Care of nubuck boots

[Cumberland Sausage]

For many years (actually decades) I've mostly stuck to using traditional hiking boots made with full grain leather, with ocasional forays wearing light fabric fell shoes when conditions were suitable. The advantage of such boots is that the leather is easy to care for by keeping them clean and applying one of the many excellent wax-based polishes and conditioners which can be bought at many shops.
Recently, however, I've been using lighter and more flexible Lowa Renegade Mid boots which have proved to be very comfortable. However, they're made from nubuck leather with a bit of fabric and suede, which is proving much trickier to keep in good condition. I've been applying a product called Nickwax Nubuck and Suede Proof to most areas of the boots and while this does help with water repellency, I feel the nubuck and suede parts are becoming dry and rather stiff. Advice from manufacturers and retailers on what products to use on them is scarce, confusing and contradictory.
So, do any B&B folk have advice to offer on how to keep my new favourite boots supple and waterproof? Do I just bite the bullet and wax them, accepting the nubuck finish will disappear, and if so what is the best polish to use? Or is there a really effective nubuck conditioner I've overlooked? I am based in the UK, so some products sold in the USA might be hard to get hold of over here.

 

[StuMcB]

Found this on the web, mentions several things,

Care Instructions: Nubuck leather - Alfa Footwear

Care guide for maintaining nubuck leather

www.alfaoutdoor.com

 

[tankerjohn]

I recommend contacting the manufacturer and see what they recommend. Personally, I've only ever used silicone spray to waterproof suede or nubuck boots. But I don't get them terribly mucked up or deliberately wet. Back in WWII, US GIs wore roughout leather service boots. They conditioned them with beeswax-based dubbing that ruined the nap of the leather. But I'm sure they didn't care in the middle of a war. I've seen waxed suede boots that look really nice. I'm tempted to try that sometime. You lose the napped leather for a very unique textured look. So that might something to look into.

 

[ColtRevolver]

I have had good luck washing suede boots with Murphys Oil soap, a bit of water and a stiff brush. After they dry, I give them a spray of silicone for leather and brush again.

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

In the end I got a product called the Hanwag Care Sponge, which is a bottle of conditioner with, as the name suggests, an applicator sponge on the top. This has darkened the grey nubuck of my boots a little and given it a slightly waxy appearance, neither of which I find to be a bad thing. It has certainly restored the nice supple feel of the leather and its water resistance, so I'm well pleased so far.

 

[McBlade]

In the UK I've used Nikwax leather wax and a hairdryer afterwards to "melt" the wax in

Nikwax also make an oil which I'd rub into areas which were heavily creased to keep them supple and help prevent the leather splitting. That should have even better penetration.

Mostly I've given up on boots in favour of "cuarans". Cuarans were traditional Scottish highland footwear: a simple piece of leather wrapped around the foot with holes punched in it to let water run out. Trainers made for watersports - like Merrel Maipo - are the modern equivalent (worn without socks). You might need to tape up your feet & toes where they rub.

The big advantage over boots is that you can splash straight through bogs, puddles and rivers. Great if your walks take you through lots of water features.