Is it really worth splashing out on a good pair such as Hunter, Aigle or Le Chameau?

I need a new pair but have just seen a pair for £20 in a catalogue which have a hunter style fit and adjustable strap etc...
I need some with a good tread for slippery mud and ones that'll last if i do splash out - any opinions out there? :)

Lindsay
X

I've found that the longevity of wellies is in inverse proportion to the amount that you spend on them!

I'm not sure that the more expensive ones are more durable or have better grip. I used to have a pair of Hunters that were lethal in slippy conditions.

The main benefit of the more expensive pairs are comfort and warmth.

My current pair are Le Chameau with a neoprene lining. I think they were about £40 on special offer as they were an old design (they had moved the position of the badge!) They are warm & comfortable with a decent grip. No adjustable strap, but I've got big enough calves for that not be a problem.

I got through a lot of pairs of wellies until I realised that its not a good idea to leave them in the car on hot days!

I've tried cheap ones and found that they aren't comfortable and the tops split, so I have Hunter's. Depends how much you use them really - I walk in them 3 times a day and my daughter uses them as well - don't use anything else in the winter, so from beginning of October through until June - if it's a traditional British summer :D

Daisy

I had Barbours and they lasted me for years :)

Which Barbour ones did you get?  Rob got some from their factory and I think they were about £30 normally, when we looked up the price.  He hated them.  Said they were really stiff around the ankle and kept digging into him.  He ended up cutting them down and making some wellie shoes with them.

Helen

I used to wear Hunters because I have difficult feet and liked their support however wellies can be very cold in the winter.

I now wear Muck Boots which have a neoprene leg and foot lining, they are completely waterproof, have a reinforced arch and toe and so warm that I never have to wear anything other than tights, no woolly socks anymore.  Best of all they are cheaper than Hunters too!  I have had my current pair for two years and as I walk miles in them, lay tracks etc etc on a cost per wear basis they have done me proud!

Disadvantages:  the grip is not as good in slippery conditions and they can honk a bit because they ARE so warm. 

They were recommended to me by a farmer and I think they give the same warmth and protection as the expensive Le Chameau boots et al but for less than 1/2 the price.

The cheapest Hunters just have cross bars for grip. fine fore and aft but no good at all side to side. The dearer Hunters have a far better all round grip. I use Hunter Neo-Classics and find them great. Nice warm feet even after standing still for half an hour in freezing standing water. I regularly spend 7 to 8 hours at a time in them in the cold of December and January and still have nice warm feet.

Regards, John

I've got the Neo-Galloway's - they certainly are nice and warm :)

Daisy

I bought the hunter neo galloway a couple of years ago and thought they were fab...until a split appeared down the side.  Rob's did exactly the same as well.  I then bought a pair of Le Chameau all tracks and they have lasted ages and are really comfy.  I have just bought some Le Chameau, neoprene lined ones for £100 and they are by far the comfiest welly I have ever worn, and I've tried a few :-D

I don't think I could go back to the cheap ones as I find they don't give me the support or grip that the more expensive ones do and I don't think I'll buy any more hunters, I'm sticking with Le Chameau.

Helen

Le Chameau - leather lined - best thing ever, comfy and warm in the lightest of socks even bare feet!  Hard wearing heels too this is mine's third winter and no wear to speak of.

I think that I've had these 2 years so far. I'll just have to hope that they don't split as well :)

Daisy

I feel like such a city softie!  Our walking is mostly done in parks or on Hampstead Heath, so I don't really require hardcore wellies.

I invested in a pair from Kate Kuba a couple of months ago which are black with pink, red and green flowers and hearts on them - they were the cause of much hilarity from my boyfriend.  However, they're in this month's Vogue!:-)

I'd be laughed out of the countryside!

Yep! ;)

Seriously though, boots have three functions in the countryside. Warm and dry, comfortable to walk in and support. I'm often in the middle of private woods half mile or more from the road and a turned ankle could result in anything from a bad sprain to a broken bone and at that distance from the road in the middle of winter could be serious! When I first started gundog training I went out in whatever I was wearing on my feet at that time. I remember one day turning my ankle over by treading on the edge of an unseen tree root. I was lucky in that I only got a sprain but I did learn my lesson. Now it is boots which give me support, walking boots in dry weather and good wellies in the wet.

