From a long time ago, Doc Martens has remained a popular and common pair for everyone. I remember using my first pair everywhere I went.
There is a question flying around nowadays ‘Are Doc Martens Waterproof?’
You can get confused about the exact meaning behind words like ‘waterproof’, ‘water resistant’, and ‘water repellent’. And which word is appropriate for your favorite Doc Martens.
To clear all this confusion, I tested My doc Martens shoes in the rain and researched a lot to find a crystal clear idea about whether Doc Martens are waterproof or not.
I will answer all of your questions. So keep reading till the end.
Are All Dr. Martens Waterproof?
Before deciding anything about Doc Martens, I want to clear up the confusion about which word is appropriate to use for Doc Martens.
Water repellent means the lowest level of water protection. The thing which is water repellent can protect itself from a little splash of water like drizzling or little snowfall. The water protection of the water-repellent product is not obvious.
Water resistant item is for medium protection from water. The product is water resistant and can repel water but not 100 percent.
And waterproof means fully protective from water. You can go into the water even for a swim with your waterproof item.
Doc Martens are made of 8 different types of leather. So every type of leather is for individual purposes.
Doc Martens is rough and durable due to its material as leather is not so water protective.
Naturally, leather can resist small amounts of water. But it must get damaged for longer use in moisture and watery places.
Check out our separate post: Are Doc Martens Considered Work Boots.
Leather can play as water resistant after applying wax or waterproofing spray.
As a pure leather product Doc Marten is not waterproof but water resistant. That means Dr. Martens are easily usable in little water. You don’t have to worry if you get stuck in a drizzle with your Dr. Martens.
But if a heavy rainfall happens and you have to stay there for a long time, your Doc Marten will get damaged.
As I said before, Dr. Marten uses 8 different types of leather. So there are some models which are really waterproof.
Let’s have a look at some popular pairs and whether they are waterproof or not:
Vegan Doc Marten
Vegan Doc Marten is a waterproof collection of Docs. This pair of Dr. Marten is made of fine waterproof synthetic material, and the inner is made of pure textile.
Vegan Docs are reality waterproof, and you can use them for heavy rainfall. So, Vegan Docs is a perfect choice for your watery use or for prolonged use in wet places.
Moreover, the synthetic used in Vegan Docs is 100% cruelty-free.
You will be happy to know that the leather light finished synthetic material is heat sealed. So you can use them in severe winters and in snowfall as well.
Above all, vegan Docs are very easy to clean up. The synthetic material adds this property to it. The synthetic is wipeable, softer and moldable.
Doc Marten 1460
Doc Marten 1460 is the most popular boot from the brand. You can address them as a signature pair from Dr. Marten. The classic pair of Dr. Marten created a fashion appeal to all with its sinny upper and yellow stitching on the sole.
But there is some scarcity in practical usage. The leather, which is used for 1460 Dr. Marten, is not thick leather. It looks like a cold boot with its appearance, but they are actually not.
If you are thinking of buying a pair of 1460 for your winter trip, you must think twice.
Dr. Marten 1460 is not waterproof but has a little water-repelling property. That means you can walk in the rain keeping your 1460 on, but it will only save you for 30 min from the water.
After that, your socks will get wet through the thin leather of 1460. Even for the snow, your Dr. Marten 1460 will act the same.
But if you eagerly want to buy a waterproof pair from Dr. Marten, then you can try their newly launched waterproof 1460. This new pair might solve your problem.
You may check out the best Alternatives To Doc Martens.
Doc Marten Sandal
Doc Marten has some nice pairs of leather sandals. They are made of AirWair sole. The leather of Doc Marten Sandal is thin.
Dr. Martens sandals are not waterproof, not even water resistant.
If your Dr. Marten Sandals get wet. You must make them dry as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will get damaged.
Dr. Marten’s sandals need extra care if they are old. You should apply a special leather protecting spray for longer use in humidity for your old pair.
Jadon Dr. Marten
Jordan Dr. Marten is a Goodyear Welted product. You can feel the upper and sole are heat sealed.
Jadon is made of leather which is naturally not waterproof. Even the modern technology of Goodyear Welted can not make Jadon waterproof properly.
You can use wax or waterproofing spray to increase the water resistance of Jadon Dr. Marten.
Leather Doc Marten
Doc Marten is known for its tough, shiny high-quality leather. Dr. Martens’s arrogant and aesthetic look allows you to go anywhere with a pair of these boots.
It will make you surprised that to maintain the product quality and elegance Dr. Marten uses 8 different qualities of leather. These different kinds of leather quality are for different lines of shoes from Dr. Marten.
The material is like Tumbled leather, Suede, Oiled leather, Nubuck, Crazy horse leather and so on.
If you have never heard about Tumbled leather before, Suffolk Chelsea boots are made of this kind of leather. The soft gorgeous, tumbled leather adds extra attraction to the Docs. This leather is waterproof too.
