The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: suziequeue on September 05, 2011, 10:50:43 pm
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What wellies do people recommend?
Two years ago I bought a pair of Muck Boots. They were very expensive and I thought - well - you get what you pay for. I thought they would last a long time.
Anyway - the seams have gone and a couple of holes have appeared - and that's that. Of course - I don't have the receipt now otherwise I would have taken them back. I think two years is pathetic - especially as I don't really "rag" them.
Are my expectations too high?
I don't know whether to go for the bangernomics option and just get a cheap pair or whether to invest in another pair of expensive wellies. What do you think?
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I have muck boots and muddies, they are similar but both only lasted a year, same as hubbies, is have worn badly on the bottom and slip on rough ground BUT, they are sooo comfy and easy to put on!! I live in my Muck boots!
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Neoprene lined, well ribbed soles, less than £50 - that's what I'm looking for. Might go back to the Mountain Warehouse at Tilly as they have a sale on. Got my new walking boots there last Saturday. Need to wait for pension to drop into my bank account first though ::).
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I need new wellies too, I had a Joules pair bought as a christmas present two years ago, and the lining has all gone! I just want something comfy to wear in the winter, well, and the wet summers too I guess but I live in hope of sunshine!
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Hi all, I was bought a very cute pair of wells for Christmas this last year and already have had to pull the liners out ::) I'm afraid on this matter I'm the cheap and cheerful option from now on and then wear gorgeous socks so they are comfy (as a shoe fanatic this doesn't come naturally for me ;D), if the dog doesn't chew them then our foal will certainly have a nibble or two!!!
Blueeyes xx
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I'm giving up wellies on the advice of a podiatrist. She says they don't give my feet and ankles enough support. I'll be going for boots and gaiters this year or boots and waterproof trousers.
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I'm giving up wellies on the advice of a podiatrist. She says they don't give my feet and ankles enough support. I'll be going for boots and gaiters this year or boots and waterproof trousers.
For sure I have had more trouble with toes and ankles since the enforced adoption of full-time welly-wearing. If you can get away with boots instead no question it'll be better for your feet and ankles.
I bought some beautiful Karrimor boots (reduced to an affordable price) but the back of the heel digs into my achilles tendon (which is still giving me gyp so (a) swollen and (b) very sore to begin with) plus you can kick wellies on and off as you come and go into the house, it's a palaver with boots especially if you've had to use gaiters to cope with >2" of water about.
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I bought walking boots ages ago and found they were heavy on my feet and I felt my ankles were under strain, the Muck boots I still have seem to fit supportively around my ankles and also my feed, I suppose its just the shape and type of leg we have, mine are Victorian (verging on Gothic)short stubby legs, some of you may have Ikea ones or elegant Edwardian ones, and as for feet, mine are more than a dinner plate full!!
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OK they def dont come in the £50 budget but I can really recommend the boots I got once I had thrown my split Hunters out for the last time. They are neoprene lined Le Chameau ones and cost (whispers) £95. I was very reluctant to spend that much and had to have them for my birthday as we dont have that sort of loose change lying about but Ive been so glad I went for them every day since.
But they have been faultless despite me wearing them all day every day just about for a year or more already including in -20 (the Hunters used to last 4 months max).
I couldnt find neoprene ones with proper good quality materials and construction for under £50 (eg rubber that is very flexible but very tough as well), but they may be out there, let us know if you find them!
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My husband has some Le Chameau boots and swears by them.
I have some neoprene lined Aigle wells that have served me very well for several years now. I suspect I don't wear them as much as some on this site, but they do get worn several times per week. I think they are also in the £100+ price bracket.
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A guest that was a keen out door sports man, swore by Le Chameau boots , just off to google them again, I cannot remember which ones I tried on that were too tight !!
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Definately a good idea to research first, I throw good money after bad on wellies these days ::) Joules - split after a couple of months (of LOTS of wear uphill and down all day) Hunters - very tight across my foot and hurt Countrywide own - comfortable and last a few months but again need replacing. Can't afford huge outlay in one go though or would buy some more durable jobbies. :(
Interesting point from Rosemary too - I sprained my foot recently (had to crawl up very steep hills to get to the goats, was awful) and I put that down to welly wearing (yep, even wear them to school run these days!)
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Hunter boots are not very good quality these days but having said that I've just bought a pair of their short ones as the rubber seemed better quality than on their longer legged version. My Barbour boots lasted years but I have no idea of the quality of them now as they weren't in any of the shops I visited.
I have to say though that NEXT ( of all places :-[ ) have some cheapish wellies and they are very cosy to wear. They are also the shorter legged style.
WW yard boots are very cosy but no good for long wet grass (or for wearing in any situation where the water will be higher than the lower ankle area). The water will go into the boot and once wet they take a couple of weeks to dry out properly.
