Scarpa HS12 Footwear Cream (200ml) - SS25

This is more expensive than some similar products, but worth it. Very easy to apply and absorbs into leather well with the applicator giving a really nice shine and waterproofing. I bought a cheaper alternative and the wax just sat on the surface, could not get it to absorb and just went back to using this. Just use it regularly to keep that water out.

I have used a lot of alternatives like Nikwax, mink oil and other waxes but HS12 is at the top of it all.My home turf is Connemara (West of Ireland) and that's where I do most of my walking. Low wetlands and bog with only scree very near summits.One of my Lowa Camino GTX walking boots started to leak after 1 year and a half walking in the low wetlands as a I approach the summits of the Connemara hills. The upper leather would take 4 days to dry out and was drained of any wax, my bad. I tried Nikwax waterproofing cream and 2 hours in the walk I would be slushing in a wet toe box of the boot with a bad smell (bog water is acidic, dire and smells bad. I used mink oil as well but I was warned that this would make the leather too soft where support is essential in a hiking boot.Time for a more effective approach:- Remove the laces of both boots after the walk.- Fill both boots with warm water and a little bit of white vinegar to draw out any moulds and the effect of any remnants of bog water and I could see as well where the boot were leaking. I saw water draining out of the leather pores (normal since Goretex allows water through in one direction) and the bottom of the tongue (hence importance of removing laces).- Let the boots dry out and apply HS12 from Scarpa in a thin layer and insert newspaper in the boots to aid the ingress of the HS12 into the leather. I noticed that the newspaper felt damp after applying the cream, this means that HS12 is able to displace any remaining water in the leather.- Apply 3 layers of HS12 cream (allow one day or less between applications) and they felt a bit waxy after one day after the third application.I walked after this on Sunday after heavy rain during the week and they were absolutely dry, even after submersing the boot in bog till the ankle. Absolutely dry.I seems that Goretex on its own is not enough to keep your feet dry, the Goretex only performs when the leather is properly waxed with the proper cream. That's not what I thought of Goretex, I thought it as the one stop barrier for water ingress. Wrong that is.After every walk I remove the laces and quickly clean with abit of Nikwax footwear cleaning gel (I suppose I could use water with a bit of white vinegar as well to remove any tannins from the bog from the upper leathers from bog but haven't tried that yet. Anyway the leather is now dry after 1 day. One very small top up of the cream does the trick for the next walk.Thank you Scarpa to bring this cream on the market. There are still a few more seasons in these boots.

Easy to use. Delivered quickly and without any issues.

Good product, you can see the water run off after using the wax. The only downside is it does make the leather quite dark, but I’m guessing it would wear off after awhile

Use regularly on my Scarpa four season boots. Easy to apply and if done often makes the leather completely waterproof.

I’ve always used wax when cleaning my hiking boots however, thought I’d have a change and try Scarpa’s own brand for a change. Great results and leaves the leather hydrated and clean.

I have used Scarpa cream for 10 years on my walking boots. It is effective at maintaining condition and waterproofing and easy to apply. Good value too.

This is so much easier to apply than wax/dubbin type products as it is more liquid and comes with a sponge applicator so you can sponge it on. It gives the boots a shine, stops the leather looking dry and helps them be impervious to water. Great stuff !