Do the Rubber Boots Help Reduce Odor or Cause it?

OK, I HAVE HAD ENOUGH, we keep “side stepping” this issue and it is time to bring it out in the open. Wheeeeew, I feel better.

The claim is that these rubber boots we wear eliminate or reduce odor on your boots and probably a monster percentage of us bow hunters wear them. I agree in that they probably do help reduce odors on the outside of the boot especially when you spray them down with scent eliminating spray. However, it is no secret that these boots do not breathe very well. The odor that comes from the inside of them has to escape from the boot, especially during the early season when it is so warm.

For me personally, I actually own 3 different Rubber boots that I wear during different times o f year depending on temperature. But even with the un-insulated ones my feet sweat just from walking in them to and from the stand in September and parts of October. I have hunted in 70, 80, and even 90 plus degrees many times in the early season. So I have often wear my un-insulated Danner Pronghorn boots and sprayed them down well before entering the field. I do spray the inside of my rubber boots often and let them dry to help reduce the internal foot odor.

So my questions are; Do you think Rubber Boots are worth it in the early season? Do they help or hurt you more? What about later in the season what do you wear or do then? What do you guys and gals do to help reduce foot odor or odor on the outside of your rubber boots? Or how many of you do not wear rubber boots because of the internal foot odor problem?

Let’s get some ideas flowing so we at least can all see different ideas and perhaps come with a better approach this Fall!

C’mon no on has any opinions, suggestions or things they do when it comes to their boots and odor control?

Personally I wear rubber boots during the entire season. I make a trip down to the Scent Blocker sale each year and pick up a couple pairs of their rubber boots for $20 each.

So far, I’ve found these work best for me. I like the fact that they are adjustable on the top to keep some of the sent in the boot vs. acting like a puffer and disbursing some of the scent out into the air.

These boots do not breathe the best, but combine them with a a fresh set of carbon insoles from time to time and some carbon spray on the inside, and I think these boots are gonna be as scent free as your gonna get.

Does anyone wear or use Elimitrax (sp?)??? Are they still around?

I posted this a little while back. Looks like clean leather boots may be better.

http://www.idohunting.com/forum/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/656738/page/1/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/93/fpart/1

They use graphs and big words and everything, it has to be true.

I don’t doubt that rubber boots may help to reduce some odor on the outside. But the boots I own are so uncomfortable for walking long distances, and make my feet stink so badly…I can’t justify wearing them. I wear uninsullated Pronghorns early season, and insullated Pronhorns later in the season.

If I broke down and spent money on a different/better set of rubber boots, my opinion may be different.

I had the good rubber boots and it dose not help. IMO leather is better from what i have experienced.

My thoughts are… if you have boots that are too warm, whether it be from a long walk, or just plain overkill, if your feet sweat, they emit odor, leather or rubber. What I believe rubber will do, is not pick up near as many scents externally, in other words, the smell can’t permiate it. I use both. If it’s warm enough, I use my 400 gram rubber boots. I also wear my Lacrosse Ice Kings, when it is really cold out…. I guess I really have no input at all, other than I use both

One of the things that is the most difficult for me is to walk in as slow as possible no matter what the temperature. For my boots I wear rubber, spray them down before every hunt and put the scent killer powder in them. My thoughts are that every little bit helps and I need all the help I can get

I wear rubber boots until late season. I have 1200 gram Rocky’s and i do believe that they reduce scent. I just wear light socks similar to the ones i wear in tennis shoes. My feet get way too cold when there is snow to wear rubber boots so i switch over to Rocky 1000 grams. I ALWAYS tuck my boots into my Scentlok pants to maximize my scent elimination

Ever since i bought rubber boots i have had fewer deer snort at me when they are down wind…is it by coincidence, have to do with the boots, or a combination of all?? I think my odds are better now

I use both and I don’t think there really is a big different. The key is to to spray your boots down before you head to your stand and that should help!

Hey Guys,
I like to wear rubber boots for bowhunting. This past fall I purchased some Dream Season boots like them but I had trouble with the zippers getting stuck and buttons falling off so I returned them to Cabelas. So I used my old
Lacrosse boots and wore Scent Shield S3 socks or X-scent socks and sprayed my boots with Scent Killer. I sprayed down everyday that I hunted and another thing I did was used Scent Killer Foot powder and but some of that inside
my boots I don’t know if it emproved my chances of success
or not.

Some great posts and discussion here, Thanks for your input, if you have any more feel free!

The voting is real interesting to me. I was a bit shcoked how even this was!

I’m actually floored that some people think that rubber boots cause more odor than help.

There is nothing getting in or out from that boot unless its escaping out of the top. If that is your concern use some duct tape to seal the boot. Nothing is breathing out of the actual boot and the boot is not absorbing and scent. If you think or feel that your boots have some how absorbed scent then wash them off and keep them isolated until you use the. A good spray down with Xecute will do the trick.

That is how I look at all my clothing. If you were to put it in water and it absorbs water then it surely absorbs scent. The best thing you can do is keep your clothes CLEAN and keep your body cleaner and put on scent free clean clothes when you hit the woods. Also, if you find the right scent killer spray they can truly help. Don’t buy into DDW and their enzyme talk. The enzymes they use are very unstable. In a stable controlled environment they do actually work but the second that stuff is bottled and goes on a truck ride you can be pretty darn sure your buying water. Sorry DDW.

But anyways, thats my 2 cents for what it is worth. I want fall to get here!!!