Caring for 7-Year-Old Zamberlan Tofane Leather Hiking Boots

Daily · Published 12/20/2022 ·

I’ve got a pair of leather hiking boots that are more than seven years old now.

They’re Zamberlan Tofane full-grain leather boots.

I’ve covered a lot of ground in these boots, all over the place.

The outer leather has started to crack and split. But the leather is pretty thick, so it’s not really a problem.

The soles are still in decent shape too.

Looks like I can get another two years or so out of them.

To make boots last, it helps to give them a bit of care now and then.

Today’s tools are Saphir Universal Leather Balm and a hog bristle brush.

For leather dress shoes I use two brushes — hog bristle and horsehair — but for hiking boots I just finish up with the hog bristle.

First, I brush off the dust thoroughly.

No need to be gentle for fear of scratching the leather. These get worn on the mountain anyway, and they’re going to scrape against rocks.

So I knock the dust off without mercy.

Then I apply the leather balm.

Squeeze out a reasonable amount…

and work it in so it soaks into the leather.

It’s perfectly fine to apply it with your bare hands. If anything, you can feel exactly where you’ve covered and where you’ve missed.

I work it into every bit of leather, all over.

The sides are pretty scuffed up, but honestly, for their age these are in great condition.

This is the Zamberlan Tofane, a very classic design.

But it’s packed with all the modern tech too. It’s waterproof thanks to a Gore-Tex bootie — well, it was.

After all these years, if the Gore-Tex bootie has worn through anywhere, water can get in through there.

But I’ve worn these a ton and a lot of time has passed, so I’m not too fussed about it ^^;

They’re old, but with a little extra care they’ll keep going even longer.

In theory, these are made with a Norwegian welt construction, so the soles can be resoled — though I’m not sure there’s anywhere in Korea that does it properly. I should start looking into it.

And that’s how I went about caring for my leather hiking boots.

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