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Northwave Extreme Winter woes

by bymyi
Mon, Nov 27, 2017 13:59
10

Hello all,

Could I please ask for some opinion/advice wrt these boots in particular, and other brands?

I thought this was quite a considered purchase given all the research I had done, but today after a 3 hour ride in mainly very heavy rain I have returned with wet feet. From how the boots felt on the ride, and from feeling around inside, the wet seems to be concentrated where the cleat and studs are located, but I thought that the construction of these boots prevented ingress at those points?. I don't think that a lot of water has come down from the top as I had a pair of Amfib tights on.

I noticed the wet and cold soles around 1.5 hours into the ride. When I took the boots off my feet were not soaking, just the soles were wet. Am I expecting too much wrt totally dry soles? I appreciate that leakage from the top may well happen in extreme conditions.

Has anyone tried the Fizik X5's? I need a warm, waterproof boot that is Atac/SPD compatible. I've not had the Northwave boots long, so may be able to return them.

Thanks in advance, Andrew.

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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10 comments

Avatar
bob_c | 7 years ago
0 likes

Get some dry suit ankle seals or use some marigold cuffs (black, yellow or pink - your choice) to direct the water to flow onto the outside of the shoe instead of straight into it.

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terrycojones | 7 years ago
1 like

Same problem here (I have both models of NW winter boots). In my case it's also water coming in from the top. The boots then retain the water admirably, resulting in a pool 2

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rjfrussell | 7 years ago
0 likes

sweat?

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barbarus replied to rjfrussell | 7 years ago
0 likes
rjfrussell wrote:

sweat?

's wet through, by the sound of it.

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rnick | 7 years ago
1 like

Based on years of hiking and tending stock, only wellies are waterproof..assuming your overtrousers cover the tops and you've no nail holes in your boots, the combination of which is nigh on impossible.

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bymyi | 7 years ago
1 like

Hello, thanks for the responses, much appreciated.

Well, after drying the boots out overnight I put them in 1.5 inches of water for 5 mins...no leakage. Looks like it was water getting in from the top regardless of the Amfibs. The rain was heavy for a long time, so the water must have got inside the tights and down the top. I will see what happens next time, and keep the gorilla tape and foil in mind if there are any problems.

Thanks again...

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Drinfinity | 7 years ago
0 likes

I have some NW winter boots for off road, with neoprene tops.  They only get wet when water comes in at the top, even if I'm wading through mud or snow. 

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alansmurphy | 7 years ago
0 likes

Agree with the above. I have some Northwave winter boots(ish) that have an additional layer of wetsuit type material on the upper. They're generally good in a downpour too but went thru a properly deep puddle and some water got in.

Depending on the amount of box room you have in them you could remove the insole as per the above and add either tape as per above or an old cut up inner tube, perhaps several layers and even foil between the layers.

There's occasionally vents too which can let water in...

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jacknorell | 7 years ago
0 likes

I have the full on boots from 2014 which have a solid sole. You may need to take out the insole and gorilla tape the cleat area?

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carytb | 7 years ago
0 likes

Thats the one area that should not leak. I had a pair of the earlier ones and they leaked there as well

 

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