• Washing off all mud and dirt after each use is a good idea; if it dries on the uppers, they can harden and crack, especially if they're leather. A stiff brush (I use an old toothbrush) helps to remove mud from seams, stitching, and tongue gussets.
• Excessive heat is even more likely to cause the leather to harden and split, and it's also hard on nylon. Wet footwear should never be dried in a hot place such as next to a car heater, a house radiator, or a campfire. Even mid-day sunshine can be too warm, and if you stay in a mountain hut or hostel with a drying room, you should keep your footwear out of there as well. Any leather should never become too hot to touch. Footwear should be left in a cool, dry place to dry slowly, with the insoles removed and the tongues fully open.
• If they are really sodden, stuffing them with newspaper will help the drying process. Fabric/leather shoes without any internal padding dry quickly, but foam-lined leather boots can take a long time - at least several days for medium-weight leather boots.

When wet footwear has dried, it needs to be treated to restore suppleness and water repellency.

1. For synthetic and suede footwear, proofing compounds (which can be found in any shoe or outdoor store) can be sprayed or painted on the boots to limit the amount of water they absorb, but these types of boots will never become truly waterproof.
2. Leather footwear is different. Proper treatment increases the water repellency and prolongs life by keeping the leather supple. For leather boots that are chemically, rather than oil-tanned, dress with wax rather than oil. Virtually all leathers are now chemically treated rather than oil-tanned. You will find many types of wax, and no one is vastly superior to any other. To be certain which wax is best for your boots, ask when buying them, or follow the manufacturer's care advice that is usually included. Boots should be waxed the evening before use (and before long-term storage) to allow the wax to penetrate. In most cases, boots must be dry before they can be waxed, except when using a product that is made to be applied specifically to wet boots. Several thin coats are preferable to one thick one, to avoid over-treatment. Although you can apply wax with a rag, fingers do the best job, since their warmth helps to melt the wax, improving penetration.

   Wax does not provide long-term waterproofing. There is a ratio between the amount of wax you apply, the degree of waterproofness obtained, and the breathability of your boots. Several layers of wax will mean better and longer-lasting water resistance, but also less breathability. If you wear leather boots in warm weather (which I don't recommend), I'd go easy on the wax or your feet will get wetter from sweat than from the occasional summer shower. In cold, wet conditions, especially in snow, heavily waxed boots are necessary. Freshly waxed boots can still get wet after just a few hours in dew-wet grass or melting snow, but they will dry out more quickly and absorb less moisture than ones that haven't been treated. I also apply a wet-seal to seams and exposed stitching; it protects seams and prevents them from leaking for a while.

1. There is not much you can do to repair blown stitching in the field. Duct tape will hold your boots together well enough to get you out of the wilderness.
2. Another boot breakdown is when your soles delaminate, or peel apart. The soles need to be glued together with a urethane-based glue. Try duct tape as a last resort and hope it holds the boots together long enough for you to hike out.