Don't buy Derby House long legged yard boots - they have no support around the ankle and the leg just droops and slides down no matter how tight you do the velcro fastenings up. Again, they are only good enough for lower ankle deep puddles. They do make a good home for spiders though - that's what mine have become. :(
:farmer:
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Long live the rigger boot!!! I live in them and they smell like I do too ;)
I never expect a piece of footwear to last too long, mine generally rot from the inside out :)
Baz
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Eeeeeewwww - too much information Baz!
It's a point though - I did get what the doctor said was severe athlete's foot (it wasn't bothering me - I was there about something else) and since getting that cleared up have been more careful to take my wellies off when I'll be in the house for more than a few minutes, always wear clean dry cotton socks next to the foot, make sure the wellies get thoroughly dried out overnight if they did get a wetting.
Some of us will remember another discussion about brands of wellies, started by Dan's purchase of some new Hunters - are they still your pride and joy, Dan?
That discussion starts here:
http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=17254.msg163971#msg163971 (http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=17254.msg163971#msg163971)
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seen some Le Chameau boots that I love, how sad is that, would prefer them to some jimmy choo ::) trouble is the ones I like are over £200 OR 12 cheap bottles, 5 mid range bottles or 3 expensive bottles of whiskey..sooo..will I wont I????
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::) ::) Not exactly wellies or possibly suitable for thick mud but I love them!
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I'd suggest a watching brief on eBay...
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Those are really nice boots Sandy
Muck Boots are the only wellies I can get that will fit my very Victorian legs, mine have lasted a long time, last year a got these so much better grip than the ones I had beofre
http://www.muckbootco.co.uk/greta.html (http://www.muckbootco.co.uk/greta.html)
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Daisy I totaly agree, I have the same ones but green, love the purple ones but they all end up the same colour, I have a small hole in t he bottom of my ones as the stones put down for the heavy plant in the forest,have pierced even that strong bottom...I too, like I said have victorian legs!!!
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I have a pair of Dunlop Actifort's and they are great; had these and Puroforts for the past 5 years and wouldn't even think about any others now. Under £50 as well!
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I'm a Dunlop girl too ;)
Had a pair given too me years ago and they lasted 4 years of rough wear.
Then tried the cheap & cheerful, the expensive & the reccomended. The worst only lasted a couple months - none lasted the season.
I chose purofort too and am delighted - 2 years wear so far & still going strong :)
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I heard from some one that its not staying in certain footware but staying in the same ones. The bacteria have constant food, moisture and warmth unless you leave them off to dry out in the fresh air and wear some thing else.
I have my thick sole Muck Boots and my Thinner sole, nearly dead, Muddies, they are similar and I wear both..not one on each foot ::) but alternate them to match my outfits, brown ripped Muddies to go with my brown ripped coat and Green BIG Muck boots to go with my big Berghus Mucky coat ;)
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Riggers are great generally but not waterproof.
Hunters didn't last me the year.
Muck boots - the criss cross soles just wore away smooth and became lethally slippy - haven't tried the tread type
Presently wearing - cheap wellies when I'm near the pond/river and riggers generally.
Like all of you .... still searching for the ultimate welly ..... the search continues ;)
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Take it all back - just found Croc wellies so going to try them ;D
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I have to say that everything I've had from Ariat - either wellies or boots have lasted superbly and are very comfortable. My Ariat Glacier boots went across the Andes 5 years ago and are still going strong.
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Oh Rosemary, you've just reminded me, the dogs chewed Steves Ikea Crocs while he's away :o
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Until very recently, I was employed full time as a trout-farmer and I have tried em all.
I have had a very expensive pair of 'hunters'...I cant remember what they were called, but they had hand-stitching and a leather lining (I got em for £55 from TKMaxx, I would never part with the rrp which was over £200). I have wide feet and they hurt like buggery. My wife now has them. I have had various Aigle wellies, bur the zippy ones seem to fall apart from there. I ended up buying cheap green wellies in bulk from the Strauss catalogue. They had the added benefit of steel toecaps and natural rubber soles (useful in aquaculture as they grip well to wet concrete). I think they are under a tenner a pair, and I didn't mind so much when one pair only lasted me six months.
Since I don't do that anymore, I'm experimenting with non-toecapped wellies and have bought the most basic Aigles for £20, my reasoning being that they dont have the zip and therefore have less sites to fall apart from.
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I'll be interested to hear how you get on with the Croc wellies, Rosemary. I think I would be sceptical about the track record of a holey sandal company in making rugged real-life smallholder / farmer wellies, but I am probably just jealous because it's always too wet where I am to be able to use Crocs outdoors, at all, ever!
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Had some yellow boots (size 6 - the blue ones were 5's and the red ones were 7's ;D so everyone knew exactly what size feet you have!) for over thirty years and I paid 2 quid for them!
