Hi,

I bought a pair of north face gore tex hiking trainers from their store in regent street, London in June.

They have been fine up until now,

I noticed on a hike recently that they are leaking.

Presumably the gore tex membrane has failed.

I waited till they had dried and tested it again in the sink.

They come with a one year guarantee,

the problem is I'm travelling overseas (the reason for the purchase!)

don't plan to return to the uk any time soon,

I've checked TNF website and it says in store purchases need to be returned in store.

What are my options from overseas?

I guess even if I could post them back it would be expensive and I'd then be shoeless....

Thanks in advance,

ST

My personal opinion: Goretex membranes in footwear are nothing more than a marketing gimmick. Feet sweat a lot and the oils from the skin block the pores in the Goretex, and thus ruins the breathability of the membrane. A pair of lightweight shoes incorporating mesh panels dry out fairly quickly if they get wet. For really wet conditions, pedal bin liners over the socks make for a good waterproof layer. An alternative is neoprene socks (probably a bit too heavy if you are an ultralight traveller)

As for returning the TNF shoes you have, I suspect your options are limited. TNF(USA) is unlikely to want to do anything without proof of purchase, so posting them back to the UK will be the only option. Posting back to the Regents Street store without the receipt may well see them binning the shoes unless they can track down the sale on their system.

The final possibility: Find the local TNF agent in the country you're currently visiting, and they might be able to help as a gesture of goodwill.

look at this TNF link for country: https://www.thenorthface.eu/shop/select-country

I don't know what any manufacturers warranty says. Maybe it will allow you to take it to your local dealer – but you can be certain that you will lose the shoes for a few weeks.

It seems that you may just be within the six month time limit allowed by the Consumer Rights Act and that means that the supplier would be obliged to attempt a repair and if that repair fails then to refund you or to replace the boots. However you can be certain that you will lose the use of the boots for a few weeks. If you want to take this option then I suggest that you write to the supplier immediately and tell them that the boots have failed and that you are asserting your long-term right to reject under the Consumer Rights Act. You can tell them that you want them to attempt a repair but as you are away at the moment you won't be able to get the bits back until XXX date (I hope that's not too long away). You can be sure that the supplier won't be happy and they certainly won't be happy at the delay – but that is tough on them.

Now let me give you my own take on Gore-Tex boots. The majority of Gore-Tex lined boots you get nowadays have a fabric exterior and then Gore-Tex inside. They're great and generally speaking there's no problem. However, if you do puncture the Gore-Tex liner then you will end up with the leak because the external fabric provides no protection at all.

My own view about boots is that Gore-Tex is great but ideally you want a leather boot with a Gore-Tex in so that you have double protection. Keep the leather of the boot well treated with something like Nik wax and you generally speaking won't have any trouble. If something does managed to penetrate the leather – which is pretty unlikely – and pierce the Gore-Tex membrane, it won't be a disaster because the leather will still protect you unless you have put a cut or a gash in it.

Fabric boots with Gore-Tex inners actually need a lot more maintenance and ideally they need washing at the end of every days walking or at least at the end of every two or three days walking. All sorts of bits of grit and small thorns can get trapped in the mesh or inside the tongue area and work their way through to the membrane and pierce it. Once that happens then the boot is next to useless.

People talk about the Gore-Tex membrane having "failed". I'm afraid that is far more likely that any puncture is not as a result of a defect but is a result of poor maintenance which in turn is a result of a lack of understanding of how much care and attention these kinds boots need.

Fabric exterior – Gore-Tex lined boots tend to be bought because they are colourful and lightweight – and of course there are all sorts of seams and decorative detailing across them.

Best off with some solid Gore-Tex lined leather boots from a company like Scarpa, for instance. If you are looking for vegan/vegetarian boots then you're probably out of luck.

Agree with the above, punctured a pair of boots due to some grit on the inside under the insole. Wet feet are no fun. My last pair of leather boots with good wax finish never let me down.

I know it's no help, but you may find the response from TNF is user error.

Thanks all. Will certainly think twice before buying another pair of GTX shoes/boots. Have had several and they've all gone this way, but never this quickly,

I have an e-receipt which the store sent me at the time of purchase in store. I don't suppose anyone has an email address I can try my luck with? I've been trawling the internet and all the contact details seem to be for online sales. I'm loathed to go down the pen and paper route as I'm currently in Central America and I don't fancy the chances if it actually arriving,