Boots: Does light damage affect waterproofing?
I am looking at a new pair of suede leather walking boots. Price is low due to one boot being in a shop window and so is faded and doesn't match the other boot.
My question is: would the light damage potentially affect the waterproof(ness) of the goretex?
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q/22223. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1 answer
No. If the boots have a Gore-Tex membrane, this is a PTFE film that is sandwiched between the inner lining and the upper. Light going through a glass pane is mostly harmless. For example, most of the UV light (UVB) is blocked by glass. The only issue a pair of boots left in a display might have is color fading, that's usually due to some deterioration from the rest of the UV spectrum. Fortunately, the upper should act as a protective layer, just like your skin does.
What makes waterproof membranes fail is usually mechanical. Repeated flexing, delamination, and stretching will invariably lead to tearing of the material over time.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/22224. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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