Taking care of your hiking boots 照顧您的行山靴

Good hiking boots protect your feet and provide support in difficult terrain, particularly when you are carrying a heavy load. This is why a good quality boot costs quite a bit of money. In order to be sure that your boots will last as long as possible, it is important that you care for them properly. What to do:

Drying your boots

Never put your boots on a heater or in a drying cabinet to dry them quickly. Let them rest at room temperature, preferably stuffed with newspaper. Be careful if you are drying them close to an open fire or a wood-burning stove. The high temperature can ruin the glue holding the soles in place and dry out the leather.

Cleaning

It is best to clean your boots after every excursion, and particularly before you treat them. Remove the shoelaces, insoles and any stones, etc., that are stuck in the sole. Use lukewarm water and a brush. Clean the inside of the boot if it is made from textiles, since salt crystals and bacteria can cause bad odours. Dirt and salt also impair breathability if your boots have a waterproof Gore-Tex membrane (and having a closed membrane is more or less the same as wrapping a plastic bag around your foot).

Treating leather

The best treatment for leather boots is wax or oil. Many people believe that it does not matter which is applied, but wax remains on the surface, building a layer that withstands moisture, while oil penetrates deep into the leather and both fills it out and keeps it soft. Even boots with a Gore-Tex membrane must be treated to maintain their waterproofness. The membrane is always on the inside of the leather, which means that breathability is impaired if the leather gets wet.

It is best to apply wax by hand. Rub it in using a circular motion so the heat from your fingers softens it up. Apply an appropriately thick layer - there should not be any yellow residue left on the boot. Liquid wax is applied with a sponge or rag. Pay particular attention to seams and do not forget the tongue. Coat the eyelets as well since the wax can prevent rust. Please note that all types of leather become slightly darker after treatment.

Nubuck and suede

Leather that has a roughened surface to look like suede is called nubuck leather. If you want to keep this texture, use a nubuck or suede impregnation. This will protect the boot from moisture and dirt, but it will not keep the material soft. If you want to maximise the life span of your boots, you should at some point wax or oil them.

Leather and synthetic blends

Boots made from both leather and synthetics should be treated with either wax or oil on the leather and sprayed with some kind of textile impregnation, e.g. Armour. You can also use Armour or fabric/leather impregnation on the entire boot.

Rubber boots

Rubber boots should be washed with water and soap. Soap contains glycerine, which helps keep rubber smooth and pliable. You can also treat rubber with a care product that contains silicon oil.

良好的行山靴可以保護您的雙腳並在困難的地形中提供支撐，尤其是在您承受重物時。這就是為什麼優質的靴子需要相當多的錢。為了確保您的靴子能夠盡可能長久地使用，您必須正確地照顧它們。該怎麼辦：

風乾您的靴子

切勿將靴子放在暖爐或乾燥箱中以快速乾燥。放在室溫下，最好塞滿報紙。如果您在明火或燃木爐附近烘乾，請小心，高溫會破壞固定鞋底的膠水並使皮革變乾。

清潔

最好在每次短途旅行後清潔您的靴子，特別是在您再次穿上它們之前。除去鞋帶，鞋墊和任何卡在鞋底中的石頭等。使用溫水和刷子。請清潔由紡織品製成的靴子內部，因為鹽晶體和細菌會導致難聞的氣味。如果您的靴子具有防水Gore-Tex膜（並且封閉的膜與將您的腳包裹塑料膠袋或多或少相同），污垢和鹽也會損害透氣性。

處理皮革

皮靴的最佳處理方法是上蠟或塗油。許多人認為使用哪種材料無關緊要，但是蠟能留在表面，形成一層能夠承受水分的外層，同時油可滲透到皮革深處，並將其填滿並保持柔軟。即使是帶有Gore-Tex膜的靴子也必須進行處理以保持其防水性。隔膜始終位於皮革內側，這意味著如果皮革變濕，透氣性就會受損。

最好用手塗蠟。用滾動擦拭它，這樣手指的熱量就會使它變軟。塗上適當厚度的一層 - 靴子上不應留下任何黃色殘留物。可以用海綿或抹布使用液體蠟。特別注意接縫，不要忘記縫接位。也可以塗上孔眼，因為蠟可以防止生鏽。請注意，處理後所有類型的皮革都會變得稍暗。

磨砂革和絨面革

具有粗糙表面看起來像絨面革的皮革稱為磨砂革。如果您想保持這種質地，可以使用適合磨砂革或絨面革的浸漬劑。這樣可以保護靴子不受潮濕和污垢的影響，但不會使材料保持柔軟。如果您想最大限度地延長靴子的使用壽命，您應該在某些時候給它們上蠟或塗油。

皮革和合成混紡材質

由皮革和合成材料製成的靴子應該用適合皮革的蠟或油去處理，並噴塗某種紡織品浸漬，例如：Armour。您也可以在整個靴子上使用Armour或布料/皮革浸漬劑。

橡膠靴

橡膠靴應該用水和肥皂清洗。肥皂含有甘油，有助於保持橡膠光滑柔韌。您也可以使用含有矽油的護理產品來處理橡膠。