Rough Out Leather Care

[JoshuaNY]

Hey Gents,

I just picked up a pair of Red Wing Iron Ranger boot. They are a Rough Out Leather and I am not sure how to care for them.

Red wing did send care instructions with them (They say to use the RW silicone spray and then the RW Leather Protector spray). They obviously push their own products. I am not against that, but figured I would check with my friend here first.

I would like these to be my daily boot this fall/winter. So a bunch of rain and some snow is going to happen. But since these have the rough side of the leather out your usual polish and waterproofing is out.

I have a suede brush so I am assuming that will help with cleaning and keeping the leather rough.

However, I would like to waterproof them without changing the color and "finish" of the rough leather, so dubbin with things like sno-seal are out. Would using a suede waterproof spray be sufficient?

What are your thoughts for care and waterproofing of roughout leather boots?

 

[camjr]

Those boots look better (IMO) after being treated with something like Obenauf's LP or Sno Seal. They will lose the nap of the roughout leather, but it's a good look. I believe there are some threads on Styleforum.com that detail the process, appearance changes, etc.

Cheers.

 

[MoonshineXXX]

IMO you should just wear them. In fact, beat the crap out of them! Those boots just look better with some wear on them! Again, just my opinion!

 

[JoshuaNY]

Thanks for the responses gents. I may do some more research on waterproof sprays. I would like a little protection on them just to help keep my feet dry, then I'll beat them up.

 

[jpakstis]

I used Atsko silicone-based waterproof spray with some seude shoes (AE - Big Sur) and it has been no problem whatsoever.