what will they do?

WHAT WILL THEY DO?

The article by Andrew Skurka “COMPLETE FAILURE; I GAVE GORE-TEX A SECOND CHANCE” is as complete a representation of how the Gore product shows its performance or better said lack thereof. Gore says their product is waterproof in shoes and they are absolutely correct. As Andrew shows the water from his feet were trapped within his shoes proving that the Gore-Tex membrane when glued into a shoe it becomes just that a waterproof shoe. It is then understood that any water hitting the shoe from the outside of the shoe will not get into the show. Therefore the shoe is waterproof from the outside too.

Further what Andrew shows in his pictures are the foot problems he developed within three days of hiking due exclusively to the fact that his shoes with the Gore-Tex film in them trapped the moisture.

About two years ago I read an article about the Marine Corps working for five years to find a material that could be placed in boots while Marines were on missions in the field for two or three weeks at a time because the Marines were experiencing the same foot problems due to boots that contained Gore-Tex which kept the moisture in them. In the case of the Marines some developed trench foot, and one former Marine visiting Wiggy’s told me he did have trench foot when he was on active duty.

There is absolutely no doubt that trapping moisture in your footwear is very detrimental to the health of your feet. So what can one do to prevent this from occurring?

My recommendation is leather boots and yes with a Lamilite lining. Also wear Lamilite socks. As I have explained in previous articles and on the web site all of the moisture that your foot emits goes through the Lamilite socks quickly. Why, because the moisture leaving each foot is a vapor and as such just like when you are in a Wiggy’s sleeping bag the moist vapor goes through the nylon and Lamilite to the lining. The heat of the foot is the driving force so when the process of vapor movement starts it is continuous. If you are wearing wool socks the wool will absorb the moisture and cause it to condense so it has no place further to go. Eventually when enough moist vapors have condensed it becomes liquid. At this point when you stop moving the liquid cools and that causes cold feet. Also, as Andrew shows in his pictures of the soles of his feet he developed and I quote “maceration, blisters, and the growth of bacteria and fungus”.

If you wear the Lamilite socks with any boot that has a Gore-Tex film or any other film in it the moisture will move away from your feet but be trapped between the exterior of the Lamilite socks and the lining of the boot. If you are out long enough there would probably be moisture getting into the socks eventually. The way to solve this problem is by wearing Lamilite boots since the moisture will continue on its path out of the boot through the Lamilite lining and then the leather exterior. Leather is in and of itself a vapor permeable material. Also note that one pair of Lamilite socks can be worn for a month without getting stretched out of shape or retaining any moisture or odor. When the moisture moves through the fabrics while still in a vapor state there is no odor developed.

You can also wear them to sleep in a sleeping bag or bed if you have a problem with cold feet.

There is but one way to get this bogus product off of the market; return any product shoes, rain gear, etc. to the store it was bought at because it does not perform as advertised. If enough people do that the store keeper will go back to the manufacturer who may very well just stop making products that do not function as advertised.

Keep in mind people who have purchased product from I know REI have been told they are stuck with the product. I did check with LL Bean and they still have the guarantee that seems to go on forever. But even Bean might take notice if enough boots were returned due to non-performance.

I wonder if the military is taking notice of Andrew’s exposé, if not they should. After all they put hundreds of thousands in boots and if many are having foot problems as shown that is not only a problem for the individual but also a costly problem for us taxpayers. But then again I have found that government at all levels or agencies do not examine a problem and determine what it is and correct it, they try not to change the cause but develop something that they think will correct it. In this case the correction is easy stop specifying Gore-Tex.

The question I posed in the title is what will the companies that are marketing a film that they claim water-proof breathable now that they know it isn’t do? I like to think put their tail between their legs and walk.

If you want warm dry feet, Lamilite socks and Lamilite boots are the answer!