Oiled leather makes softer matt finished footwear. It will shine like a mirror after a proper polish with wax. Basically oil tanned leather is leather with special tanning of distinct oil.
This leather is not waterproof but is slightly water resistant.
Suede is used for fuzzy Dr. Martens. This type of leather can keep your feet dry, but long-term moisture will be harmful to suede. So you have to make them dry as quickly as you can.
Nubuck leather is more water resistant than suede, but they are not 100% waterproof. It is thicker and more rugged.
Nubuck will perform outstandingly after applying a wax spray in moisture or water.
The most popular pair from Doc. Martin is made of Crazy horse leather. This leather is strong and more durable. This leather comes from natural cowhide. So crazy horse leather is finely weather resistant.
From the above discussion, I can tell you that the water resistance of Docs depends on the material. The type of leather decides the quality of boots.
As pure leather, any pair of Docs are not 100% waterproof, but they can be water resistant in some technical way.
Canvas Doc Marten
You may know that canvas is a material of the plain woven product. This is a plant product. And canvas is not waterproof, not even slightly water resistant.
You will get wet anyway you use wax or waterproofing spray. And I know this is not a happy thing.
You may also like to read: Are Doc Martens Slip Resistant.
Is Doc Marten Snow proof?
Docs are stylish, elegant and pure leather footwear. You can see various kinds of boots and sandals under the brand, Dr. Marten. However, every pair of Docs are made of high quality and pure leather.
The look of Docs attracts everybody for all types of outings and dressing. But if you are choosing Docs for your skating or winter tour, you must think again.
All the pairs of Docs are not snowproof as well. Dr. Marten is thin and easily gets injected with water and cold.
The nature of Docs leather makes your socks wet in melting snow. But in Spanje snow-like clouds, a thick pair of woolen socks can protect you from the cold.
Moreover, you need a surety of traction when you are traveling in a snowy place. Dr. Martens follow airwar material for their soles.
Airwair is quite soft because it can make a great grip on a wet plane in some special situations. This material will give you great traction if you maintain a pretty weight.
But if you want to go in deep snow and you are thin like the olive oyl of popeye, then you might fall because you won’t get any grip.
You can try any pair which uses Vibram instead of Airwair to get more traction.
Though Airwire feels good and soft and very comfortable for walking, it is not for traveling in snow or upland tracing.
So you can use your Docs in the snow for a short time period, like 20 to 30 minutes. Overuse of it will definitely seep your feet with your boot.
How to Make Dr. Martens Waterproof
Leather boots are not waterproof when they come out of the box. But some waterproofing hacks can be a huge severe for the Dr. Marten boots.
As Docs use various types of leather for their different footwear, they act differently in moisture.
You can use wax or some waterproofing spray to make your Docs waterproof. Doc Marten sells a special waterproof spray for their boots. This type of method is really effective for leather or 1460 Dr. Marten.
There are some methods to make your Docs waterproof. I narrated the methods below for you:
Wonder Balsam:
Wonder balsam is an in-house product of Doc Marten for caring for your Docs. This product is based on beeswax.
Balsam adds an extra layer to your boots and does not allow them to contact with water. Thus Docs become more water resistant. For full protection, Dr. Marten provides an ultra protector spray which will help to keep your boots safe from dirt and water.
To apply this kit, you should clean your boots until they get spotless and glossy. After that, apply your balsam wax with the help of a sponge. You should apply the wax all over your shoes.
When your boots get dry, you should spray the protector spray. Give 5 min to set everything up.
Now you are ready for your trip.
Remember that wax or balsam is not applicable to vegan Dr. Marten.
You can also apply natural wax or spray to waterproof your boots. The wax or spray can be from any company or brand.
If you are still confused about how to apply wax or waterproofing spray, you should follow my further post.
Is Dr. Martens Comfortable?
Dr. Martens boots are soft, glossy and stylish. People of all ages love them for their durability and comfort.
You can wear a single pair of Docs for various types of functions. Dr. Marten is a lace-up leather boot that will last for a lifetime under proper care.
Soft, thin leather and AirWire sole make Docs so much more comfortable in performance.
A right-fitted pair of Docs will allow you a day-long walk around the city. According to my personal experience, I can say that you Can use your father’s pair which he bought when you were a kid.
But Docs need a short period of break-in time. It may take 2 to 3 weeks to get mold into your feet. After that, you find your Doc super comfortable and durable.
Check out our separate post to know Are Doc Martens Good for Snow.
End Note
To wrap up, I must say that I can understand your feeling about the less waterproof nature of Dr. Marten. It is hard for me to keep my favorite pairs in my wardrobe when it rains.
But the brutal truth is Dr. Marten is not waterproof but slightly water resistant. After applying the wax or spray will perform quite well in the rain.
You can use Vegan Docs to get more security from moisture, but again, they are not 100% waterproof.
Comment below and Let me know if you have any other waterproof boots in mind rather than Dr. Martens.
