Not sure how to ask this so here it goes. I have a pair of “Montrail Sabino Trail Shoes” which are fine but am considering something a little more durable. Comparing the “Montrail AT Plus” with the “Montrail AT Plus GTX” and the only real difference I could find is 1 oz, $10 and GTX. My main concern is when a waterproof shoe is submerged, how long will it take to dry out. Is there really any difference? Just wondering what everyone's experience is with Gortex in shoes?

Thanks

There are a lot of extent threads on this topic, likely here, certainly on other backpacking discussion boards, so one response is "search for past threads".

I think it depends on how you're using the shoe, what it's for. On a weekend trip, goretex sounds great to me. Stay dry for a while if not the entire trip.

For a long trip where it just rains day after day, shoes (or boots) will eventually get wet, and goretex shoes definitely do take longer to dry out than do lighter, more breathable shoes. The latter also allow you feet to stay drier when it's not wet out, i.e., they allow sweat to pass out faster as water vapor, thus reducing the chance of blisters. OTOH, they can also allow more fine dust to come in, depending on where/when you hike this might or might not be an issue.

Apart from limited/specific circumstances, long distance backpackers as a whole favor non-goretex, quick-drying shoes. Yes, these also get wet faster, but you can "walk them dry".

Note that one option is to consider a goretex sock (Rocky brand goretex are a good choice, make sure to size them up). These are good in wet (or even not wet) snow and just generally in wet conditions.

Like many such topics, lots of differing opinions on this one; FWIW, I'm quite happy with non-goretex shoes. I was converted for certain when my one and only pair of goretex shoes wore little holes at the crease near the base of the toes on a moderately long trip, fairly early in the shoe life. IMO, a goretex shoe with a hole in it is about as useful for staying dry as a screen door is useful on a submarine.

I like Goretex boots/shoes for snowy and mixed spring conditions and ventilated footwear the rest of the year. GT does a good job at fending off moisture from the outside, especially paired with gaiters, but isn't so good at venting off sweat.

I guess if I were picking one pair of footwear for year-round use I'd get non-GT and deal with moisture using liners, etc. But I'm not self-disciplined enough to have just one pair and generally ruin trail sneakers in one season, anyway.

Cheers,

I had a pair of Vasque Sundowners with gore-tex lining. They were great hiking boots while walking through dewy, sopping wet grass and chaparral. I did maintain the leather with Sno-Seal.

Eventually the goretex linings wore through. If anything, they were better. Keeping the leather water resistant was more important than the lining.

Thankyou all for your replies. I'm gonna go ahead and give the non-gt a try. Thanks...

This is exactly what I do too.