I used Sno-Seal for several years but I think it affects breathability. I stopped using it and my feet seem to sweat less. For certain boots, I'd still use it.
I'm now using the Kennetrek lube and it seems a lot easier to apply than Sno-Seal. Hopefully it doesn't affect the breathability as much. I'd prefer not to use a lube, but I had a warranty claim on my last pair of Kennetreks and they said the leather was dried out so I thought I'd give their lube a try.
Here's what Dave Page, cobbler in Seattle wrote about Sno-Seal:
"You just can't work on the boots after it's on the leather," Page says of Sno-Seal. "Most hiking boots today are made of dry-tanned leather that uses chromium salts and chromium sulfates. Modern uppers sit down on top of sole units and are glued on, not stitched. To get soles to stick to the glue line, you have to be able to get the leather absolutely clean.
"Sno-Seal, Mink Oil, Neatsfoot Oil are all products that work fine as waterproofing, but they're formulated for oil-tanned leather--leather from 60 years ago," Page says. "There's just something that's in Sno-Seal that gets impregnated in dry-tanned leather. I don't know what it is. Once it's in there you can't clean it out and the leather will just not accept adhesives."
Last edited by 4th_point; 12/27/11.
