Gore-Tex Shoes?

[Joe Geib]

I was wondering about other people's thoughts about the Gore-Tex shoes. I'm a fan of Lafuma, and have the mesh Active-Trail shoes.

I recently got the Gore-Tex version of them as a backup pair. However, on the one/two times I've tried them, they seemed to be a little non-breathing to me. I think that they fit more snug, and were more moist than the mesh ones.

I guess you can say that I have fairly sweaty feet, so breathing is a big thing for me. I guess the only benefit they'd provide is being more waterproof than the mesh ones. However, I may just be better off getting wet feet in the mesh shoes that will eventually dry, rather than the Gore-Tex ones.

Am I missing some great benefit that the Gore-Tex will provide? I'm not really convinced that these are for me. Should I wait and give them a try in the winter, since I've only tried them in the warmer months?

[Frank Perkins]

I was under the impression that you only wanted to use goretex shoes in winter conditions. From what I read, I think it's better to let your shoes get wet so they can dry out

[Dondo .]

Your experience pretty much matches my own, Joe. In addition, once Gore-Tex shoes get wet, they take forever to dry. Non-Gore-Tex shoes can dry much more quickly. As you suggested, it may be better to save your Gore-Tex shoes for winter and use a more breathable pair for the rest of the year.

[Jason Brinkman]

I've had Gore-Tex boots that work okay, but that's because I can wade streams without overtopping them.

For shoes I prefer non-Gore-Tex for summer since they will get wet crossing streams, and will dry much quicker. I am tempted to try Gore-Tex shoes for winter uses like snowshoeing in combination with other systems like gaiters.

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