Regards, John

Get pink ones with yellow spots from new look.....or not!!! :D :D :D

http://www.thewellyshop.com/

John, if you see a whippet owner with a sprained ankle and silly wellingtons on one of your walks - please stop, it could well be me!

No seriously, I don't need really heavy duty boots on the Heath, and I do have a pair of proper hiking boots for forays into the countryside.

Hi,

I paid £40 for some green Hogg wellies adjustable strap ,mouldings  and have to say they were useless so uncomftable my feet bleeding from blisters.
I now have just an ordinary pair of black wellies size 5 brought from John Lewis childrens dept £13.

Absolutely brilliant and just soooooo comftable ive walked the dogs for miles in them still going strong and so worth their £13 just goes to show You dont have to pay a fotunate for comfort and practicality.

However not tried Barbour or Hunter.

Briony :-)

Forgot to say got good grip too and my son also uses them :-)

Briony

I have Barbour wellies, the grip is very bad in wet mud.

Got a pair of Hunters and wished I hadnt bothered SOO uncomfortable -  I went back to my oldv battered cheap ones.
Did I read that someones paid £100 for a pair of wellies !! :-o

Ooooh, lots of different opinions

My main criteria for wellies really has to be grip because i have to be careful not to fall over due to being close to osteoporosis (bone thinning) so i guess that means that Muck Boots are out of the question and that any Hunter boots would have to be the more expensive ones such as John recommends. My OH has just started as a mature student so we are trying to save on the pennies just a little but that's not as important as getting good wellies for me! I like my walking boots and gaiters in bad weather, but it is much easier cleaning wellies than walking boots :D

I did a bit of a Google and came across the Ariat site, oh i love some of those boots!! Not what i am after but one day... <g>.

RE the funny colours, i did notice that Hunter wellies are doing some rather exciting reds and pinks these days.... !!!

I think i'll go to the Scats country store in Lumington and try on a few pairs - John thanks for the tip about the tread, i'll watch out for that.

Thanks everyone, any more opinions welcome still...

Lindsay
X

Hi Lindsay,

My experience this Summer...  I went to the "Welly Shop" stand at the Game Fair because I needed some new wellies.  They sell every make and model available!  (See the web site posted by Tohme.)  I was convinced that I would be buying Aigle Parcours Iso's as I have had my eye on them for ages.  However, I do have odd sized feet and they were not the boot for me :( as the right foot was too big - the left one was very comfortable though!  So, disappointed, I tried on every boot in the shop - yes, every one of them!  And they all feel entirely different. 

I finally came away with some Muck boots (and saved £50 over the Aigles!) which were the most comfortable for me.  I would have preferred a more grippy sole, but comfort was my prime concern.  Mine were called "Muck Tweed" but they do others with better soles if that is what's important to you.  They're on the same website under "Miscellaneous".

Anyway, my experience tells me that you simply have to try boots on and see what suits you best.  You will get as many opinions as there are makes/models of boots.  It is a very personal thing with feet!

BTW, to rub salt into the wound, my hubby came home with the boots I had wanted and he didn't even need new wellies! How unfair is that?!?! :rolleyes:

Good luck Lindsay.  Take your time trying them on and you will find something you like.  Eventually!  :D

These look quite good - for a tenner - P&P is a bit on the steep side but they are thermal:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7107477733&fromMakeTrack=true

Neoprene lined Le Chameau for me and I wouldn't be without them!  Son has expensive Le Chameau version with leather lined and zip and he loves them too.

I get a bit twitchy about taking them off outside peoples houses and leaving them on the doorstep!

Thanks everybody for your help and suggestions - I agree with MontysMum i really do need to try them on and try out a few different pairs, so i will be visiting a few countrywear shops :)

Lindsay
X

yes yes yes it is worth it depending on their use! if you wear wellies once a week to go round a muddy bit in the park then get cheapo ones! :) However if like me you start wearing them at 6am & take them off at 11 pm most days of the week, then get good ones. i currently have Aigle Par cours whick cost me about £60 a few years back, they are neoprine lines ones with fabulous grip & keep my toes like toast even in ice & snow. I also have Le Chameau deer-stalking boots which are fabulous & well worth the £165!!!