all cases, I have used daily the shoes for 3 to 4 years until I had to dump them, always due to an excessively worn sole, not because of problems with Gore-Tex.
- MezzoDelCammin 4y ago
  My personal experience cuts it more along the lines of what the other materials in the shoe are. My main hiking shoes are leather Meindl Islands (on my second pair now since something like a decade - the first would probably have worked if it wasn't for an unfortunate accident). They have a decent leather upper and if You keep maintaining it, the leather alone is probably doing most of the job. On the other hand, I think I went through by now about 3-4 pairs of various running/hiking lighter plastic shoes (Merrell, Reichle, Salomon) and in those the membrane is the only thing keeping the water out. Unfortunately, it's generally sewn deep into some plastic mesh, so no way to tell / maintain it even if You'd like to. And one tear in the membrane means that all the water that seeps into the surrounding mesh "will" always find the way into the failed part of the membrane. Unfortunately, the rest of the membrane then tends to still do its part in slowing the moisture on its way out. So it drains / dries much slower than shoes with no membrane.
  - adrian_b 4y ago
    All the shoes which I have used with Gore-Tex without problems were of leather, so that is still consistent with your experience.
    - ethbr0 4y ago
      Leather is miraculously wonderful stuff, and it should be. Cows and ungulates put up with some damn tough conditions.
barrkel 4y ago
I have a pair of motorcycle boots with Gore Tex liner for about 10 years and they're still good for hours of rain. I also have no complaints about my Ecco shoes, but they only last a few years of wear.
- MezzoDelCammin 4y ago
  Yeah, I commented on it below. Goretex (well, any membrane in general) is kinda crap in mechanical stress. If You can put it under some mechanical reinforcement (generally the case in motorcycle boots where You got some hard panels for protection) or don't mind some extra weight when You laminate it to some decent rub-resistant fabric, it lasts decades. None of that is unfortunately done in regular plastic running/light hiking shoes

adrian_b 4y ago

I believe that the durability of Gore-Tex in shoes might depend much more on the quality of the shoes than on the material itself. I have used Gore-Tex only in shoes, but in various kinds of high-quality shoes (i.e. not cheap), either made by a less known Swiss company, or by brands like Adidas or Asics. In all cases, I have used daily the shoes for 3 to 4 years until I had to dump them, always due to an excessively worn sole, not because of problems with Gore-Tex.

MezzoDelCammin 4y ago
My personal experience cuts it more along the lines of what the other materials in the shoe are. My main hiking shoes are leather Meindl Islands (on my second pair now since something like a decade - the first would probably have worked if it wasn't for an unfortunate accident). They have a decent leather upper and if You keep maintaining it, the leather alone is probably doing most of the job. On the other hand, I think I went through by now about 3-4 pairs of various running/hiking lighter plastic shoes (Merrell, Reichle, Salomon) and in those the membrane is the only thing keeping the water out. Unfortunately, it's generally sewn deep into some plastic mesh, so no way to tell / maintain it even if You'd like to. And one tear in the membrane means that all the water that seeps into the surrounding mesh "will" always find the way into the failed part of the membrane. Unfortunately, the rest of the membrane then tends to still do its part in slowing the moisture on its way out. So it drains / dries much slower than shoes with no membrane.
- adrian_b 4y ago
  All the shoes which I have used with Gore-Tex without problems were of leather, so that is still consistent with your experience.
  - ethbr0 4y ago
    Leather is miraculously wonderful stuff, and it should be. Cows and ungulates put up with some damn tough conditions.

barrkel 4y ago

I have a pair of motorcycle boots with Gore Tex liner for about 10 years and they're still good for hours of rain. I also have no complaints about my Ecco shoes, but they only last a few years of wear.

MezzoDelCammin 4y ago
Yeah, I commented on it below. Goretex (well, any membrane in general) is kinda crap in mechanical stress. If You can put it under some mechanical reinforcement (generally the case in motorcycle boots where You got some hard panels for protection) or don't mind some extra weight when You laminate it to some decent rub-resistant fabric, it lasts decades. None of that is unfortunately done in regular plastic running/light hiking shoes