They finally gave up two years ago due to excessive blackthorn spikes, and I was bought a very expensive pair of neoprene lined Aigle boots. they are awesome! Zipped so i can get in and out of them without turning beetroot colour and cosy, and more importantly, really really comfortable and supportive, which was sure as hell lacking in my yellow wellies! I guess that averaged out over 32 years my two pairs of boots are good value!?
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I hate wellies but just bought a pair of Dunlop Purafort (or something like that!) out of necessity and I am pleased with them. They were about 45 quid and fairly comfortable for wellies! Rosemary I always wear walking boots and gaiters except now that I have the cows I have no option but to have wellies when it's really wet and manky :-[
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OH's shooting magazine came yesterday with the usual array of catalogues one of which had Hunter Balmoral Sovereign wellies at £299 :o ::) Who on earth buys those?
Summer time Dunlops from the aggy store for a fiver and winter my muck boots win the day!
Mandy :pig:
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How do the sizes of the Le Chameaus fit? Would I need to get the next size up for example for winter socks or would my regular size be ok? (Thinking for a birthday/crimbo prezzie for hubby to get me!) Also can they be tight fitting? :-\
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I'll be interested to hear how you get on with the Croc wellies, Rosemary. I think I would be sceptical about the track record of a holey sandal company in making rugged real-life smallholder / farmer wellies, but I am probably just jealous because it's always too wet where I am to be able to use Crocs outdoors, at all, ever!
I don't wear wellies that much - prefer boots (Ariat H20) and gaiters - but wellies are good to step into. I have been having problems with my feet - flat - and that's been giving me pain in my feet, ankles and knees. I've also had a sore hip and back on and off. I saw a podiatrist a couple of weeks ago and she asked what I wore on my feet in the house. Socks, says I. Wear Crocs, says she. I had a pair so started wearing them right away. The difference is remarkable - my feet, ankles and knees are pretty much pain free - no more broken sleep - and my hip and back seem better too. I LOVE my Crocs. Now waiting for a referal to Orthotics to get custom made insoles for my boots.
See the saying"no foot, no horse"? Applies to humans as well.
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How do the sizes of the Le Chameaus fit? Would I need to get the next size up for example for winter socks or would my regular size be ok? (Thinking for a birthday/crimbo prezzie for hubby to get me!) Also can they be tight fitting? :-\
I have one pair of LeC's, my normal (shoe) size leaves plenty of room for winter socks. I've no idea what style / model they might be; I've had them about 10 years now! My calves are too thick for many makes of welly, but the LeC's are fine.
My pair are made of soft rubber, which means I can't just slide my legs into them, I have to use my hands to pull the legs up and on. But they are very comfortable - the only wellies I've ever had that are comfortable enough for hiking - and the tread is very grippy and hard-wearing.
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I love my Le Chameaus. I'm a size 6 and the 39 is great, and I can get quite thick socks on with that too. I tried the Ladies All Track but it was such a snug fit on the calf I could only wear leggings with them and not my army-style trousers tucked in, so I went with the Regular All Tracks which are great. A bit more roomy on the leg but not so much so that when you wear leggings they are flapping about in the wind. Of course, this all depends on the size of your calf but I've just measured the circumference of mine at the widest part and it's 37cm.
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I have a bunion and very fat legs and usually wellies just don't fit and if they fit they don't last.
I bought a pair of Aigle Varios, the neoprene lined ones. They are plenty wide enough around the legs and have a great insole which gives enough support. I can wear them for hours and not have any problems.
Seemed like a lot of money to spend at the time, but they are lasting well.
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I was born with hip displacia, many would have not let me breed but I did, I spent the first 50years in sever pain and after a new hip had a new lige, but it has left its mark as now my spine is twisted and arthritic and sometimes cuts off my feelings.....I find my muck boots more supportive than wellies or boots...I still get a lot of problems but I need to keep moving and my wellies are my life savers!!!! I also get restless legs, I thought about Irish dancing but them outfits would look silly on me! so Muck boots it is!
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iv just treated myself to a great pair of "muck boot co" wellies for about £75,they are the riding version so thats handy for me, soo comfy, but also heavy to walk in all day. i cant stand wet feet so as long as they dont split il be happy!!!!
:wave:
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I've had these for the last few years. They seem to last longer than most- say 2yrs with regular, although not everyday, use. Also I find them comfy for walking the dog, not sloppy, and my socks stay up.
Dunlop Pricemastor Non Safety wellington
Non Safety Wellington. Upper: Green. Sole: Black. PVC basic upper. Size 3 - 12
Our price: ONLY £9.95 + VAT
Price inc. VAT £11.94
I took this off a direct wellingtons website, but actually I buy them at the market for about £10
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