Years ago, a small company called Proleptic—not especially famous. even in the shoe world, ran a surprisingly thorough test on leather waterproofing products. Their process was simple but smart: they took one large hide, cut it into one-foot squares, and treated each square with a different waterproofing brand or formula. I can’t recall every product they tested, but I do remember the two clear winners, and I’ll share those with you in a moment.

    First, though, a quick story.

    When I moved to Oregon in 1990, I heard all kinds of tales about “the old days.” One that stuck with me came from a retired logger. He lived in a bunkhouse setup deep in the woods. After long days in the rain, mud, and timber, the crew would come back, peel off their soaked boots, and dry them by the woodstove overnight (not recommended today!).

    In the morning, along with breakfast, there was a big metal tub filled with heated oils and conditioners. Before heading back into the forest, the men would dunk their boots into the warm mixture, letting the leather soak up as much protection as it could. It wasn’t fancy, but it kept their boots flexible and—mostly—dry enough to face another day in the Oregon rain.

    Oh, the days before Gore-Tex and technical fabrics…

    In the next post, I’ll share the top two waterproofing products that came out of that Proleptic test—and why they still hold up today.