Gore-Tex boots for hot climates? It's possible! Gore already presented its current concept for Desert Combat Boots at the IWA in Nuremberg in 2015. The core of the boots are newly developed GORE-TEX® Extended Comfort Laminate. They are not only permanently waterproof, but also extremely breathable. Thus, they are tailored to the specific requirements of hot operational environments and high physical stress. Depending on the specific scenario, there are three types of shoes to choose from the GORE-TEX® Extended Comfort product portfolio:
- High Liability boots are ideal for multi-day missions, difficult terrain, and heavy loads: Equipped with the highly breathable laminate, these boots offer increased stability and necessary support.
- Tactical GORE-TEX® Extended Comfort Footwear represent lightweight, agile, and climatically comfortable boots: they are ideal for shorter missions with lighter loads in warm and hot climates, without sacrificing permanent waterproofness.
- For highest demands on breathability, the Patrol boots are ideal. They use an extremely breathable 3-layer laminate (Ret < 6) for the first time without a separate inner lining - in contrast to typical military boots with membranes. Due to this construction, they absorb hardly any water, dry quickly, and weigh less than 600 grams per boot (size 42), making them extremely lightweight.
The Meindl Equator is the flagship for the Patrol GORE-TEX® Extended Footwear line: the lightweight field boot is as waterproof as it is extremely breathable. It has no insulation to prevent blocking heat exchange. The minimalist shoe design helps keep it extremely light and allows it to dry as quickly as possible if it does get wet. We at SPARTANAT have tested the Meindl Equator for you - and that on three continents.
The boot is very simple and resembles a classic canvas tropical boot. Immediately upon holding the Equators in your hands, the very low weight stands out. I wore the boots in the first few days here in Austria. And I was really surprised, since all my official boots made of full leather or leather/Gore-Tex eventually reach a point where you feel like your foot is "cooking." However, at the end of the day with the Equator, there was no heat sensation in the foot, the heat dissipation works perfectly.
The material of the boot is a sand-colored suede leather, split by fabric. A really well-functioning Gore-Tex membrane is incorporated in it. Also, the sole is very noticeable. We have a really stable and non-slip sole, the profile is excellently crafted and provides good traction in sand and loose ground. The boot shaft closes high, and the shoelaces are tied up high using eyelets. What I particularly liked was the tongue construction. There are no annoying pressure points or folds after tying.
The shoe's insole can be removed and is very breathable; also a contributing factor to the shoe's cooling properties. Unfortunately, this insole is its biggest drawback, but more on that later.
I wore the shoe for two weeks in Africa. I was in a tropical climate just north of the equator. I was really surprised when the boot had to prove its waterproofness for the first time. Up to the ankle, no water in the shoe, really top. Even temperatures of 25 to 30 degrees and humidity of 95 percent did not make me feel anywhere near as though my foot was wet or experiencing heat sensation. The membrane boot provided very valuable service in the jungle, but its main test in the desert is yet to come.
On vacation in the Middle East, with temperatures of 45-50 degrees and extreme heat, both material and human already reach their limits. If you don't sweat here, you're not human. The sweat always showed at the top of the boot shaft. Here I suspect that the sweat running down the leg, as well as that in the shoe, then spread over the socks. Due to the constant sweating on the boot shaft, slight rust appeared between the leather and the eyelets.
If unfortunately water, sweat, or other liquids entered the interior of the shoe over the collar, they did not come out easily. As the boot spent more and more time outdoors, weaknesses started to show. However, these are not related to the material, but to some manufacturing details.
Let's start with the insole: After some long marches, but also during short sprints and stops, the insole shifted - to the back and inside. This caused the sole to ride up on the inside of my heel. In combination with too light socks that are not suitable for such marches or maneuvers, this led to some terrible blisters.
The solution for this would be to pull the insole higher at the heels to have a better grip in the shoe and eliminate this edge formation. When I was able to use my own socks after 24 hours, the pain was still there, but due to the reinforced heels, there was no more rubbing. Unfortunately, sweating with the thicker socks was much stronger.
CONCLUSION: Since I have a high rate of boot wear and have used quite a few shoes, I can say that this shoe is the best solution in years. No one can currently compete with the Equator. Gore has produced a really top shoe with Meindl. The issue with the sole can be fixed with Velcro or with your own insole. However, this may affect the ideal heat dissipation. Or with socks reinforced in the heel area. If you need a heat-resistant shoe in the near future, you should really take a closer look at this shoe.
